TikTok says it’s the ultimate wake-up call. But does the fitness craze have any downsides – apart from waking up the neighbours?
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f you’re an avid viewer of online fitness content (or live below someone who is) you’re probably familiar with TikTok’s 50 jumps challenge. The basic premise is simple: you jump 50 times as soon as you wake up, for 30 days straight. Reach the end of the month and you’re supposedly in for a world of benefits.
The jumps, reassuringly, don’t need to be too extreme. Think gentle bouncing with a soft knee bend, rather than tuck jumps. Some content creators show themselves with arms by their sides, swaying their hips as they go; others have their arms crossed over their chests and maintain a strict up-and-down momentum. Some would find their natural home in a moshpit, others at a dance party. Nobody, yet, seems to have purchased a bedside trampoline.
It’s easy to see how this ritual would wake you up (along with, potentially, your downstairs neighbour). But what of the other purported payoffs? Does the 50-jump challenge really boost circulation, increase bone density, improve lymphatic drainage, boost mood and give you a dewy glow, as many online have claimed? And should we all be starting our days this way, as opposed to lumbering sleepily out of bed in search of coffee?
