SkyRobics Takes Your Workout To A Whole New Level

Think you’re too old to hit a trampoline park? Think again. Around the world adults are reclaiming the right to bounce and seeing some sweet health benefits too. Read on to discover how people are jumping on what might be the next fitness craze.

Rebounders have become popular fitness aids over the past few years, but now there’s another option for folks who love to jump. Trampoline parks like Sky Zone, pictured, are exploding in popularity. These parks feature giant indoor arenas with both floors and walls made of trampolines. Yes, you read that correctly. Sounds awesome, right?
Although these parks have become birthday hot spots for kids, you can bet that adults are just as keen to try them out. Several offer “hoppy hour,” an evening time slot for grown ups to bounce and then hit the juice bar for some healthy refueling. Blaring dance music helps keep the energy high and encourages a playful atmosphere. Many parks also have a dodge ball arena where you can reserve time to bring a team and relive your playground glory days.
A few parks also offer a fitness class called Skyrobics. Withings’ very own Marketing Manager, Arielle Carpenter, pulled on a pair of skysocks and jumped into a SkyFit class at the Sky Zone in Everett, MA. She endured one hour of intense aerobic exercise, all on trampolines. According to Arielle, the workout included jumping jacks, leaping from trampoline to trampoline, and suicides back and forth across the arena. The class also featured core and upper body training, which took place on the edges of the trampolines or lying on them, and circuit training involving stations with a team. Arielle described the experience as, “a fun, unique class” and “a great way to try something totally different and work out different parts of the body. More fun than a traditional gym session or workout.”
In addition to the pure joy of jumping, there are some serious health benefits to trampolining. Juliana Mitchell, Director of Living Now Yoga, told Withings that bouncing on a trampoline can help move lymph fluid, which flushes toxins out of our systems. “Any sickness can be exacerbated by, if not in fact caused, by stagnant and toxic lymph. Moving our lymph along and helping it to cleanse itself diminishes sickness, preventing cellulite and, it is my belief, diminishing the likelihood of cancer. In instances where people have chronic fatigue or related illnesses, it is beneficial for them even just to sit on the edge of the trampoline and bounce lightly. Also, bouncing alleviates depression.”
Joshua Duvauchelle, a life coach and certified personal trainer through the American Council on Exercise, explains that getting your bounce on can also help with muscle conditioning. “Jumping on a trampoline works your entire core muscle group. That’s because your movements are being conducted on a very unstable surface, so your body must recruit multiple muscles to propel you up in the air while simultaneously keeping you balanced.”
Experts agree that spending time on the trampoline is a great way to bounce away between 200 and 400 calories an hour while you reap an array of other health benefits. So, whether you’re in pursuit of fitness or fun, consider trying a trampoline park to reawaken your inner child and leave the gravity of the world behind, at least for an hour or two.