Best Rebounders

What is a Rebounder Trampoline

Rebounding is the act of jumping up and down on a mini trampoline for an aerobic workout. The movement can vary between stepping or jumping at a fast and slow pace. This type of exercise can help increase endurance by working the muscles in the legs among a host of other benefits.

Rebounders are similar to mini trampolines but smaller and used primarily for exercising. Mini trampolines tend to have more flexible mats which is better designed for soft play and recreation. Rebounder mats are firmer allowing for better bounce. There are several benefits that a rebounder has over a trampoline which we will dive into in more details.

But ultimately, they are higher quality, safer, portable and easy to store away. This type of exercise is growing in popularity but which type of rebounder is best? 

Let’s look into the top 8 rebounders at different price points.

Best rebounder under £100

Marcy Trampoline Cardio Trainer

£79.00

Key Features

• Compact

• Portable

The foldable cardio trainer by Marcy offers everything you need in a rebounder. This budget friendly rebounder is durable yet compact and portable. It’s easy to assemble with a convenient build that allows you to remove the legs and handlebars. Once removed you can fold the rebounder to 10 inches less than its full diameter.

Measuring at 40.5 inches when fully assembled. It’s reduced to just 30 inches when folded making this convenient to travel with and store away. 

To offer full support while in use, Marcy added a built in stability bar to hold on through the range of exercise you can perform. One drawback is the handlebar isn’t adjustable but is lined with padding to offer comfort no matter where your arms sit in relation to the bar.

Reasons To Buy

• Budget Friendly

• Handlebar

• Easy to fold and Compact

What We Didn’t Like

• Not as sturdy

• Lower quality mat

Wamkos Rebounder Mini Exercise Trampoline

£80.50

Key Features

• Removal resistance bands

• Sturdy and Durable Jumping Mat

The Wamkos Rebounder provides two removable resistance bands offering more variety to your workout. Holding onto the resistance bands offers more resistance on each bounce.

This rebounder boasts a strong build and durability. The mat is crafted with plastic polymer and heavy duty polypropylene offering extra support while you exercise. It’s equipped with rust resistant springs covered by a thick layer of padding plus rubber leg caps to stop any movement during intense movement. All round this is a strong rebounder at its price point.

Reasons To Buy

• Budget Friendly

• Strong Build

• Removable Resistance Bands

What We Didn’t Like

• Squeaky noises on bounce

Best rebounder under £200

Maximus Life Mini Trampoline

Key Features

• Handlebar Rail Included

• Assembly Not Required

• DVD Included

£155.00 

This folding trampoline is the perfect compact, fat burning rebounder. It comes fully assembled and ready to use. Built with a smooth folding hinge design making it easy to fold and store away. The Maximus Life Mini is one of the most portable rebounders around.

The polypropylene mat is built with with 32 steel springs offering a very low impact bounce. This rebounder is easy on the joints but provides a firm enough bounce to provide good resistance. If you’re a beginner there is added help from the handlebar if you needed extra support. Its equipped with a non-slip mat and rubber feet to provide added stability. 

This range includes a workout DVD that demonstrates beginner to intermediate exercises. It also includes a 3 month free video membership, which is a great option to get started with regular exercise. Although it doesn’t come with extras like resistance bands or weights the 3 month workout alone makes it an attractive investment.

Reasons To Buy

• Easily foldable and compact

• DVD Workout with 3 month membership

• Bounce Counter

What We Didn’t Like

• Bouncing can be noisy

• No resistance bands or weights included

Sports Tech Smart Fitness Trampoline

Key Features

• Heart Rate Monitor Included

• Training Videos

£169.95

Sports Techs Smart Fitness Trampoline measures your stats and tracks your progress while you workout. The built in console measures pulse, calories and counts your jumps. This handy feature also allows you to connect to an app and has a wide variety of personalised workout videos depending on what you want to achieve.

Sitting at only 8cm high the Smart Fitness Trampoline makes it a dream to fold and store away. It’s considered a safe rebounder equipped with a water repellent cover and non slip rubber feet. Which gives you peace of mind during intense workouts that the rebounder is stable. 

Despite a low build design the elastic suspension system provides a solid bounce with enough resistance to get a solid rebounder workout, while being soft enough on your joints.

