“Do you want to come to a trampoline fitness class?” my friend randomly messaged me one evening, along with an itinerary of different types of classes and their timetables. It all looked very confusing and military-esque; “Jump Warrior”, “Jump Tone” and “Incorporated” were amongst the one hour session options. I accepted the offer (mainly to spend time with my friend, not because I was excited at the thought of another fitness class, I won’t lie) and suggested we opt for the Incorporated (a mix of everything) class – again, not going to lie – simply because that one sounded the easiest.
The classes take place at the ever popular trampoline parks, that keep cropping up across the UK at the moment; the ones where kids and teens spend their Friday evenings running around, back-flipping and jumping for joy amongst friends. The space is cleared out for the fitness classes though; you don’t have to worry about people watching you, or trying to dodge any high flying children.
Everyone gets their own trampoline square and a pair of grippy socks and the class instructor takes lead at the front. The lights are set low (you can still actually see) and the music is turned high – this in itself motivates you straight away to get moving. The session takes the usual fitness class format; warmup, workout, cool down & stretch. The actual workout itself was a mix of jumping about to get the heart rate up, and “floor” work to tone up – a bit of a HIIT format. This is actually really good, because just as you think your heart is going to burst from trying to jump as high as the roof (you don’t actually have to do that, I just get carried away and excited), you move onto toning exercises which bring the heart rate right back down; albeit still very challenging, challenging in a different way and not so that you feel like your lungs could explode. Once the heart rate and breathing are back down, you’re onto the next track and jumping about again.
So what did I actually think of it? Well I actually thought it was bloody brilliant. For a start, it was so fun, like really really really really fun. My friend and I spend like the first 10 minutes just laughing – and working! I won’t lie, I found the class super hard at first; but the more I go (and I’ve now been a lot since my first one) it gets so much easier. I started struggling at one point in the first class and began wondering how many tracks were left, when all of a sudden the music changed and it was time for the cool down… and I was then really gutted it was over and wanted to do it all again instantly! You’re also not under any pressure at all if you can’t keep up, there were varying degrees of fitness in the class and anytime anyone wanted a breather, they did – without any comment or any judgement. No one is watching you either (except the instructor, for your own safety!), but I didn’t want to go on the trampoline in front of my friend at first, just incase I looked stupid; but what I soon realised is that the only thing people are watching is themselves (by that I mean where you are landing on the trampoline) or the instructor; trust me on that one – I’ve been so many times now and not once can I remember, or have I paid attention to the person in front of me.
Jump Fit for me is super addictive. It’s such an exhilarating feeling to leave work and just go have an hour of complete indulgence, where you don’t think about anything else other than jumping about and bringing out your inner child. It’s fun, it’s different and it does you some real good too. I’ve been going for a month now and I can already see some slight changes in my body; it feels so much stronger… and I actually look forward to a Monday as that’s when one of the classes is. For Β£6 a session, I’d say that’s a complete bargain.
My photographs and classes were taken at Jump Inc, however these type of fitness classes are available at most trampoline parks. I also wasn’t paid or sponsored in any way to write this post – in-fact I only felt motivated to do so, after I had been to the class.
