Wollongong is now home to the latest fitness trend Bungee Fitness and is the only place in NSW where people can experience it.
“I saw this in Thailand about five or six years ago,” Illawarra boxing trainer Bill Corbett said.
“There’s no pressure on your joints. At one stage, I had seven people that had knee problems and they were recommended surgery. By the time they finished with me, none of them needed surgery. Not one.”
The new trend has claimed weight loss benefits and has attracted many people looking for a fun way to improve their overall wellbeing.
“Most of them lose between 10 – 15 per cent of their body weight in eight weeks from Bungee Fitness and boxing,” Corbett said.
Using resistance, as opposed to weights, sets the sport apart. Corbett, 57, swears by it.
“No one should do weights,” he said.
“I wish I listened to all the old guys when they said I shouldn’t lift heavy weights. It destroys your joints. I’ve had both hips replaced.”
Corbett has trained world class boxers and triathletes and said people should never walk away from a training session sore.
“People always say ‘I had a great training session, but the next day I couldn’t get up from the toilet.’ How is that fun? What are you going to be, fit for life or fit for the gym?,” he said
Lauren Muscat, from Melbourne, home to another Bungee Fitness gym, has struggled with the physical strain of exercise.
“Sore muscles are a reoccurring problem for me,” Muscat said.
“I want my gym session to be something fun, social and not too regimented. I think Bungee fitness sounds like a lot of fun.”
And while he hasn’t discovered any serious health risks connected with the sport, Corbett joked there’s no such thing as a truly comfortable harness.
“In Melbourne, they describe it as a deep tissue massage,” he said.
“We’ve been trying to make our harnesses as comfortable as possible. We’re getting there and hoping more people come and give it a try.”
Bungee fitness classes take place at Bill Corbett’s Bungee and Boxing Fitness Gym, Wollongong.