Bungee Workouts
Bungee workouts provide a full-body, low-impact exercise experience by using stretchy cords for resistance. Participants may find them fun and effective for overall fitness.
Why You Might Consider Bungee Workouts
Bungee workouts offer a full-body workout that has several possible benefits, such as:
- Builds muscle: Most bungee workouts incorporate bodyweight exercises to help you build muscle.
- Promotes weight loss: Bungee workouts can be an enjoyable way to burn calories, which helps with weight loss. Exercises that are fun are more likely to help support weight loss than those that do not motivate you.
- Strengthens your heart: All the bouncing and jumping will get your heart pumping, which strengthens your heart and lungs.
- Low-impact: Bungees support your weight, so the exercises are easy on your joints and help prevent injuries.
- Enhances your posture: Building muscles in your back, chest, and shoulders can help you hold your posture, which helps maintain balance and flexibility.
- Improves balance and stability: Bungees pull you against gravity, requiring balance and stability to stay on the ground. The exercises involve switching stances and performing movements in various foot positions.
What Are Bungee Workouts?
Bungee workouts are low-impact, full-body cardiovascular workouts that use bungees to perform classic bodyweight exercises.
The bungees will try to pull you up into the air, creating a resistance for you to work against. You can harness the bungees at your waist or hold them in your hands.
“Our bungee classes are unique because you grip onto the bungees with handles instead of being strapped into a harness,” Rachel Piskin, co-founder of ChaiseFitness, told Health. “This helps you engage your core, glutes, and upper body more.”
Many bungee fitness studios have opened and expanded across the United States, some incorporating a mix of Pilates, yoga, and ballet. ChaiseFitness, which has studios in New York and New Jersey, uses an overhead bungee system and a Pilates chair for its workouts.
What Should You Know Before Jumping In?
Bungee workouts are generally safe if the studio has properly installed the equipment.
Some people may need to avoid bungee workouts—for example, those with an injury or who have recently had surgery.
Bungee workouts might also be unsafe for pregnant people since the bungee harnesses are around the waist, but you might be able to participate if the bands are overhead.
Consult a healthcare provider to make sure bungee workouts are safe for you.
Can Anyone Do It?
These exercises are beneficial for anyone looking for low-impact, easy-on-the-joints options.
The bungees remove the pressure you usually put on vulnerable joints when using weights, running, or doing high-intensity workouts.
It’s always best to follow a knowledgeable professional. “A trained instructor adjusts the harness to each person individually,” Amanda Paige, owner of aerial fitness center Tough Lotus in Chandler, Arizona, told Health.
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Weight Restrictions
Most bungee harness classes have a weight restriction. For example, at Tough Lotus, the weight limit is 250 pounds. The maximum measurements are 46 inches for the waist and 26.3 inches for the leg loop.
Talk to an instructor in advance if you have any concerns.
During Pregnancy
Pregnant people might benefit from a bungee workout if the bands are overhead. Low-impact muscle-strengthening exercises may help boost energy and decrease fatigue during pregnancy.
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Older Adults
Older adults might find that using bungees helps restore bone and muscle mass and strength that naturally decline with age. Muscle-strengthening exercises help preserve and build strength and prevent falls.
What Should You Expect During a Workout Class?
Many bungee workout studios have mandatory starter courses for beginners. You’ll learn some basic techniques for doing exercises correctly.
Tough Lotus runs 75-minute sessions, but most bungee classes run 45 minutes to an hour. You might need to arrive several minutes early to get a proper introduction to the equipment.
Be prepared for many dance-inspired exercises and explosive movements, including jumping and running.
Typical exercises include squats, lunges, push-ups, planks, and crunches. The bungees add a twist to those classic bodyweight moves.
Some gyms offer different types of bungee classes. Tough Lotus, for example, has more advanced classes to help you reach specific fitness goals like strength, endurance, and stamina. ChaiseFitness also has many bungee workouts focusing on the upper body or cardio.
Other bungee studios, like The Aviary in Minneapolis, have bungee kickboxing and high-intensity workouts. Studio Bungee in Marietta, Georgia, has special classes for people aged 60 and older.
What Should You Wear?
Piskin recommended that you wear fitted, moisture-wicking athletic clothes to class. Fitted clothing lets you see how your body moves when standing in front of a mirror.
The instructor might require you to wear socks and sneakers to class. Some bungee studios have policies against wearing jewelry.
Where Can You Find a Bungee Workout Class?
Studios and gyms across the United States offer group classes and private training. Many aerial yoga and TRX studios also offer bungee workouts.
ChaiseFitness also has an on-demand app for remote clients that includes resistance band exercises. Those exercises let you mimic the movements of hand-held bungees at home.
Here are some studios in the United States that specialize in bungee fitness:
- A Step to Gold in Raleigh, North Carolina
- All Fit Bungee in Clinton, Utah
- D&A Flying Yoga in Los Angeles
- Exercise in Disguise Fitness in Springfield, Massachusetts
- Pole Kisses in Las Vegas
- Sling in Edmond, Oklahoma
- Studio Bungee in Marietta, Georgia
- The Aviary in Minneapolis
Most bungee classes cost between $20-$40. Many classes are taught in small, intimate groups, depending on the size of the studio.
Check out ClassPass or MindBody to find a bungee studio near you.