Reasons To Buy

• Personalised Smart Workouts

• Skipping Rope Tool

• Handlebar

• Easy to fold and Compact

• Quiet

What We Didnt Like

• Less Sturdy than Other MXL Rebounders

MXL Maximus Life Gym Rebounder

Key features 

• No Assembly Required

• High Quality and Robust

£185.00 

The Maximus life is one of the best rebounder trampolines for beginners. It’s equipped with features and beginner programmes to help you achieve your weight loss goals. Included is a beginner workout DVD to get you started with the right technique. This rebounder in particular has been featured on National Television including Loose Women, this is because of its popularity among professional athletes and gyms. 

Maximus Life Gym rebounder screams trust with its professional build quality. It’s built with a large spring system providing a low impact bounce. The 32 tension steep springs in combination with polypropylene mat make it gentle on your knees. This feature allows you to stabilize your core muscles during low impact workouts which improves lymphatic drainage. Until you develop your balance properly, you can use the stability bar that’s included for extra support. This makes it a perfect rebounder for beginners. In addition to the bar for balance it includes resistance bands to add variety to your workouts. You can use these to tone your arms and shoulders during your cardio workout.

Reasons to Buy

• Stable build

• Folds easily

• Large max weight of 150kg

• Stability bar and resistance bands included

• Workout DVD included

What We Didn’t Like

• Noisy on bounce

MXL Maximus Life HIIT Bounce Pro

Key Features

• Voted Best Adult Fitness Trampoline

• Robust Design Providing up to a weight of 140kg

£195.00 

The best budget rebounder you can find is an MXL Maximus Life HIIT Bounce Pro. This top quality fitness rebounder is built for intense workouts. Although designed for high intensity it’s easy on your knees. The MXL patented spring system dense mat allows a low impact bounce which is easy on your back, knees and ankles. This design is the perfect balance between low impact on your joints and high impact intensity.

The MXL Maximus Life HIIT Bounce Pro includes a DVD workout with 4 different programmes. One of the workouts provides an incline routine, this variation allows you to target a different muscle group. By targeting your muscles in different ways helps overcome stale workouts and plateaus in performance. Changing your workouts also helps to increase muscle mass and fat loss.

Additionally they offer weighted gloves which adds a strength element into your cardio workouts.

Reasons to Buy

• More Affordable than Other Products in The MXL Range

• Allows incline programme

• Foldable and stable

• Includes Weighted Gloves

Cons

• Reported to be Noisy

MXL Maximus Life PRO Folding Rebounder

 

Key features 

• Built to last

• Home Gym Package Included

£195.00

The Maximus pro was built for convenience. It’s easy to fold and transport if you are travelling and still want to get a good workout in. Its ease of portability makes it ideal use at trips, work or at home. MXL doesn’t compromise on quality, the Maximus Pro is built to last with its steel spring coils. These are muscle shaped allowing you to strengthen your balance and core during a low impact bounce. Like the Maximum life it’s built with a stability bar for you to hold onto and two workout DVDs.

The sturdy and firm mat is weaved with strong polypropylene. Making it gentle on the knees on every bounce. The fusiform springs give resistance to every bounce whether you are doing a beginner workout or intense. MXL boasts a unique technique on their rebounders known as the Maximum Rebound Technique. This differs from traditional rebound jumping movements because the downward push is the key resistance driver as opposed to the upward movement. This different type of bounce activates the lymphatic system more so than regular rebounding helping you to gain more core strength. 

Useful additions to the Maximum pro is the inclusion of resistance bands and sandbags. This handy feature allows you to improve your strength and vary your workouts.

Reasons to Buy

• Sturdy

• Foldable and easily transportable

• Firm and Stable Bounce

• Includes stability bar, sandbags, resistance bands and workout DVD

What We Didn’t Like

• Some reviews say its noisy

MXL Maximus Life Bounce Pro 

£320

Key Features

• Half Folding

• Best For Lymphatic Drainage

• Soft and Silent Landing

The Fit Bounce Pro is designed specifically for lymphatic drainage as stated by MXL. They recommend this rebounder for people who have health problems. It’s designed to be easy on the joints and has an extra low impact bounce which you can feel with each impact. The rebounder does not allow for any sink at all on each bounce which improves lymphatic drainage and core stability.

Although the bounce is firm you’ll experience a soft landing. This is thanks to the dense propylene webbing that the rebounder is built with. Additionally, the patented MXL bungee system makes it sturdy providing extra stability. These features along with the sixt connectors its tensioned with allow the mat to support up to 150kg (330lbs).

The Fit Bounce Pro is great for both beginners and regular exercise enthusiasts. The Bounce counter included means you can track every bounce and track progression.  Along with their standard handlebar and storage bag. 

MXL offer a 3 year warranty on the mat plus lifetime warranty for the frame giving you peace of mind and showing the confidence they have in their build and quality.

