It’s much more than a toy, but it’s still a lot of fun: the trampoline. The American aerospace authority NASA has long sworn by training between gravity and weightlessness. Now medicine is discovering the many advantages of “rebounding” and “trampoline jumping”, as sporty jumping has recently been considering mandatory by Mag. Sabine Stehrer.
was discovered again by an acrobat for demonstrations in the USA in the 1930s: jumping on a trampoline. However, selecting the best trampoline also plays its role when it comes to achieve better results.
The American aerospace authority NASA recognized that hopping can do much more than entertain an audience. She gave her astronauts trampoline training in preparation for moving in space. The men even took part in studies, the results of which demonstrate the various positive effects of exercise between gravity and weightlessness on fitness and health. Dr. Robert Fritz, sports medicine specialist from Sport ordination: “It’s fun, you don’t need anything except a mini-trampoline, and if you train ten minutes a day, you’ve done a lot for yourself,” the doctor knows.
For heart & endurance
Just jumping up and down easily on the trampoline puts a lot of strain on and relieves the body in quick succession. This really gets the cardiovascular system going, so that after about three weeks of daily ten-minute training you can count on improvements apart from hopping: “For example, in the form that you have to puff less when you are Going up stairs, or doing other endurance sports like running,” says Fritz, encouraging rebounding, as athletic jumping is also called. As soon as you notice that you have more stamina, you should set new stimuli during training in order to improve further, advises Robert Fritz. “You can increase the intensity and, for example, jump faster or make turning movements and jumping jacks while jumping.” With intensive trampoline training you can also do something for your figure. After all, you consume between 200 and 400 kilocalories every half an hour.
For legs and buttocks
When jumping, alternately pull up your knees, heel on or lunges when jumping: This not only gets the cardiovascular system going, but also trains the muscles, especially in the legs and buttocks. But the core muscles also benefit from the exercises: After all, the back and stomach must remain tense so that the posture remains upright. A six-pack or a thigh à la Arnold Schwarzenegger shouldn’t be expected from rebounding, however, because: “Hopping on the trampoline is strength endurance training, and with it the muscles can only be built up slightly,” explains Fritz. If you strengthen your strength endurance, you will ensure that the muscles tire less quickly during exertion. And that means that z. B. the back does not hurt even after hours of sitting in front of the computer or on the bike. If you take dumbbells in your hand while jumping and do arm exercises, you can also train the shoulder and arm muscles. Good for loosening up the muscles and relieving tension: after the exercises, jump up and down for a few minutes.
For joints & bones
The moment you return from weightlessness and hit the mat, a multiple of your body weight acts on the musculoskeletal system. “This creates a compression stimulus,” says Fritz: “This stimulus or pressure is particularly good for the joints and bones.” As soon as the joints are compressed, so to speak, when they hit the mat, more synovial fluid is formed, which is beneficial to the health of cartilage, intervertebral discs, Ligaments and tendons serves: If they are washed around them, they function better and are supplied with more nutrients, which also keep them healthy. The risk of overloading or injuring tendons, ligaments, intervertebral discs and articular cartilage from jumping is minimal, as the mat cushions the jumps. With regular hop training and thus regular compression stimuli, you can achieve that bones build up or that age-related bone loss slows down. This prevents premature bone loss (osteoporosis).
For digestion & pelvic floor
No matter how you jump: When you move up and down, like the entire muscles of the body, the intestinal muscles are activated, which stimulates bowel activity. Fritz: “Trampoline training improves digestion.” In addition, the pressure exerted on the muscles during rebounding stimulates the lymph flow, which is good for the connective tissue. Women who had weak pelvic floor muscles after pregnancy and therefore involuntarily lost urine also report that hopping made the pelvic floor stronger and that rebounding helped them become continent.
For coordination & balance
The more complex the exercises that are built into the hop training, the better coordination skills and a sense of balance are trained when jumping on the trampoline. “At the same time, rebounding is a good school for sensorimotor skills, i.e., the ability to react quickly to various sensory stimuli with appropriate movements,” Fritz mentions other advantages of athletic hopping. Sensorimotor skills, a sense of balance and the ability to coordinate: All of this is important in everyday life, e.g. it is about catching yourself after a slip and not falling. The sports medicine specialist knows that these abilities are also useful when practicing other sports such as running, skiing or dancing.
For zest for life & mood
Above all, jumping on the trampoline is fun and a lust for life: “If you really exert yourself while training on the trampoline, stress hormones are broken down and the happiness hormone serotonin is released, just like in other sports,” says sports medicine specialist Fritz. Anyone who grumpily steps onto the jumping mat is guaranteed to jump down again after jumping for a while with a smile on their face and in a better mood.
For the whole family
Incidentally, the whole family can “jump up” in a good mood, because trampoline training is suitable for every age group. “To be on the safe side, you should only undergo a sports medical examination before you start training on the trampoline,” says Fritz. “Only those who have not played any sport for many years, suffer from cardiovascular diseases or have problems with their spine or joints.” The best thing to do is to have a doctor recommend sports that are suitable as a supplement, advises Fritz: “In total, you should exercise at least 150 minutes a week and do a mix of different endurance and strength sports,” as the sports doctor emphasizes.
