Wednesday, January 28, 2009

Install Your Trampoline With Safety In Mind

By Jane Bracken

When placing a trampoline in your yard the surface of the trampoline must be level. Otherwise this wonderful fitness tool can become a hazard instead. Either the ground must be level or raised or lowered properly such that the trampoline surface is level.

If the jumping surface of the trampoline is not level, the trampoline will tend to tip, rock, or slide when someone is jumping on it creating a dangerous situation. This situation can and must be avoided by adjusting the height of the ground where the trampoline is resting

If your trampoline is on a slope, the best trampoline position would be to dig a trench for the highest leg to rest inside. This would ensure that the trampoline would not slide down the hill or incline at any point in time.

If you can't or don't want to dig you can always raise the earth under one or more legs. This will of course have the same effect in leveling out the trampoline surface. This can be a more difficult approach plus raised earth tends to provide less stability than can be achieved through digging.

Once you've set up the trampoline properly it's time to have some fun and get in shape at the same time. Trampoline work stimulates the lymphatic system and thereby helps protect the body from viruses and other causes of illness. It's also a super way to start getting into good physical condition and getting used to regular workouts.

There are some great exercises which are easy to learn, fun to do, and provide excellent physical conditioning. The toe touch, pike and super jacks are three great ones for beginners. Toe touches consist of touching your toes three times while in the air. Of course you have to have achieved some height to do this but this exercise works your mid-section while stretching your muscles at the same time. The toe touch can be done even if there are others on the trampoline at the same time.

Pikes and super jacks are more difficult so will probably take some time to learn to do them properly. These two exercises should be performed with no one else on the trampoline. In the pike, you jump and pull your legs in front of you three times before landing. This exercise requires good height and coordination as well as being quite strenuous. Super jacks consist of jumping and doing three jumping jacks in the air, again before landing and also require height and good coordination.

A couple of final thoughts. Serious injury can occur if landing on the side of the trampoline or missing the trampoline surface completely. It's recommended that your trampoline be installed with a safety net to prevent this type of injury. Another good piece of advice is to stretch before beginning your trampoline exercises. Like any other physical activity, stretching will improve your performance and lessen the chance of muscular injuries. - 16759

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