What Is Pogo Jogging?

It might bring to mind images of someone bouncing down the street on an old-fashioned pogo stick, but pogo jogging is considerably more high-tech. It could leave you giggling like a child, but this calorie-blasting, low-impact variation on running can't be called child’s play. Specially engineered rebound shoes propel you into the air and then cushion your landing – and the accompanying rush of endorphins might just fly you to the moon.

  1. The Footwear

    • Pogo jogging requires rebound cross-training shoes, marketed as Kangoo Jumps. At the time of publication, this was the only brand widely available. The top of the rebound shoe resembles the buckle-adorned boot of an inline skate. The boot sits on an 8-inch-tall, oval base with an adjustable tension band stretching across the middle and grooves in the back for traction. The shoe’s cantilevered spring system provides the rebound effect.

    The Trend

    • Swiss designers created rebound shoes in the 1990s to rehabilitate injured athletes, but fitness instructor Mario Godiva often gets the credit for bringing them to the general public. At his New York City classes, he leads his trademarked workouts, which include dance-like routines, explosive plyometric moves, and running in Kangoo Jumps.

    Fitness Benefits

    • Kangoo Jumps can provide an effective cardiovascular workout while significantly lessening stress on the joints, according to the American Council on Exercise. Exercising in the rebound shoes is also fun and energizing, the council concluded in a review of the footwear. Novice runners using the rebound shoes experienced a boost in aerobic capacity and suffered fewer injuries than did a comparable group of runners who wore conventional running shoes, according to a University of British Columbia study published in the online BC Medical Journal in 2003.

    Considerations

    • If you want to run in rebound shoes, be prepared to buy replacement parts after investing in the footwear. As of 2013, Kangoo Jumps ranged in price from $179 for a junior model – for people weighing up to 120 pounds – to $299 for the top-of-the-line adult model. The manufacturer says the shoes should last for several years, but the company recommends replacing the T-springs – the tension bands – after every 50 to 80 hours of use to prevent a decline in the rebound effect and protect against breakage of the shell-like platforms. While the rebound shoes are generally stable, they are not suitable for people with balance problems or who are at risk of falling, cautions the ACE.

    Starting Out

    • As Godiva tells his clients, you should take a few minutes to find your balance and get used to the odd sensation of defying gravity. The manufacturer recommends that new users start out by running in place on a flat, dry surface until they get accustomed to the shoes, which weigh nearly 4 pounds each. Once you adjust to the sensation of jogging by leaps and bounds, you may feel reluctant to return to Earth in a pair of standard running shoes.