HISTORY OF REBOUNDING

If rebounders seem familiar, it may be due to the long history of rebounding. We discovered the following chronology of Rebounding which charts its progress from the early years of research, through to the 'fad' phase of the exercise, to the current Millenium.

Much of this account is taken from two books, the “NEW Miracles of Rebound Exercise” published in 1988 by Al Carter, and in “Urban Rebounding” published in 1999 by JB Berns and Kathleen Daly's research of rebounding in the US market.

The Early Years of Rebounding...

1911 - Albert Einstein's new theory of gravity finds that the human body cannot tell the difference between gravity, acceleration and deceleration.

1936 - The modern trampoline is created by Nissen Corporation in Grand Rapids Iowa.

1938 - The first "small trampoline" is created by Ed Russell; no financial gains materialize so he leaves his ideas and prototype with Victor Green.

1975 - The small trampoline is patented by Victor Green. By the end of the year, five American companies are manufacturing rebounders.

1977 - Albert E Carter publishes a pamphlet entitled, "Rebound to Better Health". Later in the year Carter publishes his first full-size book, "The Miracles of Rebound Exercise". Several studies give scientific validation to Carter's claim that rebounding is the most efficient and effective form of exercise.

1978 - Carter connects with Dr. Harry Sneider who develops "Aerobic Resistive Rebounding" which uses 1-3 pound sand bags while rebounding for greater strength. Sneider and his family introduce rebounding to Jack LaLanne and many other athletes and celebrities.

1980 - Linda Brooks starts rebounding.

1981 - Dr Kenneth Cooper's Institute of Aerobic Research finds rebounding gets 25% more strength gains than jogging.

The Rebounding Craze...
By the end of 1981 rebounding has turned into a fad. Over 100 US firms are now competing for the rebound exercise market. Al Carter's National Institute of Rebounding and Health (NIRH) sells lots of research literature to the manufacturers. Such intense competition begins to reduce both rebounder price and the quality.

1982 - $72 billion dollars spent on rebounders - most of them of inferior quality.

1983 - 1,500,000 rebounder units sold. Foreign competition drives price and quality to an all time low. Due to the price wars most US manufacturers go broke and shut down. The fad fizzles out in America.

1984 - Al Carter is invited to Hong Kong and agrees to work with the city engineers to design the first folding rebounder. The half fold rebounder thus created prevents a city wide strike by the police and firemen who required a form of exercise that they could do during their shifts.

After the Fad Faded...
Meanwhile back in the states enthusiasm for rebounding is as broken down as all the cheap, poorly made rebounders. Rebounding goes underground. But endorsements from experts and celebrities keep a candle of awareness burning.

1985 - Sylvia Ortiz produces two bouncing workout videos: "Stay Fit Rebounding" and "Rebound Beyond Aerobics".

1987 - Harvey and Marilyn Diamond endorse rebounding in their "Fit for Life" books.

1988 - Al Carter publishes the "NEW Miracles of Rebound Exercise".

1989 - Dr. Morton Walker publishes "Jumping for Health".

1990 - Michele Wilburn begins formulating the Starbound style of rebounding. - Tony Robbins endorses rebounding in his book, "Unlimited Power". And Needak begins to manufacture high quality non-fold and half-fold rebounders in Nebraska.

1991 - Linda Brooks studies with Al Carter to become a certified reboundologist. Sylvia Ortiz produces another video, "Rebound Aerobics for Kids" starring Al Carter's son Darren and friends.

1992 - Starbound, the book, written by Michele Wilburn, is published.

- The modern stabilizer bar - a portable and easy to install balancing tool - is designed and produced by Needak - making bouncing available to anyone concerned about safety.
- Holly Anderson produces her first video, "airObics". 1993 - Needak introduces fat, muscle-shaped rebounder springs and produces the first "soft bounce" rebounders. Soft bounce units have since revolutionized the rebounding industry as they provide a much more enjoyable and low impact bounce.

1995 - Linda Brooks publishes her book, "Rebounding to Better Health". 1996 - Life Source International, headed by renown lymphologist, Judy Taylor, begins to manufacture rectangular shaped Lympholines in southern California. The Lympholine rebounder with its second set of "suspension style" legs is a quantum step forward in bouncing experience.

- Four more videos debut:

• Dave Hall - "Rebound to Health"

• Carol Brophy - "Carol's Health Bounce"

• Holly Anderson - "airObics phase II"

• Linda Brooks - "Bounce Before You Jump"

1999 - Dave Hall starts the Center for Cellular Health and creates his half-fold model - the next step in the evolution of the bouncing industry.

JB Berns publishes his book, "Urban Rebounding". The New Millenium...

2000 - The "Urban Rebounding" video by JB Berns is produced. Berns, a martial arts instructor, develops a style of rebound exercise influenced by Asian theories of wellness. The wisdom and structure of kata flavors the choreography of the movements resulting in a style that is engrossing, challenging and exhilerating. And although Bern's intention is to create a group experience in gyms - his system works equally well for the individual at home. "Keep on Rebounding" video starring both Holly Anderson and Darren Carter is produced by ReboundAIR. 2002 - Dave Hall's Tri-Fold mini-trampoline debuts - the Rolls Royce of mini trampolines.

- JB Berns produces two more Urban Rebounding videos, The Basics and The Challenge.
- Michele Wilburn produces The Starbound Workout in VHS format - a 2-hour video of starbounding exercise.

2003 - Five Urban Rebounding instructors including JB Berns produce 20 new VHS videos; several of the videos are also made in DVD format. Urban Rebounding has effectively doubled the number of rebounding videos.

