When Yonatan Whitten started grade school, his parents made him jump on a mini-trampoline every morning. Doctors had told them his body had trouble moving lymph—the fluid that carries waste and immune cells through the body—and they hoped the daily bouncing would help.
Four decades later, Whitten is a chiropractic functional neurologist who focuses on movement for pain relief, and he posts follow-along trampoline workouts on YouTube. He enjoys dissecting clinical evidence to share what rebounding is good for, and being honest about what’s less clear. He believes mini-trampolines benefit nearly everyone.
“It has such phenomenal benefits,” Whitten told The Epoch Times. “It’s something that takes up very little space. It takes very little time to get big benefits from, and it can be used by almost anybody because it’s so low impact.”
Research suggests that a mini-trampoline, also called a rebounder, may improve balance in older adults. It may also benefit body weight, bone strength, and pelvic floor health. The benefit that first motivated Whitten’s parents—better lymph movement—is the least studied.
Why a Soft Landing Matters
Jumping exercises build strength, power, balance, coordination, and bone density. Power, the ability to produce force quickly, is important as we age because it helps muscles respond fast and keeps us agile enough to avoid injury.
Yet jumping can be hard on the body, which is why most adults shy away from it. Every landing sends the ground’s force back through muscles, joints, and tendons, and one bad landing can mean weeks away from workouts. Most people stop jumping altogether in adulthood and lose the power they need for everyday life, Bradley Kendall, associate professor of kinesiology at Taylor University, told The Epoch Times.
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A trampoline offers a workaround. “They can still jump and get a little help with the explosiveness of their jumping, but it also softens the landing,” he said.
The trampoline makes the landing easier. The mat and its springs absorb the force, sending energy back into your body and helping propel you upward.
Instability That’s Good for You
A soft landing does not mean a passive workout. The mat’s suspension mimics uneven ground outdoors, so your core, feet, and ankles must constantly adjust.
That matters because balance depends on several systems working together: vision, the fluid-filled organs of the inner ear, and the muscles, joints, and nerves in the feet. Together they give us proprioception, our sense of where our body is and how it is moving.
“By using those systems a little bit every single day, you’re really keeping them sharp,” Kendall said. “On every bounce you take, your brain kind of has to recalibrate, and it has to make sense of the input that’s coming in. It’s really a big challenge.”
The payoff of rebounding is potentially large. Falls are the leading cause of injury and death among adults 65 and older, and anything that lowers the risk is worth taking seriously.
Beyond Balance
Additional rebounding benefits range from weight loss to improvement in urinary incontinence and bone density.
Weight
In terms of calories, someone who weighs 155 pounds can burn about 250 to 370 calories in 30 minutes of rebounding, depending on intensity. Someone who weighs 200 pounds could burn 350 to 518 calories in the same time. That’s more than a brisk walk but less than running.
Becca Robinson, a certified rebound instructor, lost the last 20 pounds of her 90-pound weight loss journey two months after she bought a mini-trampoline. She found it more fun and less draining than gym equipment and weights.
“When I get off the rebounder, I still feel good. I still feel energized,” she told The Epoch Times. “It’s crazy the way my body has changed through rebounding. It’s been the game changer.”
(Left) Becca Robinson around the time she began rebounding. (Right) A recent photo of Robinson on her rebounder. Courtesy of Becca Robinson
Bones and Pelvic Floor
The authors suggested that the continuous force of bouncing may deliver the same benefits as high-impact exercise, which stimulates bone metabolism through contact force. While the pelvic floor muscles weren’t stronger after the intervention, they seemed to improve their timing to prevent urinary incontinence.
To maximize this benefit, Whitten recommends a “health bounce,” in which the feet maintain continuous contact with the mat. It helps you gradually build up pressure tolerance to reach intense bouncing without leaks. “It’s just a phenomenal tool for that,” he said.
Still Unproven: The Lymph Question
The benefit that motivated Whitten’s parents to put him on a rebounder remains the least studied. He said there is a surprising lack of clinical evidence that rebounding improves lymphatic drainage; the studies simply haven’t been done.
“When the muscle groups contract, it pumps the fluid through them. Anything that rhythmically contracts those muscles, it makes sense that it’s going to move lymph,” Whitten said. “But we don’t know how or if it’s better than walking or how much better it is than walking.”
Getting Started
Beginning rebounders should choose a trampoline that’s gentle on the joints with a smooth bounce, Robinson said. “If you have a choice, choose bungees over springs.” She also recommends a model with a safety bar, even if you don’t think you need it, because it lets you try more challenging moves while helping you stay stable.
Once you get started, jump in short segments. Set a timer, Robinson said, because you might be having so much fun that more time has passed than you intended.
Excessive jumping can cause plantar fasciitis (heel pain from an inflamed band of tissue under the foot) or calf tendonitis, Whitten said.
“It’s the same thing as the person who went out to train for a marathon, and they hadn’t been used to walking around the block,” he said. “You’ve got to work your way up.”
You can avoid excessive jumping by starting with no more than five minutes and then, if that’s tolerated, add 10 seconds to the next session and subsequent sessions, Robinson said. A good goal for a beginner is reaching 15- to 20-minute sessions by day 30.
Additional Tips for Success
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Spread Sessions Throughout the Day: Three minutes in the morning, five at lunch, and a few minutes before bed.
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Go ‘Low’: Don’t bounce high. Your feet don’t need to leave the mat.
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Protect Your Feet: Wear shoes—at least at first—to keep the small muscles in your feet from being overworked.
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Keep the Trampoline in Sight: The easiest way to stay consistent is to leave your rebounder set up and within reach.
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Search ‘Beginner’ Videos: Find rebounding videos online labeled for beginners, health bounce, or gentle bounce.
When following these tips, rebounding shouldn’t deplete your energy and leave you sore, Robinson said. If you physically can’t do it every day, it may be a sign you need to dial down the intensity.
The best part of rebounding, experts say, is how it recaptures the child-like delight of jumping. Whitten keeps a mini-trampoline in his office and living room, where guests, his wife, and his children also use it.
“They kind of gravitate right to it,” he said. “Now I’m doing it with my own kids before they go to school, so the cycle continues.”
