In today’s busy world, short workouts are becoming more appealing and more readily available. The whole premise of the uber-popular workout platform The Sculpt Society is to empower women to feel like a short 5- or 10-minute sweat session is enough. And Peloton now offers a slew of 10-minute classes in everything from spinning and walking to strength training and yoga. However, these snack-size exercises could have more merit than simply fitting into a jam-packed schedule. Research from NASA shows that a certain 10-minute workout is 68 percent more effective than a 30-minute run.
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NASA data shows the benefits of “rebounding.”
Rebounding is a fancy way of saying jumping on a trampoline—a cardio activity that is not just for kids.
Over the past decade, boutique fitness studios have popped up all over, offering rebounding classes on mini trampolines. And popular digital platforms like Obé Fitness have added at-home “bounce” classes, too. But way back in 1980, researchers from NASA had already pointed to the benefits of this particular workout when they were investigating how to keep astronauts from losing bone density and muscle mass while in space.
In the study, the researchers enlisted eight males aged 19 to 26, who walked and ran on a treadmill at four speeds, as well as jumped on a trampoline at four heights, while having their oxygen uptake (how hard the body is working), acceleration rate, and heart rate measured.
They found that while oxygen uptake and heart rate were similar for a 30-minute run and a 10-minute rebounding session, jumping on the trampoline yielded “significantly greater” rates of external work output—meaning rebounding was a more efficient workout and made participants’ bodies work harder. “‘The greatest difference was about 68%,” states the study.
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Another study had similar results.
In a 2016 study commissioned by the American Council on Exercise (ACE), 24 healthy, college-aged students were enlisted to complete 19-minute trampoline workouts for six months.
The researchers found that men burned an average of 12.4 calories per minute and women 9.4 calories per minute. “This was equivalent to the energy expenditure when running 6 mph on flat ground, biking at 14 mph, or playing a sport like football, basketball, or ultimate Frisbee,” Best Lifepreviously reported.
The study was led by John Porcari, PhD, a researcher in the Department of Exercise and Sport Science at the University of Wisconsin–La Crosse, who explained that the trampoline workouts also felt easier to participants than they actually were.
“We would expect participants to report ratings of perceived exertion of about 13 at this intensity level, but the subjects averaged an RPE of 11.7, or a light to moderate intensity,” he said. “This may be because, while the muscles are working hard, the trampoline makes the activity less jarring. The enjoyment factor may make things easier, as well.”
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Here’s why trampolining is such an effective workout.
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There were limitations to both studies, namely that they only included small groups of young people. However, experts back up the claims that trampolining is an incredibly effective workout. In addition to cardiovascular benefits, here are some of the biggest reasons why:
1. It’s a full-body workout.
“When you jump, you use the entire momentum of your body, which forces all of your different muscles to work simultaneously,” exercise coordinator Lori Lyons, AFAA, shared with Cleveland Clinic.
Or, as trampoline park Sky Zone puts it: “When you jump, you’re working a lot of different muscle groups at once, including your glutes, legs, upper body, and your core. In short, your body is working in tandem as you squat to jump, lift off, hit a pose in the air, and then land.”
2. It can improve balance.
In speaking with The New York Times, Porcari noted that because trampolining is such a high-intensity workout, even alternating between jumping on one foot and two feet for 5 to 10 minutes a few times a week can help improve your balance.
In fact, a 2011 study found that a 14-week mini-trampoline exercise program increased elderly participants’ ability to regain balance when falling forward by 35 percent. “The improvement was attributed to the higher rate of hip moment generation,” the study stated.
If balance is a concern, many mini trampolines come with an attached stability bar you can hold onto.
3. It can lead to greater bone density.
Since the NASA study was commissioned partly to find a workout that preserves astronauts’ bone density while in space, it’s not surprising that other research makes similar claims for the general population.
A 2016 study looked at the bone density and bone strength of 29 female professional trampolinists aged 16 to 29 and found that, compared to a control group, they exhibited greater bone density, area, microarchitecture, and estimated bone strength.
4. It’s easy on the joints.
Rebounding is a low-impact, joint-friendly exercise that’s recommended by the Arthritis Foundation.
“The rebounder absorbs most of the impact, so you can do higher-intensity workouts safely,” they explain. “And trampolining may have benefits that other low-impact exercises don’t, including increased endurance, coordination, and balance.”
5. It supports the pelvic floor.
As Best Life previously explained, “Your pelvic floor is a group of muscles that support your pelvic organs, including the bowel, bladder, and uterus. It also has the important job of helping these organs to function optimally.”
When your pelvic floor weakens, whether from age, childbirth, or medical reasons, it can lead to health issues, the most common of which is urinary incontinence. But trampolining is on the list of pelvic floor exercises that can counteract these effects.
For a 2023 study, 37 healthy, postmenopausal women completed three 40-minute trampoline workouts each week for three months. After the study, these women showed “decreased stress urinary incontinence,” as well as “significantly” increased bone mineral density.
Content shared from bestlifeonline.com.