Rebounding exercises

by June Kinoshita, FSHD Society

At a recent Feeling Fit Zoom gathering, Cheryl Clulow, who had logged in from her home in Cape Town, South Africa, mentioned that she has derived a lot of benefit from “rebounding.” This was a new concept to me and I wanted to learn more.

Rebounding, Cherly explained, is a form of exercise that involves jumping on a mini trampoline. She shared that she started her rebounding journey 7 months ago. She use a rebounder with a sturdy handlebar attached to prevent falls. She moves her rebounder next to her bed so that she can transfer from a sitting position on the bed onto the rebounder. Otherwise, she says, the rebounder is too high for her to step up onto from the floor.

Cheryl says she always start with warm ups – arm circles, leg stretches,– before rebounding. She wears comfortable training shoes, but some people prefer bare feet.

“I make sure that my posture is correct to my ability, with stomach pulled in tight as if you are trying on a tight pair of jeans and hinged slightly forward at the hips,” she says. “This is to protect you from hurting your lower back.”

After stretching and making sure she is the correct position, she starts the workout. “I stand with my legs hip width apart, knees slightly bent (never lock your knees) and then I start with the health bounce. This is basically just bouncing pushing your feet into the mat. My feet does not leave the mat.” She keeps her shoulders relaxed and tries not to shrug them.

She then proceeds to other moves, such as:

1. Double rock – transitioning her weight from side to side;
2. Step tap from side to side;
3. Double side twists; and
4. Altered Jumping Jacks.

“Your form on the rebounder is very important,” Cheryl says. She watches a YouTube channel called Earth & Owl to guide her on the correct form. She watches Earth & Owl’s rebound sessions for beginners to give her guidance. “I do the exercises at my own pace and adjust it to my ability,” she says. The channel has are multiple playlists ranging from beginner to advanced.

Cheryl has a bungee cord rebounder which is not too hard and easy on her joints. There are other types of rebounders available on the market.

“I’ve taught myself rebounding by watching these video. On a good day I can easily reach 2000 steps in one session,” she says.