BCAN Rebounder Review – Is This Adult Fitness Trampoline Worth It?
AD – Gifted product. I was sent the BCAN Soft Land Pro rebounder free of charge in return for trying it out and sharing my honest thoughts with you. As always, all opinions are completely my own and I would never recommend something simply because I had been sent it for free. This post also contains affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission if you buy through one of my links, at no extra cost to you.
Over the years I have tried so many different types of exercise that I have definitely lost count, but until now I had never really considered exercising on a trampoline. Of course, I have been on trampolines before, but that was more for fun than because I was trying to improve my fitness, so when I was offered the chance to try the BCAN Soft Land Pro rebounder I was really interested to see what it was actually like and, perhaps more importantly, whether I would enjoy using it enough to keep using it after the initial novelty had worn off.
If you have followed Just Average Jen for a while, you will probably know that my relationship with exercise has changed quite a lot over the years. After I lost 10 stone, exercise became very tied up with maintaining weight loss for me and I spent a lot of time thinking about how many calories I was burning and whether I was doing enough. These days I am trying to look at things rather differently because, after losing weight, regaining some and generally going through all the ups and downs that come with that, I don’t want exercise to feel like something I have to do to compensate for what I have eaten. I want to find things I actually enjoy doing and that help me to move more, so something that essentially involves bouncing around at home sounded like it could be right up my street!
What is a rebounder and why would you want one?
If, like me, you hadn’t really heard the word rebounder used much before, it is essentially a small trampoline designed specifically for exercise. It isn’t quite the same as buying a children’s trampoline and putting it in your living room, because it has been designed so that you can use different movements and follow specific rebounder workouts rather than simply trying to see how high you can jump.
The BCAN Soft Land Pro I have been using has bungee cords rather than traditional trampoline springs and also has a large adjustable handle at the front, which was one of the things I immediately liked about it. I wouldn’t say my balance is particularly terrible, but I am also not the sort of person who can effortlessly stand on one leg while doing something else without wobbling around, so having something to hold onto when I first started using it made me feel much more confident.
You don’t have to do huge jumps on it either, which I think is something I had misunderstood about rebounder exercise before actually trying it. You can start with really gentle movements where your feet barely leave the mat and then gradually try different movements as you become more confident, so you don’t need to already be particularly fit or coordinated just to have a go.
Setting up the BCAN rebounder
Whenever exercise equipment arrives in a large box, I always wonder whether I have accidentally agreed to spend the next three hours assembling something, because I am definitely not somebody who enjoys sitting surrounded by screws and trying to work out which part of an instruction diagram I am looking at! Fortunately, the main part of the BCAN rebounder comes already assembled, including the bungee cords, so setting it up was nowhere near as complicated as I had imagined it might be.
You need to attach the legs and the handle and make sure everything is properly secured before you use it, but you aren’t faced with having to construct the actual trampoline yourself. There are also some additional bungee cords supplied and instructions of how to change them. There is a useful table sharing how many of each type of bungee you need depending on your weight.
Once it was assembled, I was actually surprised by how substantial it felt because I think I had been imagining something much more like the little exercise trampolines I remember people having years ago.
The frame is made from steel and doesn’t fold in half, which does mean you need to think about where you’re going to keep it, but it also means it feels really sturdy when you’re standing and bouncing on it. Personally, I would much rather have to find somewhere to store something sturdy than feel nervous every time I bounce because the frame feels flimsy underneath me!
What was it like when I first tried it?
The first few minutes were definitely a case of getting used to the sensation because, when you haven’t been on a trampoline for years, suddenly having the floor move underneath you feels quite strange. I started off holding the handle and doing very small bounces, which I would definitely recommend if you haven’t tried anything like this before because there is absolutely no need to immediately start trying to bounce as high as possible.
