Is Jumping on a Trampoline Good Exercise? Benefits, Calories & More

Short answer: yes. Jumping on a trampoline can raise your heart rate enough to provide a real aerobic workout. In a 2016 study sponsored by the American Council on Exercise (ACE), researchers at the University of Wisconsin–La Crosse had 24 recreationally active college students complete a 19-minute mini-trampoline workout — heart rate and oxygen data showed effort in the moderate-to-vigorous range, with participants averaging 8.3 to 11.0 calories burned per minute.

Here's what the research actually covers, where it doesn't quite apply, and how to think about it whether you're bouncing on a full-size backyard trampoline or a compact rebounder.

Is Jumping on a Trampoline Good Cardio?

Trampoline jumping is an aerobic activity — it raises your heart rate and keeps it elevated for the duration of a session, the same basic mechanism as running or cycling. In the ACE-sponsored study, participants' effort landed in the moderate-to-vigorous intensity range, the zone fitness guidelines associate with real cardiovascular benefit. One notable finding: participants consistently rated the workout as feeling easier than their heart rate and oxygen-uptake data suggested it actually was. ACE researchers noted that this "enjoyment factor" could plausibly help people stick with a routine longer, though that link wasn't something the study directly measured.

It's also worth noting the study involved 24 recreationally active college students — a small, specific group, so its numbers are a useful benchmark rather than a universal guarantee.

How Many Calories Does Jumping on a Trampoline Burn?

In the ACE-sponsored research, participants averaged 8.3 calories per minute (women) and 11.0 calories per minute (men), including warm-up and cool-down. That works out to roughly 150–330 calories over a 20–30 minute session, depending on body size and effort.

Actual calorie burn will vary with your weight, how intensely you jump, and the specific workout — arm movements, jump height, and interval bursts all increase the burn. Regular sessions can contribute meaningfully to your overall weekly calorie expenditure, though whether that translates into a calorie deficit depends on your total diet and activity level, not the workout alone.

What Muscles Does Jumping on a Trampoline Work?

Every bounce forces your legs to absorb and generate force, engages your glutes and core to keep you balanced mid-air, and recruits your back muscles to stabilize your posture. Because you're constantly making small corrections to stay centered, it works as much as a stabilizer and core exercise as it does a leg workout — something a stationary cardio machine doesn't really replicate.

Does Trampoline Exercise Improve Balance and Coordination?

Bouncing on an unstable, moving surface requires constant small adjustments to stay centered, which plausibly challenges balance and spatial awareness. Trampolines have a history of use for exactly this — they were used to help train fighter pilots' balance, and at least one small controlled study has looked at mini-trampoline programs for static balance in older adults. That said, research specifically measuring balance improvements from trampoline exercise is still limited, so it's fair to treat this as a plausible benefit rather than a settled one.

Is Trampoline Exercise Low Impact?

The trampoline mat changes how landing forces are absorbed compared with a hard running surface — it doesn't eliminate impact, but it does reduce the shock that would otherwise travel through your knees, hips, and lower back on every step. For many people, that softer landing feels more comfortable than repeated impact on pavement, which can make it easier to sustain longer sessions. "Lower impact" isn't the same as "no impact," though, and form still matters.

Does the Research Apply to Backyard Trampolines Too?

Worth being upfront about: most of the research on trampoline exercise — including the ACE study above — was done on mini-trampolines (rebounders), not full-size backyard trampolines. Rebounders are built for controlled, repetitive bouncing in a small footprint, which is exactly the kind of movement these studies measured.

That doesn't mean backyard trampoline time doesn't count as exercise — active jumping and play can raise your heart rate and increase energy expenditure, though the intensity varies a lot from one session to the next depending on how you're using it. It just means the specific numbers above are best treated as a rebounder benchmark, not a guarantee for every kind of backyard trampoline session.

Can You Lose Weight by Jumping on a Trampoline?

Trampoline exercise can contribute to your overall calorie expenditure, and calorie burn is one piece of the weight-loss equation. But weight loss ultimately comes down to total energy balance — diet, activity level, and consistency over time — not any single type of workout. Used regularly as part of a broader routine, it's a legitimate, joint-friendly way to help support that balance.

What Does a Trampoline Workout Look Like?

The intensity of a session depends heavily on how you use the trampoline, not just how long you're on it:

• Beginner: gentle bouncing, keeping feet close to the mat (sometimes called a "health bounce")
• Moderate: jogging in place, alternating-foot bounces, adding arm swings
• Higher intensity: jumping jacks, tuck jumps, or short intervals of faster bouncing

Calorie burn and cardiovascular effort scale with the type of movement — standing and lightly bouncing is a very different workout from active interval jumping.

Watch the Rebounder Workout FOR beginner Video↗

 

Is Trampoline Exercise Good for Kids, Too?

For children, trampoline time is usually recreational rather than a structured workout. The goal doesn't need to be a calorie target — regular active play still gives kids another way to move, build coordination, and stay active day to day.

Backyard Trampoline vs. Rebounder: Which Is Better for Exercise?

• Full-size backyard trampolines↗ are built for family use — enough space for kids to play, room for more dynamic movement, and enough surface area for a full-body session with jumps, bounces, and light tricks.

 

• Rebounders (mini trampolines)↗ are purpose-built for fitness — compact enough for indoor use, sturdier for controlled, repetitive bouncing, and the type of equipment most structured trampoline workout research is based on.

If your goal is a dedicated at-home workout routine, a rebounder is the more targeted tool. If you want backyard equipment the whole family will actually use, a full-size trampoline gets more mileage.

FAQ

Is jumping on a trampoline good exercise?

Yes — it's classified as aerobic exercise and, in controlled research, has produced effort levels in the moderate-to-vigorous range.

Is jumping on a trampoline good cardio?

Yes, it raises and sustains your heart rate in a way similar to running or cycling.

How many calories does jumping on a trampoline burn?

In ACE-sponsored research, participants averaged 8.3 to 11.0 calories per minute, including warm-up and cool-down.

Is trampoline exercise low impact?

Lower impact than running on pavement, though not impact-free.

Can you lose weight by jumping on a trampoline?

It can contribute to your calorie expenditure, but weight loss depends on your overall diet and activity level, not the workout alone.

Is a rebounder better than a regular trampoline for exercise?

For a structured fitness routine, yes — most exercise research is based on rebounders specifically.

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If you're curious about the fuller list of physical and mental health benefits, check out our related post on 16 Health Benefits of Jumping on a Trampoline.

 

Sources & Further Reading

American Council on Exercise — ACE-Sponsored Research: Putting Mini-Trampolines to the Test
American Council on Exercise — ACE Study Finds Mini-Trampoline Workouts as Effective as Running