The BOUNCE That CountsRebounding on mini-trampolines is a great total-body workoutBy Debbe GeigerFreelance writer Debbe Geiger is a regular contributor to Newsday. KIDS LOVE TO bounce. Infants gurgle with glee when they are bounced on their parents' knees, kids gain immense pleasure from jumping on their beds, and teenagers bounce like crazy when they are dancing to the latest pop hits. As adults, we often forget how much fun it is to bounce around like a kid. So when a chance comes along in the form of a total body workout called rebounding - in which all the exercises are done on a mini-trampoline - it's no wonder that it is quickly becoming a hit in health clubs. In fact, the American Council on Exercise (ACE) predicts that rebounding is one of the hottest fitness trends. Rebounding isn't new. In fact, people have been using mini-trampolines for exercise for more than 20 years. However, it wasn't until 1998 that instructor J.B. Berns first introduced a group exercise class that he called urban rebounding at Crunch Fitness in Manhattan. Since then, it has been spreading like wildfire as more people become aware of rebounding's benefits. "Rebounding is the most efficient, effective exercise devised by man," says Albert E. Carter, an authority on rebounding and author of "The New Miracles of Rebound Exercise" (go to book, $12.95). "It develops balance, coordination, rhythm, timing, dexterity and kinesthetic awareness, which means the ability to know where every part of the body is at all times. That's important with young children as well as athletes." Carter, a trampolinist and gymnast who is president of the American Institute of Reboundology in Orem, Utah, says rebounding is so beneficial because it "exercises the body at the cellular level. You're not just exercising the muscles, you're also exercising the skeleton." As a result, he says, rebounding has proven effective in building bone mass and preventing osteoporosis. The rebounder is a mini-trampoline with a strong, woven mat surface and a jumping diameter of 28 inches. It can cost up to $300, depending on its features. Because it is tighter than what cheerleaders might use at a basketball game or what you might see at the circus, "you only go two or three inches off the surface," explains Blake Mays, a group fitness instructor at Crunch Fitness in Manhattan. "You bounce to create resistance so you're working your legs, buttocks and abs." Your abdominal muscles control how high you bounce. "It's very core-oriented," says Michelle Corso, director of group conditioning at Eastern Athletic Clubs in Dix Hills. "It isolates your abs. You use your abs to push your feet down into the rebounder. Once you've mastered the technique, which can be learned in about 30 seconds, your head doesn't even move. It all comes from your center." When you bounce, Mays says, you're working with gravity, acceleration and deceleration, which makes your body lean like a dancer's, rather than bulked up with muscle. "It's like using Pilates techniques, because you're working with gravity. The gravitational pull increases your body weight. When you're in the air, your body weight increases, so your body has to work harder." That's why he says a rebounding workout can burn up to 700 calories an hour. "If you jog on the rebounder for 20 minutes, it's the equivalent of running three miles." Rebounding is also easy on the joints. "When you are bouncing, the soft surface absorbs 87 percent of the shock," Mays says. That's the main reason ACE believes urban rebounding is taking off. Because the population of people who exercise is maturing, "exercises that are joint-friendly are the ones that are garnering a lot of attention and high participation rates," says Cedric Bryant, chief exercise physiologist for ACE in San Diego. Jerry Mercogliano of Dix Hills has been rebounding for nearly three months and was attracted to the class precisely for that reason. "I try to avoid anything that is jarring to my knees or back," he said. "I used to run, but after a while that would bother my feet." Mercogliano also likes its diversity. "Right from the start I thought it was great because it uses so many muscles," he said. "It's such an athletic exercise. You're running like football, jumping, squatting. We do weight training on it. There is stepping involved where you step from one side to another. We'll do a 15-minute ab workout on the rebounder. You can do push-ups. It's one hour of nonstop cardiovascular heaven. You've got to like to sweat." Corso of Eastern Athletics agrees, saying it's the hardest class she teaches right now. "It's harder than spinning," she said. "It blows step classes away. Because the cardiovascular output is so high, it's hard to continue for an hour. You have to build up your endurance." Still, she says, the rebounder is great for everybody. "People with back and knee problems can do it because you're working against a soft surface as opposed to the floor. It's athletically oriented as opposed to being choreographed." Bryant says that also adds to its popularity. "Traditional aerobics always have a high degree of appeal to females," he said, "but the moves that are part of rebounding make it appealing to men as well." Still, he warns that people with lower extremity instability could get hurt. "Even though it is low-impact, it is not a stable surface," he said. "If someone has an ankle injury, a person could roll that ankle again because it is an unstable surface." Also, he warns, if you're using the device in a home setting, be sure to store it properly. "It can be very problematic," he said, "if you have young children at home." For more information on rebounding or to purchase a rebounder, books or exercise videos, contact the American Institute of Reboundology at Freelance writer Debbe Geiger is a regular contributor to Newsday. Copyright © Newsday, Inc.
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