After a little while, though, I started getting used to it and this was when I realised why people enjoy rebounder workouts. It genuinely doesn’t feel quite as much like exercise when you’re bouncing, especially if you put some music on at the same time. I am always much more likely to continue doing something if I enjoy it rather than if I have to spend half the day persuading myself to do it, and I can quite happily put some music on and bounce for a while without feeling as though I am forcing myself through a workout I hate.
There is also a phone holder attached to the rebounder, which is handy if you want to follow a workout on your phone. You could obviously just bounce while listening to music or watching something, but I like having the option of finding a rebounder workout and being able to put my phone somewhere I can actually see it rather than balancing it precariously against whatever happens to be nearby.
I really like that you can make it as gentle as you want
One of the things I think makes this particularly good for someone getting back into exercise is that you don’t have to start with a complicated workout. If you haven’t exercised much recently, even just spending a few minutes getting used to bouncing and moving is a perfectly reasonable place to start, and you can build up from there rather than feeling as though you have failed because you couldn’t manage a 30-minute workout on your first attempt.
This is something I have become much more aware of as I have got older and my attitude towards fitness has changed. There was a time when I would have thought that if I hadn’t done a long workout or burnt a certain number of calories then it wasn’t really worth doing, whereas now I would much rather do ten minutes of something I enjoy and want to do again than force myself through an hour of something I hate and then avoid exercise for the next week!
I have talked before about gentler ways to exercise, and I think this fits quite nicely with that approach because you are completely in control of how energetic you want to make it. Of course, gentle doesn’t necessarily mean suitable for everybody, especially if you have health problems, injuries or problems with your balance, so it is always worth checking with your GP or physiotherapist if you are unsure.
What is different about the bungee cords?
Traditional trampolines tend to have metal springs, whereas this one uses bungee cords, and I think this is one of the reasons it feels quite nice to bounce on. The movement feels smooth and I don’t get that squeaking noise I associate with traditional trampolines, which is definitely a bonus when you are using it indoors and other people are in the house!
The BCAN rebounder comes with two different thicknesses of bungee cords and you can adjust the tension depending on your weight and how you prefer it to feel. I wouldn’t personally worry too much about experimenting with this immediately if you have never used a rebounder before, because I think it makes more sense to get used to the standard setup first and then decide whether you want to change anything once you actually know what you prefer.
Is it suitable if you’re overweight?
This is something I always look at when I am reviewing exercise equipment because I know from personal experience how frustrating it can be when you decide you want to exercise more and then discover that the equipment isn’t designed for someone your size. At my heaviest I was almost 27 stone, and I can remember how self-conscious I sometimes felt about exercise at that size, so I really don’t like fitness products that seem to assume everyone wanting to become fitter is already slim.
The stated maximum user weight for this BCAN rebounder is 227kg, or 500lb, which is around 35 stone 10lb. Obviously, that doesn’t mean rebounding is automatically going to be suitable for everybody within that weight range because your mobility, joints, balance and general health all need to be considered as well, but I really like that the equipment itself has been designed with a much more generous weight capacity than many fitness products.
If you are trying to become more active at a higher weight, I have shared lots of my own experiences and ideas elsewhere on Just Average Jen, including my tips around exercise when you’re overweight. I think the biggest thing is finding something that works for you rather than worrying about what everyone else seems to be doing.
What about knees and other joint problems?
I know this is something some of you will be wondering about, especially because my post about exercise with bad knees is popular. The bungee cords give you a softer surface to land on than a hard floor and BCAN describes the Soft Land Pro as being designed for lower-impact exercise, but I wouldn’t take that to mean that everyone with painful knees or other joint problems will automatically be fine using one.
Knee pain can have so many different causes that it would be impossible for me to say whether it is suitable for you personally, so if you have an existing knee, hip or ankle problem, issues with your balance or anything else that could affect exercise, I would check with your GP or physiotherapist first. The NHS physical activity guidelines are also useful if you are generally trying to become more active and aren’t sure where to start.
How sturdy is the BCAN rebounder?