Reason to Buy

• Firm Bounce

• Sturdy

• Included Bounce Counter

• No Assembly Required

• Lifetime Warranty

What We Didn’t Like

• Expensive

• No additional extras like the other models (e.g. resistance bands and weights)

How to use a rebounder trampoline

Rebounding couldn’t be easier. Simply step on to the mat and jump up and down, some rebounders come with a front hand rail for you to keep your balance.

Jumping up and down on a rebounder is grouped by the term plyometrics. Because it requires a burst of power on every jump it is considered one of the best fat burning activities. With every jump you use effort in the legs to thrust upwards and land again, this is repetitive over a given period. The beauty of the rebounder is that it does the hard work for you when absorbing your bodyweight. The resistance comes from when you force yourself upwards and the elasticity of the mat makes it more difficult to jump higher than a traditional trampoline.

To get the most out of your rebounder you need to use it correctly. Rebounders emphasise jumps, make sure you aren’t bouncing up and down on the mat, make sure you use your legs to propel yourself upwards and control your landing. Put effort into every jump.

Rebounder mats are unstable. They are designed this way so that it forces you to use your core to remain balanced.

Warm up

Begin your workout by warming up the muscles, a few minutes of easy jumping is suitable to get your body used to the movement. Remember you want to force the stomp downwards to create a resistance in your legs. You don’t need to jump very high, jumping up one or two inches is sufficient.

Jogging

Starting with a jog on the trampoline, keep your back straight or lean back slightly keeping your knees in front of you. If you are just starting our rebounding then lift your knees up a few inches, as you get more advanced you can start to lift your knees higher.

Once you’re comfortable with the jogging form you can start to move around the trampoline, with a wider stance. Exaggerate the arms to create more momentum in your steps.

Star Jumps (Jumping Jacks)

Star jumps on a rebounder are performed similar to flat ground. But you can create more resistance as you stomp down at each phase of the star jump. Move your legs in and out regularly and try to stomp down quite hard.

Interval Training

While all workouts can be performed for any given amount of time, if you alternate between all out work followed by recovery you can burn more calories. This is called interval training. On a rebounder try jumping intensely for 30 seconds then rest for 30 seconds, repeat this 10 times and you’ve completed a 10 minute high intensity interval session. As you progress you can start to increase the work and decrease the rest periods.

Once comfortable with intense jumps you can increase the effort by adding weights. Either hold hand weights or you can wear ankle weight straps.

Rebounder workouts

Working out on a rebounder has a number of health benefits. The best rebounder exercises are fun and burn more calories than a typical high impact exercise like running. There are a number of different types of workouts you can do on a rebounder, varying from beginner to advanced. Here is a sample workout from Jumpsport.

Is a Rebounder Good For You? 

Jumping on a rebounder is a great exercise. Here are some of the benefits of a rebounder:

Affordable and Portable Cardio Solution

If you don’t have a lot of space at home to invest in dedicated cardio equipment like a treadmill or cross trainer then a rebounder is a great alternative. Costing a quarter what large cardio equipment does the rebounder can offer the similar cardiovascular benefits. Not only this, it’s cleverly designed so that you can remove or fold the legs so it can be stored away. The exercise itself is simple, you can hop on the rebounder for 20 minutes in front of the television. It’s perfect for beginners who are wanting to improve their cardiovascular fitness without making a big investment in home equipment.

Weight Loss

Regular exercise leads to any sort of changes in body composition and weight loss. Being consistent is key, as well as having a calorie restricted diet. Rebounding is considered a plyometric which is jumping. A study published by American College of sports medicine confirmed that this plyometric activity burned approximately 7 calories per minute if performed at a medium to high intensity. It’s important to note that the amount of calories burnt does depend on age, gender, weight and current body composition. But this is a good indicator of the amount of calories you can roughly burn using a rebounder regularly. If you multiply this to an hour of work that’s approximately 400 calories.

Controlled Blood Sugar

It’s estimated that 3.9 million people are living with diabetes in the UK according to the Medical Research Council. According to the Australian Journal of Rural health where they prescribed a 9 week exercise programme on a rebounder. They found that there were positive changes to blood sugar markers and BMI in type 2 individuals when they rebounded 3 times per week. A further study confirmed that individuals with regular glucose levels effectively lowered their blood glucose after a 50 minute high intensity rebounder session.

