Lifestyle FeatureseAerobics using mini-tramp 'rebounding'in popularitySAN FRANCISCO - Burt Reynolds is hot again. So, too, are cardigan sets. So it shouldn't be entirely surprising that the fitness fad known as rebounding appears to be making a rebound itself. Trendy when Olivia Newton-John crooned "Let's Get Physical" the sport was in fashion about as long as color-coordinated sweat bands. But rebounding, which pairs round mini-trampolines and aerobic workouts, is slowly starting to bounce back from coast to coast. "It's a resurrection," says Richard Cotton, an exercise physiologist and spokesman for the American Council on Exercise. And with good reason, he says: "It's a low-impact activity, and it does enhance coordination and balance." Of course, effective fitness routines are a dime a dozen, but the renewed interest in the exercise is generally attributed to Crunch Fitness, a New York-based fitness chain that’s big with the MTV crowd. Hoping to give gym-goers something "new" to hold their interest, the club decided to bring back rebounding and put its own twist on it. And so rebounding, formerly a solo activity, is now taking place in Crunches group exercise rooms, with energetic instructors yelling out to dozens of hopping health fanatics "Are your thighs on fire yet?" "It's like cycling turned into Spinning," explains J.B. Berns, creator of the club’s "urban rebounding" classes. "It’s an old exercise turned into group fitness. Similar but different. But just as spending an hour in a stationary bicycling class is not the same as cycling up Mount Tam urban rebounding is quite different from the rebounding of years past. Rather than just performing simple jumps on the tiny trampolines in your own home, participants in today's rebounding classes are instructed to do leg kicks, jumping jacks knee lifts and even abdominal crunches throughout the course of an hour. "It combines dance movements, aerobic movements, sports-specific movements," says Berns, and this time he pledges, "It has staying power." If there is one reason why rebounding should stick around a while longer, it's the physical benefits it has to offer, fitness experts believe. The activity works a number of muscle groups, including the hamstrings, quadriceps and glutes, while providing a solid aerobic workout. But unlike jogging - which can be painful to an aging Baby Boomer's knees - rebounding is considered low-impact. The trampoline is much more forgiving than concrete. But an activity must be more than just effective for it to become popular with fickle fitness fans. It must also be fun, says Cathy Masterson McNeil, spokeswoman for the International Health, Racquet and Sports Club Association in Boston. Rebounding is thought to have one leg up on successful - yet staid - classes like Body Pump, Step aerobics and Power Yoga. "It kind of brings the kid out in you, because you’re jumping on a trampoline," says Terrell Lambacker, personal training manager at Crunch Fitness in San Francisco earlier this month. "We all liked to jump on beds as kids. This is bringing it to an adult level." Indeed, gym goers have been flipping for rebounding since Crunch reintroduced the activity in New York less than a year ago and San Francisco earlier this month. "Time flies when you are on a trampoline," explains Max Brand, a San Francisco accountant who took his first class three weeks ago. "It’s not boring at all." Just for women? Not at all. But that doesn’t mean everyone will find rebounding enjoyable. "I would imagine that some people would think it's maybe too feminine says Brand, 32. "There’s probably these big body-builders who think they might look silly jumping up and down." "The exercise trampolines are generally very safe," says Cotton "but the risk is in a misstep or a simple trip and fall." SAN FRANCISCO
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