Rebounders, Mini Trampoline, Rehabilitation Products, Strength Training, Medicine Balls

What is a Rebounder?

A rebounder is similar to a trampoline except it is much smaller, about 3 to 4 feet in diameter, with between 6 to 8 legs. Its main feature is a tightened, elastic surface that is attached to the frame through a network of short springs or bungee bands, surrounded by a ridged edge. A rebounder is used for rebounding exercises, and can be utilized for these kinds of applications in a home, physical rehabilitation center, health club, gym and sport complex.

The Benefits of Rebounders

Rebound exercise is a low-impact exercise which offers many of the same type of benefits of floor aerobic exercise but with up to 85% less of the jarring shock a body would receive when exercising on a regular floor surface.

The many benefits of rebound exercise come from using three natural forces during a rebound exercise: gravity, acceleration, and deceleration.

Rebounding exercise helps to line up the forces by combining acceleration and deceleration with gravity. When users start to bounce up and down, their bodies are subjected to the forces of acceleration and deceleration plus gravity, and the combination of these three forces creates an increase in G force. Every cell in the body will feel this increase, which is the equivalent of doubling the body weight. The G force equals the individual user’s body weight, called 1G force, and with the doubling of the G force in rebounding exercising, each and every cell gets stronger; not just the muscle cells, but all the cells of the body. During rebounding exercise, the cells are constantly being flushed of metabolic waste while also being saturated with oxygen, enzymes, nutrients and more, activating and strengthening the lymphatic system.

While there are numerous benefits to regular workouts with rebounders, the following are the most advantageous:

Strengthened Body Cells: As previously stated, all of the body’s cells can be strengthened with the mechanics of performing rebounding exercises due to either the constant gravity changes (acceleration and deceleration) and/or the pressure differentials with the forcing of more oxygen flowing through the cells throughout the entire body.

Cardiovascular and Respiratory Improvement: As with aerobic exercise, the same beneficial results are equally impressive in terms of increased heart function and strength, enhanced endurance and stamina, and stress reduction through the activation of endorphins. This type of exercise additionally aids in decreasing appetite while burning off a number of calories, all the while helping to decrease and normalize blood pressure and blood cholesterol.

Increased Lymph Flow: By greatly increasing the lymph fluid circulation, rebounding exercises also increase the immune system function, augmenting the body’s natural detoxification processes, along with producing greater white blood cell activity. The enhanced lymph flow circulation also helps with the body’s waste removal, adding to the overall healthy and balanced function of the immune system.

Less Strain and Less Impact on the Joints, Skeleton, and Soft Tissue: A rebounder device has the element of springs or bungee bands that absorb most of the shock or impact on the body’s joints on every bounce. For people who want aerobic exercise without the straining or shocking of the joints, soft tissue, or skeleton, rebounding exercise is an attractive alternative to achieve fitness and tone. Rebounding has also been shown to help those who want to prevent osteoporosis by increasing bone density and strengthening the skeleton.

Muscular Development and Physical Strength: Rebounding can improve overall physical strength and muscle development as well as balance, flexibility, coordination, and improved muscle tone – particularly in the legs, hips, thighs, arms and abdomen. Exercising with rebounders additionally boosts energy and vitality.

Who Can Use a Rebounder?

Rebound exercise is suitable for all ages and abilities. Mothers, fathers, kids, college students, rehabilitation patients, and the obese and overweight can all greatly benefit from regular rebounder exercise. For individuals who may be unsteady, disabled, elderly, or handicapped, there are stabilizing bars available that can be fitted onto a rebounder device for added security and safety.

What Exercises Can Be Done on a Rebounder?

There are several different types of “bounces” that can be performed on a rebounder to achieve specified results.

The ‘health bounce’ is a gentle, rocking-like movement that just about anybody can do. The health bounce is associated with stimulating the immune system.

The ‘aerobic bounce’ involves either running in place or dancing on the rebounder to help elevate the heart and respiration rate.

The ‘strength bounce’ involves an intensified bouncing movement with both feet leaving the rebounder’s mat. This type of bouncing can lead to strengthening the lower body and abdomen, as well as helping to strengthen all of the body cells due to the accelerative applied force of the strength bounce.

Other types of movements or exercise that can be done on a rebounder encompass jumping jacks, side-to-side motions, twists, dance movements, running in place, and other movements with or without hand-weights or medicine balls.

How to Use a Medicine Ball with a Rebounder

A rebounder can be raised or lowered on one side, creating an angle of 60 degrees from the floor. This angle allows for the ability to throw a ball at the rebounder and have the ball bounce back to the thrower. This might sound easy, but when using a 6-pound medicine ball, the upper-body plyometric drill of this exercise can have the thrower huffing and puffing in no time. Often utilized during sports conditioning, using a medicine ball in conjunction with a rebounder can produce the plyometric ability of the muscles. This means that the muscles are quickly stretching and then immediately contracting, essentially training and using the upper body muscles, the core muscles and better balancing strength.

Step 1 – While facing the rebounder, slant it at an angle between 60 and 70 degrees.

Step 2 – Stand about 2 feet away from the rebounder, and while standing in a split stance where one foot is about a step-length in front of the other and the feet are at shoulder-width, hold a medicine ball in both hands, with the ball against the chest.

Step 3 – While bending the elbows and holding the medicine ball against the chest, slightly lean forward while tightening the abdominals to stabilize the body.

Step 4 - Quickly extend the elbows, forcefully pushing the medicine ball with both hands away from the chest and onto the center of the rebounder.

Step 5 – When the medicine ball rebounds back, catch it with both hands and bend the elbows, allowing the ball’s resistance to within 3 inches of the chest. Immediately extend the arms and push the ball back on the rebounder, and repeat until a completion of 5 to 10 repetitions of 3 to 5 sets has been completed.

Hulet Smith, OT
Rehabmart Co-Founder & CEO

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