How hard can it be? Or so we thought prior to our Tramp Camp experience at Pop Fit Studio in Havertown.
Short for trampoline boot camp, the cleverly named one-hour class is billed as a high-energy total-body workout. We’d already bounced on trampolines and made it through a number of boot-camp sessions. We even did Pop Fit’s bungee workout. So we assumed Tramp Camp would be easy breezy.
Nope. Legs and abs burned and arms screamed for mercy—and that was during the warm-up.
Tramp Camp’s key components are individual trampolines, hand weights, two kinds of resistance bands and Christine DeFilippis, owner of Pop Fit Studio, who leads the class. DeFilippis demonstrates each move—a necessity even for fit folks, because no one wants to fall. She begins with jumping basics, then segues into easy-to-follow dance moves that get heart rates soaring into calorie-burning mode. For most of of the hour, cardio rules—and those jumps become quad burners. “These trampolines are made of stiffer material than most others,” says DeFilippis. “They provide a sturdier base and a lot more resistance. You get a different kind of bounce.”
Tramp Camp is very low impact. “The trampoline absorbs it,” DeFilippis says. “Most people couldn’t do this kind of workout on a hard floor. You’d be pounding your joints too hard.”
Tramp Camp’s cardio moves are interspersed with strength sections. Weights and resistance bands are used for arm, leg and core toning. A lot of the exercises may be familiar from yoga and barre, but the new format is something else entirely. Imagine doing a tree pose while you balance on a trampoline. It’s not easy, but it is a terrific core challenge.
In our class, no one fell off their trampolines or reported joint soreness. If you go, wear sneakers for added stability. And don’t skip the post-workout stretching session—or you’ll be sorry in the morning.
