Jump into a great workout with this unique exercise class in Brockville, Ont.
A new exercise class has 'sprung up' in Brockville, using specialized boots that help to decrease the impact on the body's joints.
And while they may look intimidating, they are very easy to use.
Peak Performance held a launch party on Saturday morning to introduce their new Jump Fit program, the first of its kind in the region.
"We are super excited to offer something new to the community, so put on a pair of rebound boots and bounce around for 45 minutes," smiled Peak Performance owner and trainer Melissa Denny.
The class uses special footwear called 'rebound boots' that fit like a ski boot with a mini trampoline attached to the bottom.
Peak Performance in Brockville, Ont. uses these 'rebound boots' for its new exercise class. The boots fit snugly and the bounce helps decrease impact on the joints. (Nate Vandermeer/CTV News Ottawa)
"They are super, super, tight around your ankle so you don't have to worry about rolling an ankle, as a lot of people are worried about," Denny said.
"Everybody can do it. I think our oldest participant today, she's 61, our youngest I think is 25," she said.
Wearing the boots while doing a class helps improve muscle strength and lessens joint impacts by up to 80 per cent, compared to other exercises like jogging.
"Because you are moving your muscles, it's going to be a total body burn," Denny said. "You'll burn roughly 25 per cent more calories than you would a regular work out."
"What I love most about Jump Fit is that it's literally for everybody, you don't have to be in tip top shape, even children can do it," said certified instructor Bridgette Harper.
"It's low-impact but it's high-energy," Harper said. "The misconception comes in because everybody looks at them, they get intimidated, but they are quite easy to balance on actually."
Even though Saturday's class was made up of all women, the jump fit program is open to men as well. The boots are able to handle up to 345 pounds.
"There's that level of buoyancy, not quite like zero-gravity, but you just kind of feel kind of floaty a little bit," Denny said.
"You're a lot more engaged, your back is often a lot straighter, you're standing up taller because you're six inches off the ground," she added.
People who attended Saturday were a mix of newcomers and some with experience, who even own their own boots.
"It's fun! They are a little heavy, you get used to them, but they are like a ski boot," noted Jessica Bishop, who has used rebound boots before.
"I've only done it walking just to get used to the boots, but the class is way harder than I thought!" she said.
"Everyone says they think they are going to fall on them," added Heather Durocher. "I've never fallen once on these and I've had them on two or three years now."
"You can walk your dog in these things, you can push a stroller in these things to get used to it," she laughed. "(People) stop and look, 'What's on your feet? What are those?' It's definitely a conversation piece."
Stephanie Blanchard and Emily Behrens, already Peak Performance members, attended the class looking for something new to try.
"It does look intimidating, but it was so much fun and I think having a great instructor like Bridgette really made the class that much more fun and more appealing," Behrens said.
"Halfway through, I felt it right in my hips, back of my legs for sure and when you take the boots off its intense," added Blanchard.
"I feel like we are set for the day now," said Behrens. "Like you start the day off on a great note like that. Now that I've tried it once I'm excited for the weekly classes to come."
Boots are available to rent or people can purchase their own to bring. Classes begin on Monday and Wednesday evenings at 6:30.
"It's $5 per class to rent the boots, so you don't have to invest," noted Denny. "A lot of people want to do rental just to see if they like it, see if it's good for them."
"If they choose to invest, we are part of an affiliate program with Fit Boots, where you can order tons of different colours and they are customized specifically for your body for your weight," she added.
"It's honestly so easy. It's enjoyable. Once you get started, it becomes an addiction very easily," laughed Harper.
"Come in, give it a try. Everyone is at different levels, so if you are brand new to this, don't be intimidated. Everyone's at their own level," she added.
More information about the program can be found on the Peak Performance website.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Bodies found by U.S. authorities searching for missing B.C. kayakers
United States authorities who have been searching for a pair of missing kayakers from British Columbia since the weekend have recovered two bodies in the nearby San Juan Islands of Washington state.
Amid concerns over 'collateral damage' Trudeau, Freeland defend capital gains tax change
Facing pushback from physicians and businesspeople over the coming increase to the capital gains inclusion rate, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his deputy Chrystia Freeland are standing by their plan to target Canada's highest earners.
'It's discriminatory': Individuals refused entry to Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
Individuals being barred from entering Ontario’s legislature while wearing a keffiyeh say the garment is part of their cultural identity— and the only ones making it political are the politicians banning it.
BREAKING Mounties will not be charged in shooting death of B.C. Indigenous man
Three Mounties in British Columbia will not face charges in the killing of a 38-year-old Indigenous man on Vancouver Island in 2021.
Douglas DC-4 plane with 2 people on board crashes into river outside Fairbanks, Alaska
A Douglas C-54 Skymaster airplane crashed into the Tanana River near Fairbanks on Tuesday, Alaska State Troopers said.
Tom Mulcair: Park littered with trash after 'pilot project' is perfect symbol of Trudeau governance
Former NDP leader Tom Mulcair says that what's happening now in a trash-littered federal park in Quebec is a perfect metaphor for how the Trudeau government runs things.
'It's just so hard to let it go': Umar Zameer still haunted by death of Toronto police officer
“It's just so hard to let it go. I mean, everyone is telling me, ‘you have to move on,’ but I know someone is not here [anymore]. So I don't know how I will move on." That’s what Umar Zameer, the man recently acquitted in the death of a Toronto police officer, told CTV News Toronto in a sit-down interview on Tuesday.
NASA hears from Voyager 1, the most distant spacecraft from Earth, after months of quiet
NASA has finally heard back from Voyager 1 again in a way that makes sense. The most distant spacecraft from Earth hadn't sent home any understandable data since last November.
Saskatchewan households will continue to receive carbon tax rebate: Trudeau
Households in Saskatchewan will continue to receive Canada Carbon Rebate payments, despite the province refusing to remit the federal carbon price on natural gas, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Tuesday.