Bouncing Trampoline Workout is Fun, Full Body, and Hazardous
We bounced to the right, the left, and in a twist. We did a version of a jumping jack, a boxing maneuver and I’m pretty sure, the Charleston.
Unique group exercise classes are kinda my jam. So when I heard there was a trampoline class not far from where I lived I jumped on it.
The class I took was hosted by Bellicon Bounce, a maker of personal trampolines. The workout, done on individual mini-trampolines, is advertised as being fun and low impact.
Aside from the trampoline, you also need a pair of sticky socks so you slip off and land on the floor (Yikes!). The class I took also used hand weights, but those were supplied by the gym.
Only five other women were participating, in a room about the size of an average living room. We each took our places with the instructor at the front of the room and began a slow bounce.
Tiziana, our heavily accented and fiercely serious instructor, fired up her playlist and got the bounce party started.
Bounce it Out
The music was loud, so I couldn’t understand most of what Tiziana was saying, but I was able to follow along to her movements at the front of the room. She kept me motivated with her European gusto and aggressive, commanding style.
We started right off bouncing. No instruction needed. Who doesn’t know how to bounce on a trampoline? (this girl)
This was fun! Just like those summer barbeques with the kids’ trampoline in the yard. I always hop on those for like three minutes before becoming totally exhausted. This was much the same, except there would be no beer, nor excuse for walking away breathless anytime soon. We were on this sucker for 45 minutes.
Come on Baby, Do the Twist
We bounced to the right, to the left, and in a twist. We did a version of a jumping jack, a boxing maneuver and I’m pretty sure, the Charleston.
Tiziana was relentless, fit, demanding, and to be frank, getting my nerves. Her energy was boundless and she didn’t seem to need any sort of break. By the end of the warm-up, I was spent.
Balance and Coordination Needed
While the exercise was difficult, it was also actually fun. There is a level of balance and coordination required for shifting from foot to foot on an unstable surface while hopping up and down.
I had to keep looking down at my feet to ensure that I wasn’t about to jump off the side of the trampoline. One time I did jump off, but I landed deftly (luckily) on the ground with both feet. After a shocking second, I saw Tiziana smile and I hopped back on. No harm, no foul.
I was more cautious after that and I wasn’t entirely as coordinated as some of the others in the class seemed to be. When I tried to lift my leg in a sidekick while bouncing on the other I wobbled like a toddler learning to walk, reminding me of that unattractive version of myself New Years’ Eve 1999.
At one point we were somehow double side kicking (some people were) coupled with a complex arm movement that left me frenzied and nearly bouncing across the room.
It’s Not Just Bouncing
Finally, we stopped bouncing to do some floor exercises wherein we’d balance our arms in the center of the trampoline. We did planks, push-ups, and other fun stuff with the added element of not being able to balance. It was a challenging but good core workout, similar to what you’d do with balance ball in a pilates class.
Tiziana kept coming over to me to push on my stomach and tell me to suck it in. At least, that’s what I think she was saying. She was fit and trim and didn’t seem to understand that no matter how much I sucked it in there was still going to be quite a bit hanging down. Welcome to the bane of my existence, Tiziana.
Floor exercises over, I took a long time getting a drink from the fountain while the girls starting bouncing to “Poker Face” by Lady Gaga.
Playlist Fire
I’ll say this, the only thing that kept me bouncing was the playlist. It was fire — lots of Ke$ha, GaGa and inexplicably, Alicia Keys. Ke$ha’s “Blow” got me through minute 38 bigtime.
We ended the class by bouncing as high as we could. I was bottoming out, but it didn’t look like anyone else was, so I tried to jump less vigorously.
That’s when I noticed the woman behind me had a long handlebar on her trampoline to keep her from falling off. That would have saved me from looking like an insane rhinoceros on meth, but it was too late now.
Overall, the Bounce class was super fun and a great workout. The playlist was relevant and necessary, and Tiziana wasn’t half as bad as I maybe made her out to be.
I look forward to taking another trampoline class and recommend it for anyone looking to have some fun and mix up their workout routine while working a few muscles you may not ever discover otherwise.
