Bounce Back Stronger: Why Runners Should Be Rebounding

“A NASA study from 1980 found that rebounding on a mini-trampoline (rebounder) for 10 minutes is a more effective cardiovascular workout than 30 minutes of running. The study, conducted by A. Bhattacharya, E.P. McCutcheon, E. Shvartz, and J.E. Greenleaf, revealed that for similar levels of heart rate and oxygen consumption, the biomechanical stimulus was greater with rebounding. This means that rebounding provides a more intense workout for the body, even with a shorter duration.”

I believe rebounding is the ULTIMATE compliment to a runner’s fitness regime and should be incorporated as a cross-training solution for (exponential) improved performance, race preparation, recovery and return from any potential injuries. This blog post aims to describe the reasons why every runner should also be rebounding!

Running is one of the most primal, beautiful and liberating movements humans can do, but it’s also one of the most repetitive and physically demanding. Every stride sends force through your feet, up your shins, through your knees and hips, and into your spine. Over time, even the most conditioned runners start to feel the wear.

The answer: bounti rebounding; a style of rebounding that’s rooted in exercise science, highly focused on strength and resistance, and designed to work in harmony with your running goals!

Every bounce on a rebounder produces accelerative and decelerative forces. This oscillation between 0G (at the top of the bounce) and up to ~3G (at the bottom) sends powerful signals to your body on a cellular level.

• Mitochondrial biogenesis: The gravitational shifts activate AMPK and PGC-1α cellular pathways that stimulate new mitochondria growth in muscle fibres. More mitochondria mean greater aerobic capacity, more efficient ATP production, and improved fat oxidation, exactly what runners need for endurance.
• Lymphatic drainage: The vertical movement and pressure changes act as a mechanical pump for your lymphatic system, helping flush out lactic acid, inflammatory cytokines, and metabolic debris from micro-tears in muscles. This reduces post-run soreness and speeds up tissue repair.

Running strengthens bones, but the repetitive high-impact stress can outpace your body’s ability to adapt, leading to stress fractures. Cycling, swimming, and other low-impact sports, meanwhile, don’t challenge bone enough.

bounti rebounding provides low-impact but high-frequency loading. This stimulates osteoblast activity (bone-building cells) without excessive joint strain, improving bone mineral density in key running structures:

• Tibia (shin bone)
• Femoral neck (hip joint)
• Lumbar vertebrae (lower spine)

It also trains tendon elasticity. Your Achilles, patellar tendon, and plantar fascia develop better recoil capacity (the ability to store and release energy) improving your running economy and reducing injury risk.

Rebounding creates rhythmic contractions in the calf muscles (soleus and gastrocnemius), activating the venous return mechanism; the process of pushing blood back to the heart. This increases:

• Stroke volume: More blood pumped per beat
• Cardiac efficiency: Improved oxygen delivery to working muscles
• Recovery speed: Faster clearance of metabolic waste from muscle tissue

It’s like a gentle shake-out run the day after a hard session, only without the joint stress, and with the added benefit of a full-body lymphatic flush.

Running mostly trains movement in the sagittal plane (forward and backward). Your body adapts to that plane of motion, which can leave stabiliser muscles and balance systems underdeveloped.

Rebounding is inherently unstable (even on the best rebounders) and that’s a good thing. Each bounce requires reflexive core engagement and joint micro-adjustments to keep you upright.

• Proprioception: The sensory feedback system in your joints and muscles becomes sharper.
• Vestibular training: Your inner ear balance system works harder, improving your ability to run on uneven terrain.
• Motor control: The cerebellum (movement coordination centre in your brain) is activated, enhancing stride control and efficiency.

Over time, distance running can tighten your intercostal muscles (between the ribs) and reduce the mobility of your thoracic spine. This limits full lung expansion and diaphragm excursion.

bounti rebounding, with its rhythmic full-body motion, naturally encourages deep diaphragmatic breathingand greater tidal volume (the amount of air moved per breath). Benefits include:

• Increased oxygen uptake
• Better CO₂ clearance
• Delayed onset of breathlessness at faster paces

bounti rebounding isn’t just “jumping up and down.” It’s a structured, progressive training systemcombining:

• Strength: Resistance bands, weighted moves, and bodyweight strength patterns
• Cardio: Interval bursts for aerobic and anaerobic conditioning
• Mobility: Movements that restore range of motion in hips, spine, and shoulders
• Recovery: Gentle lymphatic-focused sessions to reduce soreness and improve tissue repair

This makes it the perfect complement to running; building what running alone can’t, and restoring what running wears down. My “Life of bounti” online platform gives runners access to over a thousand rebounding workouts and highly-curated progressive programmes (building you up from 2 minutes per session, through to 60 minutes per session over 12 weeks) – the world's largest repository of online rebounding workouts!

The science works best when the rebounder is engineered correctly. A poor-quality rebounder can:

• Misalign joints with inconsistent bounce patterns
• Create too much jarring force on ankles, knees, and hips
• Wear out under regular use, risking injury

That’s why bounti rebounders are built to professional standards:

• Precision-calibrated mat tension for optimal G-force response
• Stable, low-noise frames for controlled movement
• Durable materials for daily training loads

With the widest range and highest-quality rebounders in South Africa, bounti ensures you get the bio-mechanical benefits without compromising safety or durability.

If you’re serious about running stronger, longer, and injury-free, bounti rebounding deserves a place in your training week. The science is clear:

• Boosts cellular energy production
• Strengthens bones and tendons
• Enhances cardiovascular efficiency
• Sharpens balance and proprioception
• Improves breathing mechanics
• Speeds up recovery

bounti isn’t just cross-training… It’s performance engineering for runners!