I remember my mom had a mini trampoline when I was little and I used to jump on it for fun lol.. Ive been looking into this lately because I often have a lot of knee pain when doing lunges, squats etc. Im only 21 and I do the exercises correctly, not letting my knees go past my toes etc... but I never end up sticking with a routine because it hurts my knees too much.. I have a treadmill but I find it very boring and noisy so I cant really hear music or tv unless I blare it. Has anyone used a mini trampoline and found success? Does it really tone muscles, and is it a good cardio workout? Thanks in advance

Yes it's a good workout I can only do a few minutes on it at a time. The springs are noisy though so you might have the same problem with music and tv.

I think its only noisy if you get a cheap one
http://youtube.com/watch?v=AfTQkEXm98w
this guy is weird but he has a lot of rebounders lol
some of the ones he has make no noise at all.
They have these awesome ones made with bungee cords instead of springs.. but they are 600 :O
I just bought one that was only 30$ and I havent set it up yet, but we'll have to see XD

I have one of those Urban Rebounders. Its not silent or anything but its not as bad squeak wise are you might think. Its a very good workout and they even make all kinds of DVDs to go with it so you don't get too bored. While i like doing mine I only use it maybe once a week... Just a bit too repetitive. Its fun every now and then though!

Muse--I have a Urban Rebounder too. It is such a great workout. I can not even make through 15 full minutes yet. I am dripping sweat after 5. It is very firm and I think that makes a difference.

I bought one for 18.88 at Walmart today on sale. It had resistance bands on it and a little electronic moniter. I put it together but haven't tried it yet. Looks fun!

Yes, yes, yes! I highly recommend the Urban Rebounder. I have one and absolutely LOVE it. But, my problem is I cannot use it right now. I just had knee surgery three weeks ago for a meniscus repair and to clean up my knee cap so the doctor said I cannot use the rebounder for awhile. But, when I was using it, I loved it.

The Urban Rebounder is very well made. A bit more expensive than the cheapy ones from Walmart,etc.but the quality DOES make a huge difference. It is very study with plenty of room on it.

I believe I got mine from HSN online. It was set up so I could pay it in like three payments or something like that.

Definitely worth the money.

Kathy

Kathy - I am 2 weeks post knee surgery. I'm not allowed to use mine either. Are you cleared for the exercise bike yet? I just got my clearance.

Holy off topic, batman. Anyway, the rebounder was how I first got myself into exercise. I notice a DEFINITE difference between mine $20 version and my mom's Urban Rebounder...the Urban Rebounder is firmer, easier on the joints, and less noisy. It also seems more stable. They are quiet enough and small enough to set up in front of the TV to keep you occupied, or SUPER fun to bounce dance to music on. And if it starts getting a little easy or you can't get your HR up, try picking up a set of "Heavy Hands" - they are adjustable weight handweights that are meant to be gripped during cardip exercise. You can jog in place with the weights, throw in some curls or other basic arm exercise, and get a GREAT workout.

Hi mandalinn82,

In answer to your question, I am not cleared yet for much of anything. The doctor has me doing leg lifts, with weights,to keep my thigh muscle from atropying, but that's it. I have three more weeks to go before I am off crutches. I am on partial weightbearing only on the left leg/knee.

I had a torn meniscus and some garbage on my knee cap. It was soft and spongy and had stuff flaking off and needed to be cleaned out. Originally, he was only going to cut off the torn part of the meniscus and clean the knee cap area. Then, when he got in there, he decided a repair was possible so he did that instead. It is on the meniscus on the inside of my knee. The advantage to the repair is that I will have less chance of arthritis problems later in life. The disadvantage is that recovery time is SLOWWWWWw. 6 weeks on crutches to start out. Then we'll see how I do from there. I will eventually be able to use my elliptical and recumbant bike, walk again, etc. hopefully go back to Curves, and all that. But, for now, he is really restricting me.

Glad to hear you are doing ok with your surgery. I saw your post before where you are doing upper body stuff. I want to do that too, at Curves. I have been doing upper body stuff at home, with free weights and exercise bands, but not much lower body stuff, except what the doctor told me to do. I am so afraid of reinjuring or tearing the meniscus again and facing more surgery. I certainly do not want that.

I really miss my rebounder. I imagine it will still be a little while before I can use it again.

Kathy

I am really big into rebounding and I am also a wholesaler for ReboundAIR which is a company that sells top-of-the-line rebounders.

I started a few years ago with a cheapie that I got at a sporting goods store. I think it cost $40. I was okay with that for about a year but then I kept hearing on the fitness boards I frequent that higher-end models are so much better. Since I loved rebounding and knew I would definitely be sticking with it, I decided to invest in a ReboundAIR and hoped it would be worth the money. It was! The difference is like night and day...solidity of construction, flexibility of the mat, bounce. It was probably the best fitness investment I ever made because it allows me to do cardio exercise in a way that is fun (I hate floor and step aerobics and get bored walking).

I use mine during cardio segments of my fitness videos (when they are doing floor aerobics or step, I rebound). I also like to put on some 70's funk/disco or 80's dance music and bounce/dance on it. FUN!!!