“Why a mini-trampoline for home use? Isn’t there a risk that it will end up in the basement or on eBay? Neither will happen. You will use and love this device for a lifetime. The risk of getting hooked is high, and from the very first bounce you’ll be delighted and realize that this is something completely different from a home trainer, a stepper, or a walker.
If you’re now wondering whether a mini-trampoline is even suitable for you, I want to tell you: it’s suitable for everyone. Apart from a few small exceptions. There are only very few contraindications for which I personally wouldn’t use the mini-trampoline.
Why am I so convinced that this training device won’t gather dust in your junk room? Because it’s simple, and it won’t let you go. The mini-trampoline lets us forget our weight, it lets us become weightless. It lets us relax and switch off, and that from the very first second we stand on the mat and feel the swing. There’s no device in the world that produces this feeling: this feeling that weight and state of health are absolutely irrelevant and that you simply feel good.
What makes a good mini-trampoline?
Trampolines are usually round. There are also square trampolines, but I would advise against those, since they create an imbalance and don’t allow for harmonious oscillation, because the force distribution across the mat isn’t uniform. You only notice this once you’ve used the device for a longer period of time. Not every mini-trampoline is the same, so you should be aware of the differences. If you cut corners in the wrong place, you usually end up buying twice and spend more in the end than necessary. Below, I describe the different models.
Steel-spring devices
The most common form of mini-trampoline is the steel-spring device. Here, the jumping mat is held to the frame by small steel springs. You should know the following about this: steel has only a low expansion coefficient. This means that steel only stretches up to a certain point and then stops abruptly. This stopping produces a small jolt as your feet sink into the mat. This then means that after a short period of bouncing you have to stop because of headaches or joint pain. Muscles cramp up, joints receive harsh jolts, and the body contracts uncomfortably. So why are steel-spring devices so popular? The answer is simple: because they’re cheap.
Rubber-rope trampolines
Now that you know steel isn’t the solution for harmonious oscillation, let’s move on to an elastic material. Rubber has established itself here, but not all rubber is the same. There are rubber ropes that are very strong, that only stretch a little, and that are very hard to get swinging. There are rubber ropes that are very soft, so you swing through quickly and hit the ground. Here too, quality makes the difference. There is also a distinction between whether it’s a single rubber rope or several.
Single-rope mini-trampolines
Here, a very long rubber rope is used, threaded alternately through the mat and around the frame, all the way around. The mat should then be centered and produce a harmonious oscillation. Unfortunately, however, it tends to shift during use, which leads to a very unharmonious oscillation. But not only that – it also leads to an unpleasant feeling while bouncing, because you can always feel that the mat isn’t centered in the frame. The body then has to compensate for that. You can probably imagine how much fun that is – bouncing while you always feel like you’re bouncing “off-center”.
The wear on the single rope is very high, and it stretches out very quickly. You therefore have to replace the rubber rope quite often if you want to use the device properly. So why are these devices still on the market, and why do people buy them? Here too, it’s the price that makes the difference, but here too, as with the steel-spring devices, the same applies: if you cut corners in the wrong place, you end up spending the money twice in the end.
Multi-rope mini-trampolines
Some manufacturers have realized that it makes sense to secure the mat in the frame with several rope rings. Here, I want to point out once more the quality and strength of the rings: not every rubber rope stretches the same way and produces a suitable oscillation. Then there’s the suspension: it’s important that the suspension, meaning the point where the mat is attached to the frame via the rubber rope, is stable and durable.
It’s also important how far apart the suspension points are, so that the mat is always tensioned exactly centered in the frame, and this is because of the risk of falling and the distribution of balance. If the mat isn’t anchored centrally in the frame, uneven loading occurs during oscillation, which absolutely should be avoided. The oscillation should always be even.
The bellicon®
I have tested all the mini-trampolines on the market and tried everything on them: I’ve checked them for stability, tensile strength, and usability, but hardly any of them met my high standards. Among those that convinced me is the mini-trampoline from bellicon. This company did an extremely good job in development and design and meets all the standards and requirements needed to produce the harmonious, highly elastic oscillation that we need for all the effects I still want to show you.
What makes the bellicon® so special? The quality of the rubber, the suspension mechanism, the stability of the device, and the centerability of the mat are, for me, perfectly resolved here. It has a pleasant jump mat and a single rope-ring suspension that ensures the mat always stays centered in the device. The rope rings can be individually adjusted to your needs. It’s extremely stable and can be used for all forms of bouncing. The durability of the rope rings is extremely high, and with good use and care, these rubber rope rings last a very long time. They can be replaced easily and very quickly, should this ever be necessary. Experience shows that a new set of rope rings is recommended after about two to two and a half years. The rope-ring set can be replaced in two minutes.
The rope rings are highly elastic and can stretch up to four times their length. You will therefore never reach the end point of their expansion, and so they always remain in a harmonious oscillation, without abrupt stopping. They keep swinging you back up on their own, without you having to use much strength, just through gentle bouncing on the mat.
For me, it’s the best training device in the world, because alongside all the health benefits I’ll tell you about throughout this book, it also brings endless fun. Anyone can bounce on this mini-trampoline, no matter their age or fitness level, and that, in my view, makes it the most suitable trampoline there is.”
Manuel Eckardt, health expert and founder of pur-life.de
in “Das 5-Minuten-Trampolin-Training”, 1st edition 2017, Humboldt-Verlag, content of pages 10 to 14, abridged