Trampoline Exercises for the Obese

Obese individuals should take extra care when starting an exercise program because of the stress that they’re putting on their joints and other musculoskeletal structures. High-impact exercises like jogging on a treadmill can be hard on the ankles, knees, hips and back because of the loads placed on these structures. Exercising on a trampoline is ideal for obese individuals, however, as it allows them to increase their heart rate and burn calories while the trampoline absorbs a significant amount of the landing impact.

  1. An Effective Workout

    • The goal of your trampoline workout is to keep moving the entire time, which will keep your heart rate elevated and help you burn more calories. According to a 1980 study published in the Journal of Applied Physiology: Respiratory, Environmental and Exercise Physiology, jumping on a trampoline has the potential of being as effective or more effective than running. Obese individuals have a greater risk of losing their balance and should thus keep trampoline exercises simple. The American College of Sports Medicine recommends that obese individuals start out with low-intensity aerobic exercise for 30 minutes or more. If you’re unable to keep bouncing for 30 minutes straight, you can break that time up into shorter sessions. You may also want to consider a mini trampoline that has a handrail for support.

    Warming Up With Basic Hops

    • Before you begin more intense exercises, hop for about five minutes to increase body temperature and blood flow. Take off and land on both feet, keeping them shoulder-width apart. Keep the intensity low so that you’re barely getting off the trampoline with each hop; primarily focus on flexing your feet in between jumps. After you get used to the motion, try to incorporate arm swings while you jump.

    Array of More Intense Hops

    • After you’re warmed up, increase the intensity of your workout with an array of hops, including the two-foot hop, side-to-side hop, twist hop and jumping jack hop. Two-foot hop is similar to the hop you did during the warm-up, but you try to jump higher off the trampoline. Side-to-side hop is like the two-foot hop, except you keep your feet together and jump left and right. The twist-hop involves hopping while keeping your feet pointed forward but twisting your waist left and right. For jumping jack hops, land with your feet wide apart, jump again and then land with the feet together.

    Jogging in Place

    • You can also incorporate jogging into your trampoline workout. Unlike hopping, each foot lands on the trampoline one at a time. Begin with the basic jog in the center of the trampoline. Then move onto the butt kick jog, for which you bring one heel up toward your glutes during each step. For high knees jogging, bring your knees up toward your chest during each step.