Want to take care of your heart and lungs more?
Start a healthy way to boost your fitness without having to go out running on the street?
Want to feel more confident for the Summer months?
Introducing the popular Cardio Jump and Flow Class
The jump board was actually first created by NASA as a way of simulating the feeling of weightlessness to the astronauts. Gratz Industries helped bring it to the Pilates world with their version of the jump board back in the 80s and was first introduced not by Joe Pilates but by his protege, who took over the studio, Romana.
Originally designed as a tool to help dancers rehabilitate and strengthen the muscles needed for jumping and dancing. All movement, from walking to running to jumping, requires good movement patterns, and we’ll teach you how to do this, making this class great for all.
We’ve taken that authenticity and knowledge through our classically trained teachers and developed the concept to create a popular class for boosting your health.
Get ready to sweat, move your body, get the blood pumping, and shake things up.
Cardio Jump is available on Tuesdays 9.30am and Thursdays 7.15pm throughout June and July 2023.
BOOK ON NOW using your Class Membership or Buy a Pack of 5 or 10 classes to boost up your health and fitness.
Take a look around the Jumpboard
Jumpboards – the benefits and the contraindications
Joint friendlier
You don’t need to be a dancer, athlete, astronaut or gymnast to benefit from using the jump board. Jump Board exercises are performed supine on the reformer, with gravity out of the way, so they are kinder to the joints. Some people find some of the standing explosive exercises in HIIT training or running can be problematic for their feet, ankles, knees and hips. It is however still an impact exercise but impact on the joints is good for improving bone density and strength.
- Correct movement patterns
They also help everyone to develop the correct foot movement pattern that our bodies should go through when they walk, then run, then jump. Anything that basically requires propulsion. You don’t jump with just your legs! Your feet are connected to your legs which are connected to your pelvis, which are connected to your abdominals and lower back. So integrated jumping work alongside a fully trained Pilates teacher, will show you how to integrate your entire body into movement and strengthen the muscles you need for everyday movements to keep you strong,
- Heart and Lung Health
They’re a great way to add extra cardio to your routine and end a workout on an exhilarating high note! Because they use the large muscle groups like your legs, your heart and lungs will get a good workout, pumping blood round your body, helping circulation and improving stamina. The heart and lungs are muscles like any other and they need to be conditioned. Stamina is endurance and strengthening of the muscles and bones. Cardiorespiratory endurance refers to the ability of the heart and lungs to deliver oxygen to working muscles during continuous physical activity, which is an important indicator of physical health.
- Fat Burning
Plyometrics is one of the best exercises you can incorporate into your fitness programme. It can help you develop speed and power, wake up your nervous system, and help you recruit more motor units and muscle fibres. Jumpboards use the big muscle groups and these allow you to build more muscle mass and lower your fat mass.
The study found that the combination of plyometric training with HIIT was more beneficial to improving weight loss and metabolic abnormalities in young obese females than HIIT on its own.
Word of warning of Fit Bit monitoring:
You are welcome to use your Fit Bit/Apple Watch/Smart Watches for monitoring your workouts but please note that Dr Tim Spector has reported that it is almost impossible to actually measure accurately your calorie consumption and your calorie burning output. These are massively affected by your age, medication and genetics. So don’t get too hung up on the numbers! Just know that it is doing great things for you!
Taking Caution
- Menopause and Menstrual cycle
You should take caution around peri-menopause and menopause phases or life, early postnatal for up to a year, and at various points of your menstrual cycle. (just after ovulation when PMS symptoms may start to occur, and after menstruation. Both have lower estrogen levels.
Lower levels of Estrogen can result in rising inflammation and joint pain. Estrogen helps to regulate fluid balance in the body, so when its production decreases, it can also reduce the body’s ability to retain water and swelling may occur.
This may impair the lubrication of joints such as ligaments, cartilage, and tendons. Cartilage is made up of about 80% water, making it a critical component of this resilient and supportive tissue. Cartilage also serves as a buffer between bones minimizes shock, and reduces friction.
Water is also a common component of synovial fluid, a gel-like substance that greases the cartilage and enables the joints to move freely, which means a reduction in this fluid will hinder the stability and lubrication of joints. When this defensive and nurturing aspect is weak, aches, pains, and stiffness may occur. Consequently, the impact of the reduction in key body fluids can be the reason for joint pain.
Relaxin hormone in pregnancy still continues in the postnatal phase for several months and longer if still breastfeeding. Relaxin hormone also increases in menstrual phases just after ovulation – which makes the connective tissue relax and are at more risk of jumping.
- Connective tissue ligament and inflammation issue
Like Ehlers Danlos Syndrome, Fibromyalgia, inflammation issues like arthritis- as explosive work may not be suitable as the joints and supportive.
Contraindications
- Joint, abdominal or back weakness
Jumpboards are not suitable for anyone with joint problems – be it back pain, lower back disc problems, hip, knee, feet, or toe joint swelling or replacement joints.
Obviously, not for anyone with any fractured or broken joints.
It is also not suitable for anyone brand new with no exercise experience and no deep abdominal strength.
It is not suitable for anyone with pelvic floor issues that cannot control their pelvic floor without side effects when jumping up and down or on a trampoline.
Not suitable for anyone with abdominal separation or following c-section healing.