Stronger Bones

High impact or weight bearing exercises such as running and jogging are usually suggested to increase your bone density. But surprisingly rebounding has the same effect. Journal of Sport and Health Science found that trampolinists had greater bone density, larger and stronger bones in the extremities in comparison to non trampolinists. Arguably the participants in the study were elite athletes so in comparison to recreational use at home it cannot be compared but this is certainly an indicator of the positive results that regular rebounding can provide.

Back Pain Reduction

One study published that rebounding regularly can reduce back pain. Participants in a rehab programme of 21 days exercised solely on a rebounder. They reported that following the programme they had significantly reduced lumbar back pain and improved functional capacity. If you do have chronic back pain it’s important to speak to a fitness professional or your doctor before taking part in any exercise routine.

Improved Balance and Co-ordination

The movement of jumping up and down continuously on the spot helps improve co-ordination, agility and balance. Studies reported that rebounding helped improved balance in elderly participants and improved the ability to recover their balance during a forward fall. A separate study confirmed that a rebounding programme for 6 weeks was as effective as rehab balancing disc movements when athletes were recovering from ankle sprains. Although this looked at injured top level athletes it does demonstrate the effectiveness of rebounding on recovery in general.

Rebounder Weight Limit

Every rebounder comes with different manufacturer recommendations for maximum weight. They can vary greatly depending on the load capacity rating of the springs or the support rods used in the frame. Although your rebounder might not necessarily break immediately if you exceed the recommended weight allowance, you will increase your risk of injury and break the rebounder beyond repair.

What is the weight limit a rebounder can take:

The minimum that the majority of rebounders can hold is 90kg (200lbs) for adults, you can buy a number of rebounders that have a reinforced mat that can support larger weights than this. This might seem quite low but remember this is not a trampoline its for single use of one person.

How much headroom do you need for a rebounder?

As we’ve shown, using a rebounder in the comfort of your own home doesn’t require a huge amount of space while working out. A sufficient amount of space should be around a 10 foot square, this is enough to perform different moves with the arms and legs plus dismounting safely. Perhaps the most overlooked part of using a rebounder is the space above you – this is the most important part because you need enough clearance above your head while you jump. But luckily, the rebounding mat is firmer than a normal trampoline so the goal isn’t to jump high, meaning you won’t need a large clearance above. Rebounding is about bouncing strong so when you jump upwards you only really need a few inches above your head. Most houses have 7 foot ceilings which is more than enough because the bounce creates an additional two inches at the most while you jump. In addition to this the height of the rebounder itself is only is under 10 cm off the floor. If your ceiling height is less than 7 foot, a safe height above your head is around 18 inches at a minimum.

How to Choose a Rebounder

As with all cardio equipment it’s important to consider particular features. Price might seem attractive but you can get what you pay for with a rebounder, you don’t want to sacrifice features for cost. You can pay entry level but expect limited bounce and poor construction. 

Size

Although the size of the rebounder doesn’t necessarily affect the quality of your exercise session but it can impact the types of jumps you can perform. If you are looking for dynamic lateral and front jumps you may need to consider a larger  shape and size.

Rebounders typically come in a variety of sizes. Starting at around 36 inches in diameter to 49 inches. Height also varies between 10-14 inches. Regardless of which size you choose each size has certain benefits depending on how you will use it. Smaller rebounders are easier to store away and take up less space but offer less bounce than a larger mat. The better bounce your rebounder offers the more exercise movements you can perform. If you have the space consider investing in a larger sized rebounder to get full use out of it.

On the other hand if you do have limited space ensure that your rebounder stores away easily. Some rebounders fold in half without sacrificing the quality and feel when in use. Others are built with foldable legs to flatten the product. Either way, make sure to read through customer reviews to see if the convenient build has any impact on the integrity of the equipment. It might be a nice feature to have being able to store it away but ultimately, you’re using it for a solid exercise tool, make sure it serves this purpose primarily.

Construction

The two types of rebounder build are bungee or springs. Spring trampolines are cheaper than rebounders with bungee cords. Drawbacks of spring rebounders is they have less bounce and they’re louder. The more expensive bungee rebounders are softer and have a deeper bounce. This provides less noise on each bounce and makes them lighter on the joints.

Weight limit is also important when choosing a rebounder, the majority have a relatively large weight limit but something to consider when browsing the features.

Added Features

• Some rebounders come with a workout DVDs and instructions which is ideal if you are a beginner. Not only this but it also gives you a programme to follow adding variety to each workout.

• Additional features some rebounders are equipped with are handlebars and resistance bands. This is for more expensive models so consider how much you are likely to use these, particularly if you are new to rebounding.