Oh What to Wear? Part 1
Sep 27th 2011
An oft-asked question faced time and time again: What to wear? Whether going to work, school, or a formal affair, we ponder our wardrobes. While the gym seems a no-brainer for outfitting oneself, gym rats are all the wiser. Additionally, with regard to “chub-rub” or skin-chafing, your comfort is pivotal to your success in terms of execution and overall satisfaction of your workout experience. Lastly, as a trampoline instructor and enthusiast, I know first-hand how one’s clothing and shoe apparel can affect your workout. So with this said, I would like to provide a two series primer on what to wear to optimize your trampoline training!
First, let’s begin with shoes. My own evolution in this department has included the following: Vibram 5 fingers, a pair of cross-trainers, barefooted, and Asics cheerleading shoes. When I was first introduced to trampoline training, I thought that my cutting edge Vibrams would absolutely do the trick. After what seemed like 48 continuous hours of jumping on the trampoline at a fitness industry show, I realized that jumping in Vibrams was not for me. When I returned to my studio, I decided on wearing cross-trainers. Cross-trainers work just fine, however, I was dubious of the trainer (or running shoe) because of the cushioned sole. Since fitness trampoline training is a proprioceptive (balance) workout, I felt that being on an unstable environment in sneakers overworked the ankles and could perhaps lead to a sprain or twist.
With options running out, I recalled several people at the aforementioned industry show, who took their shoes off before taking a trampoline training class. I began to do the workout barefooted. At the beginning it felt great. It reminded me of bouncing on a large trampoline in the backyard. However, with all the jumping I do between teaching classes and recreational use at home, my “dogs began to bark”.
One day while cleaning out the garage, I saw my Asics cheer-leading sneaks. Cheer sneakers are quite flat, almost like a wrestlers shoe or an old school pair of Keds. I stopped what I was doing, put the cheer shoes on my feet, walked over to my JFT, flipped it over and began to bounce. Hark!
The conclusion of this epic leads me to recommend wearing flat-soled athletic shoes when trampoline-training. I happen to like the encasing that my cheer shoes afford me but people that like being barefooted but want a little support may consider a ballet slipper, modern dance or gymnastics shoe. A pair of wrestling sneakers, tennis shoes (as in the sport not the colloquialism), Converse or Keds are two specific brands that can also be worn while trampoline training.
Small adjustments and investments can yield huge results. As a regular user of the JumpSport Fitness Trampoline, I can attest to the value of appropriate clothing. It has taken quite some time to cultivate these results but to the best of my present knowledge, the optimal shoe to trampoline train in is either none at all or flat-soled. Try it; let me know how it works! Contact us at www.trampolineblogs.com, @FitTrampoline or Facebook us, www.facebook.com/FitnessTrampoline.
In good health,
Heidi Aspen Lauckhardt-Rhoades
Professional Fitness Instructor, ACE, AFFA, TRX, Indo, PIA, GROOVE
Dance and Creative Movement Productions
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