Do you know how many Olympic athletes, like Gold Medal winners Shaun White and Chloe Kim, train and do amazing moves on their skis and snowboards? They must train for hours on the slopes, right? Well yes, but that isn’t the secret to their success. They train on trampolines, of course.
According to a recent interview on Fox News Sports, Winter Olympics athletes do a lot of training on trampolines. Justin Perry, the Freeride Program Head Coach at the New York Ski Education Foundation, says that athletes, especially skiers and snowboarders, use the trampoline training for slopestyle, halfpipe, and big air moves.
“Using the trampolines and the help of throw-pads provide a safe environment to practice tricks, get our repetitions up, so that the athletes can gain what we call muscle memory,” Perry explained. “So when it comes time to do these tricks on snow, it’s like second nature.”
It seems that trampolines are finally getting the credit they deserve. When world-class athletes competing in the Winter Olympics consider them a necessary part of their training regimen, they must provide benefits beyond what is usually looked upon as pure entertainment. It’s time to dispel the negative myths of trampolines and state that there are, in fact, a number of health benefits to using trampolines:
- Lose weight and keep fit: NASA conducted a study several years ago and found that regular users of trampolines burn more calories in an hour rebounding, as jumping on a trampoline is called, than a jogger does in the same amount of time. Rebounding can also be key to losing weight as it is a metabolic exercise. Just fifteen minutes of moderate trampoline use three times a week doesn’t stress your metabolism and may even help you lose weight.
- Detox your body:Trampoline exercise triggers natural detoxification as it puts the body in a weightless state during jumping and landing. All that bouncing, which is twice the force of gravity, benefits the body’s lymphatic system. When blood flows in the body, the lymphatic fluid leaks out of the blood vessels into the body tissues. Fluid carries food to the cells and soaks the body tissues, forming tissues fluid. That fluid then collects waste, bacteria, and damaged cells.
- Increase oxygen to the whole body:According to the already cited NASA report, heart rates and oxygen consumption using mini trampoline exercises saw significant increases in “bio mechanical stimuli” with rebounding. Thus, oxygen circulates throughout the body at increased levels when rebounding.
- Reduce pressure on the feet and legs:Many exercises such as running, walking, and jogging can put excessive pressure on the legs and feet. This may cause painful pronation – a rolling in or flattening of the feet. Rebounding, however, relieves a person of that pressure. Rebounding or jogging while on a trampoline is more beneficial as you can do it longer and without any pain to your feet or joints.
- Improve posture and balance:Many people have serious issues with poor posture or imbalance in their gait or walk. Rebounding can improve both because of one generally unknown reason – it stimulates the vestibule in the middle ear. Trampoline users have found that their posture and balance improve using the trampoline for just fifteen minutes, three days a week.
These are just some of the many health benefits of using a trampoline. To many, these benefits are a revelation as rebounding is not a traditional form of exercise. However, to us regular trampoline users, this is just a way of life. Jump, live healthier and have fun!
Rockin’ Jump, The Ultimate Trampoline Park, in Gaithersburg, Maryland, offers a variety of trampoline activities for children and adults including: Stunt Bag Arena, Vertical OPS, Open Jump Arena, X- Beam, Dodgeball Arena and Slam Dunk Zone. Come visit our JumpSafe® environment which ensures a clean and safe experience. Book your Jump Time or Birthday Party by calling (301) 703-3707 or email info@mdm.rockinjump.com.