Jump Right Onto Trampoline Fitness Craze

— -- Workout enthusiasts have likely seen it offered in some form at their local gym -- the trampoline workout.

But the demand for this type of fitness is so high, one fitness instructor has opened an entire studio dedicated to the workout craze.

Going to a class at JumpLife in New York City, it’s a bit like the Jane Fonda workout on steroids goes clubbing on a trampoline. The low-impact, high-intensity, 45-minute workout is done on individual trampolines primarily in the dark under disco lights and is set to club music.

Owner Montserrat Markou said the classes are so popular there are plans to open more studios next year. Why?

“The fun,” Markou said. "They [the participants] said they’re actually working out, but having such a great time. I mean, people actually leave with smiles on their face because they feel like not only did they workout, sweating coming out all sweaty, but they also feel like a kid again.”

The studio also offers classes tailored for kids as young as 5 years old. But adults -- even those who have suffered injuries -- are the ones getting the most out of class.

“It’s low impact so a lot of people who have existing injuries like knee problems, like back problems come,” Markou said. "It’s a very comfortable way of working out and getting their fitness back.”

There are three types of adults classes offered: JumpDance, which was the class I took with the low lighting and club music; JumpFitness, which uses weights and focuses on strength and toning; and JumpFusion, which is 60 minutes and fuses yoga, Pilates and rebounding at a slower pace than the other JumpLife classes.

Markou said jumpers can burn up to 600 calories in just one session.

She got the idea for the class after her own neck injury inspired her to become a licensed acupuncturist and massage therapist. Her clients at her Long Island practice began asking her how to get back in shape without aggravating their injuries. Walking by a store one day, she saw a trampoline in the window and instantly knew the answer.

On the night I visited, the class was filled with 20- and 30-somethings, many of whom were repeat visitors. One man, a flight attendant based in Germany, said he heard there was a trampoline class in New York and decided to check it out on his visit.

“It’s in all the bigger cities like Berlin and Frankfurt and Hamburg and everywhere, it’s starting now,” he said.

Watch for the rest of the U.S. to jump on the craze next.