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Jump High for Health Exercising on stilts is a new way to get fit - and fast - faster 
Overweight and hoping to put some spring back in his step, Robbie Smith purchased a pair of elastic, spring-loaded jumping stilts only to feel his hopes sink upon opening them. "When I first pulled them out, I thought, 'I've wasted my money. There's no way I'm going to be able to do this,'" recalls the 37-year-old from Gulfport, Miss. "But when I put them on, within three minutes I was walking. I got a little more confidence, walked some more, then walked to the end of the street. I was amazed at how easy it was." Today, Smith is able to jump over sidewalks, curbs and other obstacles three feet high on his PowerStriders, which he bought (complete with helmet, bag and safety equipment) for $499. Best of all, he's dropping pounds. "Between watching what I eat, getting on the stilts and riding my bike, I lost 12 and a half pounds in three weeks," says Smith, who is studying to become a teacher. "When I get on them, I sweat. I get my heart rate up, big time." And he's not alone. With the ability to provide six foot high leaps and 20 mile per hour runs, jumping stilts (also called power stilts or spring stilts) are making the leap from Europe, where they were invented, to the U.S, where they are being snatched up by thousands of extreme sports enthusiasts, acrobats, kids and people like Smith who just want to get in better shape. "It is a full body workout. You work your legs constantly because you can't stay still and you're lifting an extra 12 pounds on each leg, which leads to endurance and strength building for anyone," says professional acrobat Scott R. Loeser, 32, of New Smyrna Beach, Fla.. "Some of the typical moves can be easy as simple walking, high leg kicks, bouncing side to side, high jumps, and running around," Loeser says. "For myself being an avid user, I am able to jump over a car or person, flip forwards and backwards, twisting flips and even doing multiple flips in a row. It is an endless invention depending on the daringness of the person or skill level of the individual." Called PowerBockers, the thousands of jumping stilts enthusiasts in the U.S. are beginning to participate in regional events, including some in capital cities called Capitol Bocking, as well as events in New York City and the Midwest. Among the larger brands of jumping stilts sold in the U.S. are PowersStriders (www.powerstriders.com) and Air-Trekkers (www.air-trekkers.com), To prevent risk of injury, experts recommend using several types of safety equipment, which includes knee, elbow and wrist pads, as well as helmets. The trick to using jumping stilts is proper instruction and padding, says Loeser, who travels around the world and has never been injured on jumping stilts. Smith urges new users to practice patience, explaining that it took him weeks before he could jump. He says he has only been injured once, scraping his elbow while running - and that's because he was not wearing his pads. "I got right back up and ran some more," laughs Smith. "I really love it. My plan is to be doing flips by the end of the year." |
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