Exercise: how much/what kind?/ POSTING TO the group

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From: " truthseeker741 " <genesa@...>

Date: Thu, 08 Sep 2005 04:44:47 -0000

Subject: Re: Exercise: how much/what kind?/ POSTING TO the group

Hi All - anyone ever hear of rebounding??

I have used a rebounder off and on for years and wrote a couple of

published articles about rebounding exercise in '99.

Below are a few 'facts' that I found at that time, taken from those

articles. However - my proof was in seeing/feeling what it did for

myself and others at a gym where I worked for awhile (this was

probably 20+ years ago). And what about swimming? I've always thought

it was supposed to be one of the best forms of exercise. Again - I

guess a search for 'swimming exercise scientific research' would tell

us something.

This ends up being rather long - sorry - but hope it can be helpful.

Excerpts:

" - a rebounder is usually round and stands about eight inches off the

ground. It looks like a mini-trampoline and can be used for bouncing,

running in place, dancing and various other exercises. It gives

excellent benefit to the lymph system and is also called a

" lymphasizer " by some because of this.

Before going on into the variety of benefits derived from, and ease of

use of the rebounder, it is important to mention some pertinent

exercise facts. It is always wise, before beginning any exercise

program, to check with your physician if you are uncertain of your

physical condition.

Three main factors contributing to good health maintenance and a long

life span are proper nutrition, massage therapy and exercise. Lack of

these can lead to such degenerative diseases as cancer, heart attack,

arthritis and stroke. It is good to be aware of the many benefits

exercise can give other than just a better physical appearance on the

outside.

The right type of exercise, done correctly and not over-done, can

lengthen our life-span by moving the toxins out of the body through

the lymph and circulatory system, stimulating endorphins and replacing

oxygen in the blood, brain and body tissues. (These are benefits

received from regular massage, also.) The outcome results in new

energy, the ability to have more clarity of thought, and greater

mobility. A well-toned muscle uses less energy when performing

everyday routine tasks. When done correctly, exercise should always

give energy and a feeling of well-being, not fatigue.

Swimming is one of the best forms of exercise we can do. It works all

body parts and noticeable toning improvements come quickly. However it

is not easily accessible for everyone. Walking, of course, is probably

one of the easiest and most accessible forms of exercise and makes a

big difference in overall health and well being of the body. Dancing

is another great aerobic exercise. From its upbeat movement, benefit

is usually noticed first in the legs and lungs, and it's FUN!

There is one very simple exercise to elevate aerobic benefit if you

just can't seem to fit anything else into your schedule, and it can

take as little as one minute of your time. It is simply lying down

flat on the floor and then rising to a full standing position and

repeating this procedure as many times as possible without overdoing

it in a minute's time. That's it. Stand and lie down. Stand and lie

down. If you have average body tone, you will probably do six to ten

in one minute. Be easy on yourself and work up gradually. This

exercises muscles, lung capacity and circulatory system, and provides

needed aerobic activity.

Rebounding exercise is simple, noticeably effective in a short period

of time, and beneficial in a variety of ways. Just a few minutes -

even two or three minutes, three to five times a day - can give

amazing results in a short period of time. Five minutes of rebounding

before a meal will decrease the appetite. Always remember to start out

slowly and easily as unconditioned cells and tissue need a chance to

warm up gradually. Overexertion can cause pain or even injury and, of

course, inability or lack of desire to continue.

Some believe rebound exercise is the most efficient, effective form of

exercise yet devised. Following are some reasons why:

The opposition of gravity is the only way strength can be developed.

When using the shock absorbing flexible surface of the rebounder, body

weight, gravity, thrust and inertia all interplay to multiply the

weight of the body, thus providing more efficient exercise. By lining

up the three forces of gravity, acceleration and deceleration all in

one direction, we can drastically change the cellular environment of

our bodies.

