Bouncing Back to Fitness

After I had children, I made three promises to myself: never base a haircut on emotion, always allow donuts in your life and make trampolines (or other activities that involved bouncing up and down in the same place) a thing of the past. For quite some time, I held onto these oaths, but as I’ve moved through the years, I have become distracted. By small, round shiny objects. That I want to jump on. In what looks like a super fun fitness class inside of a nightclub.

I’m going back on my word. I have decided to let trampolines back into my life so that I can Jounce.

Jounce, a word born from jump and bounce, is a re-branded trampoline-based full-body workout that incorporates light weights, sprints, high knees, squats, kickboxing, abs and more. Once referred to as “rebounding,” NASA originally developed the exercise back in the 1980s after a study showed it increased oxygenation to the body’s cells. Because of the temporary equal exposure to G-force on all parts of our bodies as we jump up and down, it was determined to have a bigger full-body benefit with less oxygen, heart exertion and pressure or impact on just one specific area. The up and down motion of jouncing has numerous benefits, ranging from an improved lymphatic system to an increase in cellular energy and function to greater weight and body fat loss than other forms of exercise. It has even been used in athletic training, rehab programs and now fitness clubs and gyms. Located directly inside a downtown nightclub, the atmosphere lends dance floor LED and disco ball lighting and a state-of-the-art music-filled room as the best remixes of Top 40, House and Hip-Hop motivate every jump, sweat and smile throughout the hour.

Sisters/owners Stacey Liakos and Jennifer Caputi opened Jounce back in March after having imagined some type of fitness class inside of the Providence nightspot that Stacey and her husband own and operate. Wanting to offer the local fitness community something entirely new, they opted to bring the trampoline workout with a unique setting to Rhode Island. The sisters’ extensive fitness, sports and personal training backgrounds have allowed their creative programming to shine in this social setting.

As the overhead lights were dimmed, the club lights were turned on and class began, I found myself already bouncing to the first song that played loudly over the speakers. Stacey warmed us up quickly with light jumps and stretches and then we began to work through each song’s own intense mini-routine. We bounced our way through exercises like kicks, squats, high-knees, high-jumps, suicide runs, side twists, jumping jacks, weighted arm movements and more, all while moving along to the highs and lows of the perfect playlist blaring above. Unlike leisure play on a typical trampoline, you aren’t looking to bounce as high as you can while doing fun tricks to impress your friends or kids (while not killing yourself, your friends or your kids). With Jounce, fancy acrobatics is not the end goal. Instead, imagine a ceiling closely hovering over your head so that you are using your lower half to accelerate and decelerate your entire body rapidly through the ‘floor’ while performing various moves. In the words of Ice Cube, “You can do it, put your back into it.”

Aside from the fact that I sweat for an hour, listened to really great music and mixed up my routine with something fun and energetic, I appreciated a self-paced workout that is so highly leg-concentrated with little impact on my joints (thank you, G-force). For all the leg pounding, jumping, kicking and jouncing we did, nothing hurt. Except my ass, two days later, but that hurt so good. I’m glad I went back on my motherhood promise and I’ll definitely be back to Jounce again soon... and will maybe bring donuts.