Let's Get Physical: We tried bungee fitness and it's unlike any workout we've done before

We wish we could compare bungee fitness to another sport, but this workout is in a league of its own. The closest we can get to explaining it? It’s like a combination of dance, high-intensity interval training, and Zumba – except you get to float and fly.

Stories to Tales Theatre in Bangkok, Thailand is credited with being the first gym to introduce bungee workouts as far back as 2016. At the time, its instructors even travelled the world to spread the bungee fitness ‘gospel’. Meanwhile, videos of bungee fitness classes in Arizona’s Tough Lotus gym went viral online.

The bungee fitness craze never really took hold in Singapore in the way that spin cycling and bouldering have. Still, it’s gradually coming to mainstream attention. To see what the unique workout is all about, we head to Elin Dance Studio for an introductory session. 

RECOMMENDED: The best HIIT gyms and workout studios in Singapore and 12 unique alternative fitness classes to try in Singapore

Getting started with bungee fitness 

Here’s how bungee fitness works. First, you wear a bungee harness with a bungee cord that’s attached to the ceiling. This contraption weighs anywhere between 40kg to 100kg, depending on your own body weight. 

Chafing aside, the harness supports your body weight throughout the workout. At Elin Dance Studio, we start off with basic stretches and simple moves, such as head rolls, pigeon pose, squats and push-ups. These feel like a breeze with the harness on, though you really have to engage your core to counteract the pull of the bungee cord (a workout in itself). 

We take flight

There’s no rush to progress in the bungee fitness class, but the instructor deems us ready to try out more advanced combinations. Here’s where the flying comes in: we’re taught to jump forward with a knee up and back leg extended, giving us a thrilling moment of weightlessness at the top of the leap.

If you’re flexible enough, you can also attempt an airborne spin – while holding a back-breaking pose with your foot held in hand behind you. With some of these moves performed quickly in succession, it quickly becomes a dynamic dance-like workout. 

Is bungee fitness worth a try? 

Here’s the secret behind bungee fitness’s popularity – it’s a hell of a workout while being easy on those old, creaking joints. If you go all out, you can burn up to 700 calories in an hour of class. The support of the harness also means you’re not bearing all of your own bodyweight, easing strain and making moves like push-ups that much easier.

That makes bungee fitness particularly great for older individuals or people who are coming back from a long break from working out.

Keen to try it out yourself? Watch us try bungee fitness in part two of our Let's Get Physical series, where we try unique fitness classes around Singapore: