Categorization of impact forces during rebound exercise class

Abstract

Rebounding fitness class became popular due to the supposed capacity of minimize the impact forces on the body of participant. However, no studies about impact forces during rebound exercise class have been found. Thus, the aim of this study was to assess the impact forces produced during a series of traditional rebounding exercises and present a categorization based on impact force parameters. Sixty instructors of rebound exercise performed various rebound exercises on a standard mini-trampoline, which was optimized with six load cells. The load cells were used to assess the impact parameters (peak and loading rate of the ground reaction force). One-way ANOVA was used to compare the exercises (α = 0,05). As results, we noted that when peak force is used to assess impact, the most of the rebound exercises are classified as low (<3xPC) and high impact (>4xPC); while when rate loading is used, most of the exercises are considered as moderate (20-30x PC/s) and high impact (<20x PC/s). Thus, each evaluated impact parameter results in a different rebound exercise categorization. The selection of progression of rebounding exercises during a fitness class should take in consideration the peak and loading rate values and its possible effects on the musculoskeletal system.