NASA Proved Trampolines to Be the Best Physical Activity

In 1980s, the US Space Agency NASA did a special study about the benefits of jumping on trampolines for body. It proved that trampolines can be the best physical activity to bring tremendous benefits to our health. And jumping up and down on trampolines in trampoline parks is good for better coordination, balance and posture. Let’s dig a little more into the NASA study. 

Why NASA did the study on the best physical activity?

The reason for why NASA did the study looking for the best physical activity was to help with the rehabilitation of astronauts who spent long time in gravity-free space. They find that astronauts can lose up to 14% of their muscle mass in only 15 days when they are in the outer space. So they tried to find the best physical activity to help the astronauts to regain their shape. 

The researchers then conducted a survey known as Body Acceleration Distribution and O2 Uptake in Humans During Running and Jumping, in which they invited eight volunteers to be tested during four different types of physical activities:

--walking,

--race walking,

--running on a running track at four different speeds 

--trampoline jumping.

They tested the impact of the different physical activities by measuring some specific data like heart rate, oxygen consumption, etc. 

Jumping on trampolines is even more effective than running. 

A NASA study found that trampoline jumping is 68% more efficient than running or jogging. In fact, it proved to be the best exercise to rebuild the lost bone tissue of astronauts whose weightless state caused them to lose 15% of their bone mass.

During the jumping on trampolines, it is found that under the same oxygen consumption, the body consumes much more energy than running. Jumping in trampolines is in some cases twice as effective as running as long as the G force remains less than 4. When the G force is greater than 4, there are no more significant differences in oxygen consumption compared to running. 

As you may know, running may cause injuries or joint problems if runners are pushing too hard, using improper form, or even wearing improper running shoes. But if you’re jumping on trampolines, your lower limbs are under much small stress and therefore much lower chances of injuries. 

Why are trampolines so effective for overall health?

According to research, when jumping on trampolines, the G force is almost identical on the ankles, back and forehead, which means that it brings a much lower ricks of injuries. However, if you’re running, the gravitational force measure on a runner’s ankles is about twice as high as the force measured on the back and forehead. It is why the runners are experiencing a lot of problems with knees and ankles. 

If we want to exercise and strengthen our body completely, jumping on trampolines or in trampoline parks is a very effective physical activity. Guess you’ve been to gyms, you will know different devices are aimed at specific muscle groups of the body, so you have to use several devices to reach the complete exercise for the whole body. All in all, the reason why trampolines are so effective is that it can bring full exercises to the muscle groups of the whole body, and the balanced G force on body parts brings lower chances of injuries. 

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