As a person stands still on a rebounder, every cell in the body is

opposing gravity. Bouncing on the rebounder stresses every cell over

and over again approximately 100 times a minute, making each cell

stronger as it learns to adjust to a greater G-force.

Another very positive effect when employing this type of exercise is

that these three forces of gravity can be used without the shock and

trauma of hitting a hard surface. About 80 percent of the impact on

the body's weight-bearing joints is eliminated.

This type of exercise has been found to be the most efficient method

of lymphatic circulation stimulation because it yields the greatest

change in pressure for the least muscular effort. It also clears

toxins and poisons from individual cells by stimulation of the cells

and increasing circulation of body fluids to them.

Rebound exercise is one of the best for heart conditioning. But

remember not to become too enthusiastic with any exercise program, no

matter how gentle or harmless it may seem. It is of the utmost

importance to begin slowly, and if any heart trouble has been

experienced previously, ALWAYS check with your doctor before beginning.

Here are a few benefits that 20 minutes of rebounding are equal to:

Jogging 3 1/2 miles in 32 minutes

Playing racquetball or handball for 40 minutes

Swimming 800 yards in 16 minutes

Biking 5 miles in 18 minutes

Jumping rope for 15 minutes, 90 to 110 steps per minute

Walking 2 1/2 miles in 34 minutes

The results that can be expected are many and include calorie

burn-off, noticed difference in muscle tone, increased lung capacity,

relief of tension, better coordination and balance, and even

tightening of loose skin and some disappearance of facial wrinkles.

The benefits go on and on. "

Here is one link (with an excerpt) taken from a search I did for

'rebounding exercise scientific research'.

http://www.starbounding.com/37_research.htm

Positive Professional response to Rebounding exercise

It was in the late 1970s that the numerous benefits to be derived from

bouncing on a mini-trampoline first received widespread

acknowledgement. In his book, The Miracles of Rebound Exercise Albert

E. mentioned around forty prominent physicians who praised the

exercise. Mini-trampolines began to flood the domestic exercise

equipment market, along with Al 's popular concept of rebounding

which was marketed internationally. Among well-researched theories

extolled in his book, Al defined Rebounding exercise as `... a

method of stimulating every cell of the body simultaneously by

increasing the G-Force applied to every cell. We do that,' he

explained, `by vertically adding the forces of acceleration and

deceleration to the ever-present gravitational pull.'

" …For similar levels of heart rate and oxygen consumption, the

magnitude of the biomechanical stimuli is greater with jumping on a

trampoline than with running, a finding that might help identify

acceleration parameters needed for the design of remedial procedures

to avert de-conditioning in persons exposed to weightlessness, " NASA

Journal of Applied Physiology 49(5): 881-887,1980

For this reason NASA scientists carried out the first-ever research

into using a trampoline, with evidence surfacing to suggest that

rebounding on a mini trampoline provides superior exercise.

The concept of rebounding on mini trampolines was consequently

introduced as 'rebounding' around twenty years ago, citing NASA

research as ' the most efficient and effective form of exercise ever

devised.

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.

" ...for similar levels of heart rate and oxygen consumption, the

magnitude of the biomechanical stimuli is greater with jumping on a

trampoline than with running, a finding that might help identify

acceleration parameters needed for the design of remedial procedures

to avert deconditioning in persons exposed to weightlessness. "

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. "

" The mini trampoline [rebounder] provides a convenient form of

exercise with a major advantage being its apparent low level of trauma

to the musculoskeletal system. "

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:

* Super Circuit layout incorporates the use of suitable aerobic

exercise equipment,

such as the indoor jogger, placed in adjacent positions.

* The exercise stations are arranged in a sequence in which upper

and lower body

muscle groups are conditioned alternately.

* 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 , 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 E. Hall, Ph.D., Textbook of Medical

Physiology, Ninth Edition

>

> Has anyone read anything which would lead them to draw conclusions

> about how much and what kind of exercise offers the greatest benefits?

>

> Thanks!