PogoSticking for Beginners

By Karen Asp

Using a pogo stick has numerous physical benefits, the main one being that it can help you break through plateaus. "Any time you do something different, you're challenging your muscles in new ways, and that can spark development, especially if you haven't seen results in months," says Skip Jennings, a Los Angeles-based fitness trainer who uses the pogo stick with his clients.

So what's the difference between today's sticks and the ones from decades ago? Simply put, technology. Take, for instance, Vurtego, Inc., which makes high-end pogo sticks that are hand-built and hand-tested, including one for fitness buffs called the FIT stick. "Our pogo sticks use an air spring, which is unique to Vurtego," says Brian Spencer, co-founder of Vurtego Inc. The advantage? The spring can be adjusted to your weight, height and most importantly, how high you want to bounce. Of course, the technological advances and superior construction of today's sticks make them pricier than sticks of old. The FIT stick, for instance, retails for $299.

You'll also boost your heart rate and challenge your cardiovascular system, burning unwanted calories in the meantime. Another benefit? "You'll tone your major muscles, especially your legs and core," says Donna Cyrus, senior vice president of programming for Crunch Fitness and creator of Pogo Bootcamp, a new circuit class at Crunch where participants use a pogo stick for at least five minutes at a time. You might even become aware of imbalances in your body so that if one side of your body is stronger than the other, you'll feel it when you bounce and can thus make the necessary adjustments to your fitness program.

But there is small learning curve with pogo sticking. Spencer recommends heading to a flat, open area when learning how to use the stick so you can get comfortable bouncing without danger of running into anything. Parking lots and grassy areas are good starting points. As you bounce, keep the handlebars close to your hips. "Consider the stick part of your body," Spencer says. And rather than looking straight down at your pedals, look slightly in front of you.

Take it easy, going one bounce at time. "You can only do it for so long before you lose your balance," Cyrus says. Yet each time you use the pogo stick, see how long you can bounce before you reach that falling-off point. Then start incorporating it into your workouts. Jennings, for instance, often starts clients with one to three minutes of bouncing, building up to 10 minutes at a time.

But be warned: Pogo sticking can be addictive. As Jennings says, "Once you get on it, you won't want to get off."

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