Starbound mini trampoline exercise workout programmes invite a new lease on life. Even a few minutes exercising on mini trampolines can make an enormous difference to the way you feel, and enhance your body condition.

NASA says ; The above statement is one of several made in a scientific study published in the Journal of Applied Physiology 49(5): 881-887, 1980, which confirms many of the statements previously made in The Miracles of Rebound Exercise, 1979. The research was performed by the Biomechanical Research Division, NASA-Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, California, in cooperation with the Wenner-Gren Research laboratory, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky.

The four scientists, A, Bhattacharya, E. p, McCutcheon, E. Shvariz, and J, E. Greenleaf, secured the assistance of eight young men between the ages of 19 and 26 to each walk, jog, and run on a treadmill which was operated at four different speeds and then jump on a standard sized trampoline at four different heights to compare the difference between the two modes of exercise.

Although treadmill running had been studied many times before, the scientists found that "...measurements of the necessary variables have not been reported previously for trampoline exercise." The trampoline testing was conducted at least one week after the treadmill testing.

The six measurements that were taken on all eight of the subjects were:

 A pulse before exercising,  immediately after exercising, The amount of oxygen consumed while exercising, The amount of G-force experienced at the ankle while exercising , The amount of G-force experienced at the lower-back while exercising,  and The amount of G-force experienced at the forehead while exercising.

The pulse was obtained by a battery-powered electrocardiographic unit taped to the subject's body which transmitted signals to a custom designed receiver, in turn recorded the information by electronically writing it on a chart.

The oxygen consumption was measured with a K-meter that the subject carried on his back. The G-force experienced by the ankle, back and forehead of each of the university students was measured by small sensitive accelerometers which were placed in Plexiglas holders that were taped to the ankle, the small of the back, and the forehead.

After a thorough medical examination, the healthy students were issued a pair of shorts and new Nike running shoes to standardize the conditions to be measured. They were given familiarization sessions on laboratory procedures, treadmill running, and trampoline jumping to ensure the exercise techniques would be the same. Each student then walked or ran four different speeds on the treadmill with a five to ten minute rest period between runs while the scientist recorded their statistics and compared them with previous treadmill studies for accuracy.

A week later, these same athletes returned to bounce on a trampoline at four different heights with a five to ten minute rest period in between exercise sessions. Again the scientists recorded their statistics, only this time, they had no previous studies to compare them to since trampolining had not been previously studied. The only studies available were the preliminary studies which began in August of 1977 on passive restrained humans and animals exposed to increasing frequency and amplitude of vibration forces designed to increase heart rate and metabolic activity, "These responses measured by whole-body vibration resemble those during mild exercise and suggest that perhaps body vibration could be used in place of exercise for those who are ambulatory. "  Following are some of the results revealed by this team of scientists from NASA:

 This helps to explain shin splints and knee problems, especially when the natural shock absorbing system of the body becomes so fatigued that it doesn't do its job correctly, thus throwing added unexpected forces on already tired muscles, ligaments, and tendons, forcing them beyond the point of rupture.

 This makes it possible to exercise the entire body knowing that there is no undue pressure applied to any part of the body such as the feet, ankles, and legs, and at the same time knowing that each part of the body is receiving the necessary environmental stresses it needs to become stronger cell by cell.

The efficient use of the vertical forces of acceleration and deceleration to produce internal loading by directly opposing the gravitational pull develops more biomechanical work with less energy expended, thus less oxygen used and less demand placed on the heart.

It is Important to note that although this experiment was performed on a trampoline where the participants were able to develop a G-force as high as 8-G's, the efficient use of energy was below 4-G's. People involved in rebound exercise on rebound units have been measured only as high as 3.5-G's, (United States Air Force, Dr. Ward Dean) so that any activity on a rebound unit is more efficient than treadmill running at any speed.

 Even when a person is able to develop a force on the trampoline of more than 4- G's, although it is no more efficient as far as oxygen consumption than running, it is still much better on the lower extremities because all of the cells of the body are still below their rupture threshold providing a safe way to exercise.

This statement verifies the fact that rebound exercise is an excellent exercise for our senior citizens, those physically handicapped, those who are recuperating from an accident or injury, or anyone else who needs exercise but is hampered by a preexisting physical condition.

The G-force measured at the ankle was always more than twice the G-force measured at the back and forehead while running on a treadmill.

While jumping on a trampoline, the G-.force was almost the same at all three points, (ankle, back, forehead) and well below the rupture threshold of a normal healthy Individual.

"The external work output at equivalent levels of oxygen uptake was significantly greater while trampolining than running. The greatest difference was about 68%."

While trampolining, as long as the G-force remained below 4-Gs, the ratio of oxygen consumption compared to biomechanical conditioning was sometimes more than twice as efficient as treadmill running.

With the G-force the same as or greater than 4-G's II ...there was no significant difference in the oxygen uptake between the two regimens."

“ ...averting the deconditioning that occurs during the immobilization of bed rest or space flight, due to a lack of gravireceptor stimulation (in addition to other factors), requires an acceleration profile that can be delivered at a relatively low metabolic cost. .for equivalent metabolic cost, and acceleration profile from jumping will provide greater stimuli to gravireceptors."

Journal of Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation, 1990: 10; 401-408

This study examines the aerobic benefits of regular circuit weight training and how it compares to a Super Circuit which incorporates running instead of rest intervals between each circuit station."

"30 seconds of running between exercise stations, dramatically improved aerobic endurance (17.0%), reduced body fat percentages 10.9% to 17.1% in 12 weeks, and increased strength up to 26.0% in that same period."

"Almost any aerobic devise should do: treadmills, exercise bikes, indoor joggers, even running in place or skipping rope."

Illustration of Super Circuit:

• The exercise stations are arranged in a sequence in which upper and lower body

• Aerobic intervals are used instead of rest intervals between strength stations.

L. Gettman, Ph.D., Research Director, Dr. P. Ward and Dr. R.D. Hagan, Institute for Aerobics Research, Universal Gym, Inc

"A striking feature of many studies demonstrating a reduced coronary heart disease risk for more active individuals is that the greatest difference in risk is achieved between those people who do almost nothing and those who perform a moderate amount of exercise on a regular basis."

University of California, Irvine (UCI), Heart Disease Prevention Program

"The most recent recommendations advise people of all ages to include a minimum of 30 minutes of physical activity of moderate intensity on most, if not all, days of the week. It is also acknowledged that for most people, greater health benefits can be obtained by engaging in physical activity of more vigorous intensity or of longer duration."

"Physical activity has numerous beneficial physiologic effects. Most widely appreciated are its effects on the cardiovascular and musculoskeletal systems, but benefits on the functioning of metabolic, endocrine, and immune systems are also considerable."

A Report of the Surgeon General, Executive Summary, July 1996, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

"An article published last year (1996) in Scientific American estimated that only about two percent of cancer deaths in the United States are caused by pollution—and that more cancer is caused by lack of exercise."

"Is the World Coming to an End?" By Ronald Bailey, Cato Institute, Society of Environmental Journalists

"The lymphatic pump becomes very active during exercise, often increasing lymph flow 10 to 30 fold."

C. Guyton, M.D., and John E. Hall, Ph.D., Textbook of Medical Physiology, Ninth Edition