Trampoline

Last summer, I bought a trampoline at a yard sale. It is a full sized round one, like all the kids have these days, but it has no safety features. No pad over the springs, no netting around the sides, etc. It was an incredible bargain, in my opinion, at 25 bucks. It had been $50, but we showed up in the last hour of their sale, so I talked 'em down to half price. I'm one tough customer. We set it up in the back yard, and have been bouncing ever since. It was kinda hard to use in much of the winter, but we had a beautiful day yesterday, drying everything out, and it was still pretty nice today, so I decided rather than running, I would bounce for 10 minutes. That's it! 10 minutes. With no break. And no, I didn't have my 20-pound dumbbells with me. So what I determined in this 10 minute period was that this is a very enjoyable way to get an excellent aerobic workout. I throw in a lot of variation, like knee drops and back drops, and one-legged hops, so unlike running it is kind of exciting. My treadmill doesn't handle the back drops very well. They say that trampolines are excellent for your core, because you have to stabilize your guts and spine well, or you have trouble. By throwing in the back drops, I find that the stomach muscles get more than just stabilizing work. It's like doing really big crunches. It's also good for kinesthetic sense development and balance, which I figure can't hurt.

If anyone wants to come to my house and bounce, feel free. (No liability is assumed. Bounce at your own risk. You have been informed of the dangers.) I'm gonna work up to 20 minutes, I think, once the weather is reliable, and combine that with the weights, kettlebells, and medicine balls (not on the trampoline) for a nice well-rounded and fun fitness routine. Of course I still need to get the bike and swim in there too, so I'm sure it will alternate.

Speaking of the bike, I have decided that everywhere I go on my bike, which I ride to campus 3 times a week, sometimes twice a day, I am going to go as fast as I can. I'm sure this makes for some funny looks, as I must look like a nut, but it has already helped with the breathing recovery efforts. I think my best triathlon would be the 2 lap swim, the 1 mile flat or downhill bike and the 200 meter dash. I would be really good at that. And of course we require everyone to carry 20-pound (or bigger) dumbbells in each hand for the sprint. I just figured since I have to ride my bike anyway, I might as well make a race out of it. Things are going well.