Four Things You Need To Know About Trampoline Fitness Classes

These days there is no shortage of new and inventive ways to exercise. One of my favorites has been TRAMPOLINE fitness classes. I first learned about the craze after seeing Busy Philips post about LA’s LEKfit on Instagram, which looked like a crazy fun and effective way to workout.

Thankfully, DC is home to two different studios offering trampoline fitness classes — Fuel Body Lab and Fuse Pilates. I’ve had the opportunity to try classes at both studios and want to share my experience. Note, while each studio calls the class a different and fun name (TRAMP for Fuel, Jump for Fuse), both Fuel and Fuse trampoline classes are quite similar in execution so, for the purposes of the post, what I write applies to either class.

Now, here is what you need to know before trying out a trampoline fitness class:

The Set Up.

In a trampoline class, each person has their own mini trampoline from which they jump up and down, do skips over, and do push ups on top of. In the class, you do all of your work on or around the trampoline so you don’t need a mat but may have a set of hand weights for certain portions of the class. You should be comfortable jumping for an extended period of time if you’re going to take the class and, as instructors have noted, make sure that you go to the bathroom before class. ), Otherwise this class is good for all levels and you can modify the workout as needed.

Because you don’t want to slip off the trampoline, both studios require sticky socks for the class.

It’s Effective.

Jumping on trampolines isn’t all fun and games, people. Since the average person isn’t jumping on a trampoline every day, the cardio of jumping up, down, and around for 45 minutes using often-ignored muscles can definitely be tiring. In fact, I took Fuel’s TRAMP class as the third workout during Sweat in Shaw this summer and the two men who were in the class tapped out less than 10 minutes into class.

That said, trampoline classes really force you out of your comfort zone. You have to teach your body and your brain how to stay in sync on this small trampoline and keep up with the beat and the exercise routines from your instructor. Like most things, once you let go of thinking that you look like an idiot flailing around on your tiny trampoline, you should be able to quickly find your rhythm and get in sync with the rest of the class.

You Still Get a Total Body Workout.

I’ve really enjoy trampoline workouts because you truly get the best of everything. You get cardio and leg work from jumping around on the trampoline and definitely work up a sweat doing short sprints on the trampoline in addition to jumping sequences. However, trampoline classes also have breaks from the jumping to focus on other key muscle groups. In classes that I’ve taken, we’ve done push ups and planks on the trampoline and laid down on top of the trampoline to sneak in an abs series. By incorporating these different muscle groups, you’re able to give yourself a quick cardio break and get that total body workout.

It Is Crazy Fun.

As you might imagine, it IS insanely fun to jump around on a trampoline for exercise. The joy that you get from jumping around like that really takes you back to childhood and helps you remember that just playing and having fun can be the best kind of workout. In the three trampoline classes that I’ve taken, the instructors have always encouraged the class during breaks and at the end of class to do fun jumps, making crazy poses and getting as high as they can on the trampoline. Those little moments really set a trampoline class apart from others and make it completely addictive.

With that in mind, if you’re a little hesitant to try out the class by yourself the first time, I encourage you to go with a friend. The first time I took Fuel’s TRAMP class, I took my mom and we had the best time and got to sweat and feel goofy jumping around together.

So - have you tried a trampoline fitness class? Would you want to check it out?

If you’re in the DC area, Fuel offers their TRAMP class in the Georgetown studio Wednesdays at 9:30am and Sundays at 11am and Fuse offers their Jump class at their 14th St location on Sundays at 9am.