A few months later Urban Rebounding airs the first 'rebounder infomercial' on TV; regardless of the qualilty of the folding rebounder offered in the infomercial - their marketing efforts educate a broader segment of the American public about the benefits of bouncing.

2004 - Urban Rebounding is launched in the UK by Health2Fitness Ltd.

2005 - Urban Rebounding classes are running in the UK with major gym chains such as Esporta, Holmes Place and Golds with many more private gyms featuring the urban rebounding programme.

Urban Rebounding launches in Australia.

Urban Rebounding launches its UK web site www.urbanrebounding.co.uk bringing the Home Urban Rebounder to the mass market.

Rebounding's Future...
People no longer subscribe to the “No pain, no gain' philosophy of the 1980's - for example, many gyms report that attendance at step classes has dropped off due to increased injuries.

People are bored - they want to have more fun with their workouts.

Over the last few years, there has been a dramatic growth in popularity of Pilates, stability ball and balance training - people are aware of the need to exercise the inner unit (deep abdominal muscles) for optimum conditioning, in addition to the traditional forms of exercise like running, spinning, aerobics etc.

Rebounding combines for the first time a cardio-vascular workout with the core conditioning and balance training. It is a safe, effective style of aerobics that provides a surprisingly challenging cardiovascular workout without excess stress on the heart, muscles and joints.

REBOUNDING HEALTH ADVANTAGES

The following list is an inclusive list of medical benefits you can expect to receive from participating in Rebounding on a consistent basis. This list was compiled by Dr. Morton Walker and published in the Townsend Letter for Doctors 1995.

Rebound Exercise will:

• Increase the capacity for respiration

• Circulate more oxygen to tissues in the body

• Establish a better equilibrium between the oxygen required by the tissue, and the oxygen made available

• Cause muscles to perform work in moving fluids through the body to lighten the heart load

• Tend to reduce the height to which the arterial pressure rises during exertion

• Lessen the time during which blood pressure remains abnormal after severe activity

• Hold off the incidence of cardi-vascular disease

• Increase the functional activity of the red bone marrow in the production of red blood cells

• Aid lymphatic circulation as well as the flow in the veins of the circulatory system

• Encourage collateral circulation

• Strengthen the heart and other muscles in the body so that they can work more efficiently

• Allow the resting heart to beat less often

• Lower elevated cholesterol and triglyceride levels

• Stimulate the metabolism

• Promote body growth and repair

• Tone up the glandular system, especially the thyroid to increase its output

• Add to the alkaline reserve of the body which may be of significance in an emergency requiring prolonged effort

• Chemically attain absolute potential of the cells

• Reserve bodily strength and physical efficiency

• Expand the bodies capacity for fuel storage and endurance

• Improve co-ordination through the transmission of nerve impulses and responsiveness of the muscle fibres

• Afford muscular vigour from increased muscle fibre tone

• Offer relief from neck and back pain, headache, and other pain caused by lack of exercise

• Enhance digestion and elimination processes

• Allow for better and easier relaxation and sleep

• Result in a better mental performance with keener learning processes

• Curtail fatigue and menstrual discomfort for women

• Minimize the number of colds, allergies, digestive disturbances and abdominal problems

• Tend to slow down aging

• Reduces the likelihood of obesity

Rebounding: Unique Euphoric Exercise

Albert E Carter concluded that: "Rebound exercise is the most efficient, effective form of exercise yet devised by man." (from the Miracles of Rebound Exercise; 1979). In 1980 a NASA study confirmed his claim. Bouncing on a rebounder is unique because:

Vertical Coherence. Usually exercise involves 3 forces going in 3 different directions: gravity pushes down, acceleration pushes back and deceleration pushes forward. When the human body bounces on a rebounder those three forces align vertically. So with rebounding the forces are only up (acceleration) and down (deceleration and gravity). Such vertical coherence is more efficient.

Energy Recycles. Usually you have to spend as much energy decelerating as you do accelerating. But at the bottom of a rebound bounce the force gets recycled upwards rather than expended. When the downward impetus of gravity and deceleration impact with the mat, the mat absorbs the shock and both springs and mat stretch to absorb the force. When the mat and springs reach their stretch limit, then the downward force is reversed into the upward force of acceleration. So the rebounder acts as a leveraging tool - a small energetical input from the bouncer is transformed into a much greater result that lasts longer.

Double Down. At the top of the bounce - when acceleration is fully expended - gravity reverses the energy's direction and as the body's mass begins to descend - deceleration kicks in to increase - perhaps double - the force of impact at the bottom of the bounce. So even though the impact is cushioned, it still strengthens the entire body more thoroughly than any other form of exercise.

Low Impact. Bouncing on a high quality mat absorps up to 87% of the shock. The new muscle-shaped, soft-bounce springs increases that percentage in a very noticeable way. Thus, rebounding causes very little wear and tear on the body. Effects Every Cell. When you rebound every cell in your body goes up with you and comes down with you. At the top of your bounce - for a micro-instant - you become weightless. Every cell in your body is floating without structural pressure or stress. At the bottom of your bounce you increase - maybe double your weight - depending on how high you jumped; every cell experiences extra pressure - a gentle squeeze. On the top you are relaxed; on the bottom you are stressed. At the top is rest; at the bottom is work. Up expands; down contracts. When bouncing on an indoor trampoline your cells may experience this yin-yang alternation up to 100 times each minute.

• Rebounding is both massage and exercise at the level of the cell.

• It increases circulation of molecules into and out of the cells by a factor of 3.

• The effects of rebounding at the cellular level are: greater relaxation, increased strength, more nourishment and better detoxification.

• Since the cells are the body's living building blocks any positive change to the cells cascades up to the tissues, organs and systemic functions.