Running vs. Rebounding

Comparable Health Benefits

Running and rebounding provide similar benefits to enhance your health and fitness. They both burn calories and encourage weight loss, lower heart rate and blood pressure, and will improve muscle tone. Rebounding authorities such as Carolyn Dean, M.D., and L. Christine Wheeler, M.A., who wrote the book, "IBS for Dummies," say that rebounding has one up on running: it helps maintain the lymph system by flushing out toxins.

Calories Burned

If your goal is to burn more calories, you may lean toward running. A fast jog or run will burn off about 120 calories per mile, while rebounding burns approximately 420 calories per hour. Therefore, if you run a 10-minute mile, you'll burn 360 calories running in the same amount of time that you would only burn 210 calories rebounding.

Convenience

The convenience of running outweighs rebounding when you compare the equipment requirements. Sure, you could invest in a treadmill to run on, but it isn't a requirement. You can run almost anywhere free of charge. If you want to rebound, though, there is no getting around purchasing a mini trampoline. When the weather turns against you, however, your running could be jeopardized, while a rebounding routine can be done indoors.

Joints

If you have joint problems, the bottom line for you might be impact issues. In that case, rebounding is much easier on your ankles, knees and hips than running. NASA even did a study comparing rebounding on a trampoline with running on a treadmill and found that rebounding reduced injury-inducing stress that ends up causing issues such as joint damage or shin splints while still providing enough stress to improve cell strength.

Combination Benefits

If you enjoy both running and rebounding and don't have problems with your joints, there's no reason for you to choose just one. Adding rebounding to your running workout or vice versa will enhance your fitness routine by providing cross-training benefits. These are particularly useful for avoiding injury or for continuing your workout during rehabilitation, but in his 2004 book, "Runner's World Guide to Cross-Training", Matt Fitzgerald pointed out that injury prevention isn't the only benefit to cross-training. Other advantages to doing both include enhancing motivation, pushing past a fitness plateau, promoting recovery and energizing your body and mind by breaking from your normal training routine.