This was quite important to me because I don’t particularly want to be worrying about whether something is going to collapse underneath me while I am bouncing on it! It feels very sturdy when I use it, and the one-piece steel frame, wide feet and high maximum user weight all make me feel confident using it.
I also really like the handle, even now that I am more used to bouncing. I don’t necessarily hold onto it all the time, but it is reassuring to have it there if I lose my balance or if I am trying a different movement. The height can be adjusted too, so you can find a position that feels comfortable for you rather than having to adapt yourself to it.
For me, that makes this particular rebounder feel much more beginner-friendly than one without a handle would. I am sure there are people out there with fantastic balance who could bounce away quite happily without ever touching it, but I am definitely happier knowing I have something to grab if my coordination decides not to cooperate!
The biggest downside is finding somewhere to put it
If there is one thing I would definitely tell you to consider before buying this, it is where you are going to keep it. The 102cm version is just over a metre across and the frame doesn’t fold, so while it isn’t enormous, it also isn’t something you’re going to tuck into a drawer when you’ve finished using it.
I would definitely get a tape measure out before ordering and work out both where you’re going to use it and where it will live afterwards. It is very easy to look at exercise equipment online and think “that will fit somewhere” and then realise when it arrives that you haven’t actually decided where that somewhere is!
On the other hand, I find that having exercise equipment somewhere accessible makes me much more likely to use it. If I have to drag something out of a cupboard, assemble it and then put it all away afterwards, there is a fairly good chance that on a busy day I simply won’t bother. With the rebounder already set up, I can just get on and use it for ten minutes when I have a bit of spare time.
As someone who works from home and can quite easily spend far too many hours sitting at my desk, that really appeals to me. I have shared some ideas before about finding time for exercise, and for me one of the biggest things is making movement easy to fit into my day rather than expecting myself to suddenly develop loads of spare time. It fits easily into my home gym and then I can get it out and onto the decking to use whenever I like. I can’t use it in the gym as the ceiling is too low!
What do I actually think of it?
I genuinely really like it, which I think is probably the most important part of any review. I can tell you about bungee cords, weight limits and adjustable handles all day, but ultimately none of those things matter very much if the rebounder ends up sitting unused after a week because it isn’t enjoyable.
I wasn’t sure before trying it whether it would be one of those things that is great fun initially but quickly loses its appeal, but I can actually see myself continuing to use it. I like that I don’t need to decide I am “doing a workout” before I get on it because I can just have a quick bounce for ten minutes if that is all I fancy doing, or I can follow a proper rebounder workout if I want something more structured.
I also think there is something quite nice about rediscovering a type of movement that simply feels fun. As adults, we seem to turn almost every kind of movement into exercise with targets, numbers and goals attached to it, whereas children will run around or bounce on a trampoline simply because they enjoy doing it. Maybe there is something to be said for taking a little bit of that attitude back!
Would I recommend the BCAN Soft Land Pro rebounder?
Yes, especially if you are looking for something a little different to use at home and traditional workouts aren’t really your thing. I think the handle makes it particularly good for beginners, I love that it has such a generous maximum user weight and it feels sturdy enough that I don’t worry about it when I am using it.
It isn’t going to suit everybody, of course. If you have nowhere to keep it, you hate bouncing or you have health or mobility issues that mean rebounding isn’t suitable for you, there are plenty of other ways to exercise at home. I have tried all sorts over the years, including exercise ball workouts, Pilates and using different pieces of home fitness equipment, and I really do think the best option is simply the one you are actually going to use.
For me, though, this has been a lovely reminder that exercise doesn’t always need to feel terribly serious. I have spent enough of my life thinking about exercise in terms of weight loss, calories and what I should be doing, and these days I am much happier finding ways to move that fit into my life and, ideally, make me smile at the same time.
If that means I am now a 45-year-old woman who occasionally puts some 90s music on and bounces around the house on a trampoline, I am absolutely fine with that!
You can see the BCAN Soft Land Pro rebounder on Amazon and check the current price here.
