How to Exercise with Trampoline Games

How to Exercise with Trampoline Games
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Why Trampolines Are Good for You

Trampolines and rebounders are great apparatus for effective fitness activity because their sprung fabric surface is perfect for impact exercise. This is because jumping and exercising on the giving surface of a trampoline, as opposed to a hard floor surface, lessens any strain on the spine and joints. According to Dr. Kathleen Fuller PhD, trampoline exercise is wonderful because it makes aerobic exercise possible “minus the strain on the musculoskeletal system.” Also, experts at BetterHealthInnovations.com relay that the jumping motion on a trampoline clears your body of toxins and jumpstarts the lymphatic system. It seems that exercise with trampoline games just became an effective and fun way to get healthy and toned.

Jump Rope on the Trampoline

Try regularly jumping rope on the trampoline and observe how refreshed your body will undoubtedly feel. Keep track of your jumps by counting how long you can keep jumping over the rope without stopping. You can easily make this exercise into a fun contest or game by competing against your own count or competing with a friend’s count. As a variation, you can also have two friends turn the rope for you while you jump and they count your jumps for you. Standard rope games like double dutch are certainly welcome as part of the trampoline repertoire as well. In fact, virtually any jump rope game can be played on the trampoline, and the added twist of being able to jump higher and longer can only enhance the fun.

“Follow the Leader” on the Trampoline

This game can be a pretty creative exercise because it requires players to make up their own choreography to some extent. You can play with pretty much any amount of players, within reason, but you do need at least two to play. One person will start the game by doing some sort of trick or semi-acrobatic move on the trampoline. The next person will have to do that same trick, plus do another trick or move of their own. The following person will then have to perform the two preceding tricks, which were just performed by the two players before, and also add a trick of their own. You get the idea. Gradually a complicated routine of moves will evolve, and the players will have to exercise their memories as well as their bodies in order to stay in the game. If someone forgets what move to do or what order they go in, they will be out of the game. The last person left when everyone else has been declared out of the game is the winner of the contest.

“Crack the Egg” on the Trampoline

One person out of a group of players will be named the “egg” and sit down in the center of the trampoline, clasping their arms around their knees in order to create the proper “egg” shape. The other players will stand towards the outskirts of the trampoline with a few feet allowance between them and the “egg” in the middle. Note that this distance is for safety reasons because the point of the game is for all of these other players to jump, thereby causing the “egg” to bounce until the egg-formation is broken. This is how you “crack the egg.” Obviously, with all the bouncing action, this game can possibly get a little intense depending on how zealous the other jumping players are. so that the “egg” does not get roughed up, although this game is actually one of the most popular trampoline games for its thrills.

Trampoline Dodgeball

At least six players are recommended for this game. Two people will be on the trampoline while the rest of the players remain on the ground around the trampoline. During the game, the players on the ground will attempt to tag the jumpers on the trampoline by hitting them with a soft ball. If one of the jumpers is tagged, the person on the ground and the jumper will switch places. Points are earned for every successful hit or tag with the ball. A total of 10-20 points are possible depending upon the number of players there are, and points are taken away if the ball hits someone in the head. Naturally, the first person to earn the highest number of points wins. TIP: If you want to up the challenge of this game you can use two balls at once.

“Cold Potato” on the Trampoline

“Cold potato” is so named because of the possibility of being drenched by the water-balloon “potato,” which makes this a perfect game for summertime. Basically, players will toss the water balloon back and forth or in a circle until it breaks on someone. The trampoline comes into the game because everyone is required to jump up and down at all times while the game is going on. This gives an extra challenge in trying to catch the water balloon and also keep it from breaking. This game is fun and simple for all ages, and—like all vigorous trampoline activity—excellent for your cardiovascular and lymphatic system.

Resources

Articlesbase.com: “Just Minutes to Fitness on a Rebounder”

BetterHealthInnovations.com: “Mini Trampoline Rebounder”