I have been asked this question quite a lot over the last couple of weeks – is rebounding better than running and especially treadmill running as both are done indoors. The short answer is YES. And that is not just because I love rebounding and believe it is the best exercise out there. Several studies have been done that have proved that rebounding is better and more effective than running on a treadmill.
A study that was published in the International Journal of Sports Science shows that rebounding is twice as effective at improving cardiovascular fitness and 50% more effective at burning calories than running.
Another study done by NASA shows that rebounding is 68% more efficient than treadmill running as it assists you to take up more oxygen in your body and you are also less likely to injure yourself.
When you compare the amount of calories burned, rebounding is more effective at burning calories compared to running. When you bounce on your rebounder, your body weight can become up to 3 times heavier than normal at the bottom of the bounce, due to the increase in G-force and this will send your calorie burn through the roof.
I enjoy bouncing on my rebounder way more than I enjoy running on a treadmill. I’ve had a treadmill for most of my adult life and for a long time that was the only exercise I got. What I have noticed is that I used to get quite bored on the treadmill. I could easily run 5km but never really got further than that because I got bored.
Another thing that I have noticed while running on the treadmill was that I got injured a lot more. I used to get quite a lot of blisters on my feet from running. I’ve hurt my ankle and struggled with sore knees while running. I went through a process every morning of warming up, running a 5km and cooling down but still got injured. Did I over-do it? Most probably yes because I used to do it at least five to six times a week. I just couldn’t stop at only running two or three times a week because I felt that it just wasn’t enough.
Studies have shown that when you run on a treadmill frequently you can put more stress on your knees. The quicker the speed you run at, the more pressure you put on your knees and this causes more pain and irritation on your knee joints. The running deck also causes too much of a jarring impact on your ankle joints, back and hips. Now if you are in your twenties this should not even be an issue for you but as we all get older we realise that we need to be very careful with our bodies and I can guarantee you you will start feeling the effect by the time you hit your forties.
Some of the other problems that I have with a treadmill is that it is a very expensive piece of equipment to own and it takes up a lot of space. It is more difficult to maintain as it takes a lot of effort to loosen the belt and re-oil the surface of the treadmill. To tighten the belt again and to get it as the same position it was before can take up a lot of time and you will need a lot of patience to get it right – which most of us do not have. The worst of all is if you are moving and need to take a treadmill up or down a flight of stairs is no joke – and I did it twice!
This is what makes rebounding so fantastic! When I started doing rebounding I could only do 10 minute classes because I felt that my heart would literally climb out of my chest – and this was while being “treadmill fit”. By the time I got to do 30 minute classes I realised that I was burning more calories than I did running 5km on the treadmill. I now do rebounding classes which are close to 60 minutes. It is said that 2 minutes of rebounding is equal to 6 minutes of running, thus doing a 60 minute class is equal to 3 hours of running. This is just amazing! Up to the 30 minute rebounding sessions I still used the treadmill but with the 60 minute classes I feel it is not needed – you get a full body workout and it includes a warm-up and a cool down.
What makes the Lisa Raleigh spring rebounder wonderful is that it is easily foldable making storage so much easier. Luckily I have a bed in the guestroom that is high enough for my rebounder to fit under so I just push it under the bed when I am done with the session so it really takes up no space in my house. Yes it is expensive but I promise it is worth the money. An article on what makes the Lisa Raleigh spring rebounder so amazing will be available on my website soon – so check back regularly!.
To read more about the benefits of rebounding, read What are the benefits of rebounding
Jumping on the rebounder is just so much more fun – it will make you happy and you will feel like a kid again.
Healthy greetings,
