Jumping Jacks Proper Execution, Variations, and Secret Benefits

Jumping jacks brings various benefits to people, and it is effortless to do. This ‘old school’ exercise is still part of many new activities today because it works!

It burns the calories, relieves stress, and provides an excellent cardio exercise for people of different ages. It is a full-body workout that moves almost all part of the body, keeps one stay fit, and enables one to lose weight.

Through the years, you can see jumping jacks in a warm-up routine only. But, if done intensely, this can be a good exercise, and you don’t need to acquire expensive gym membership or purchase home gym equipment anymore.

Thus, in this article, we will discuss the benefits of jumping jacks exercise that you should know now. We will also tackle the calories burned plus the proper way and variations of jumping jacks.

Calories Burned In Jumping Jacks

If you do around 100 jumping jacks, you can burn about 100 to 200 calories. Indeed, that is an excellent exercise which you can fit into your busy schedules.

For some people, it may seem to be a straightforward exercise. But if you wish to get the optimum benefit from it such as developing your cardio, then, you must have the proper stance and position in its execution.

How To Do The Jumping Jacks Correctly

Doing the jumping jacks are relatively simple but here are some of the tips on how to do it properly:

Stand right with your abs tucked in and your back straight. Put your arms on your sides.
Jump high and make sure that you spread your legs apart. Then, swing your arms above your head.
Clap your hands above your head at the end of the jump. Your legs must be a hip-width apart from each other.
Bring your legs together as you get back to the ground. Bring your arms to your sides.
Repeat the movement.

Muscles Worked

Doing the jumping jacks will enable you to work the muscles in your shoulders, back, core, calves, legs, and arms. Overall, it reaches all the muscle groups in the body, unlike other exercises.

Meanwhile, it can make your muscles tight, increase in size, strengthen muscle fibers, and diminish the fat deposits.

Now, here are the benefits of jumping jacks and the reason why you should do it immediately!

Benefits of Jumping Jacks

Free To Do Anytime, Anywhere

You can do the jumping jacks anytime, anywhere and it is for free! It is true that there are hundreds of workouts available today, however, it can cost you a considerable amount of money before you can see results in your body.

For example, if you wish to play any team sport, automatically, you will need to spend hundreds of dollars each year. If you buy your home gym tool or sign up for a gym membership, you end up paying cash once again.

Whereas, you do not need to disburse cash just to perform the jumping jacks.

Jumping jacks does not require you to buy any equipment, shoes, gears, or clothes. As long as you can jump and your body can endure it, then you can gain results when done correctly. With that in mind, you can save cash with this exercise.

Great Cardio Exercise

Jumping jacks are an excellent exercise for the heart and the lung or the cardiovascular health. If you try doing at least 50 jumping jacks in one round, you will notice that your heart will pump fast and circulate the oxygen in your body.

Here are some of the reasons why jumping jacks is a great cardio workout:

Make Heart Stronger

Intense exercise will train your heart and lungs to become stronger each time you perform an activity. It can also make your heart have a lower resting rate and blood pressure. With this, your heart will not work so hard to pump blood in the body and be able to increase longevity.

Deliver More Blood, Oxygen, And Nutrients In The Body

Also, a healthy heart can make you deliver more blood around the body. More blood means more oxygen and nutrients to sustain any workout routines you have.

Reduce Respiratory and Cardio Diseases

Jumping jacks can also help one reduce the risk of having heart problems like stroke, arterial disease, heart attack, and others. It can also help with one’s cholesterol control and lessen the chance of having diabetes.

On the other hand, the exercise can also train your lungs to absorb more oxygen, send it to the body, and process it.

With this, your muscles can have enough supply of oxygen to be able to work more extended hours. You will also not get tired quickly when exercising.

Indeed, right cardio and respiratory system is essential to a longer life, and even a simple exercise like jumping jacks can help you achieve that.

Have A Chance To Increase Coordination

Jumping jacks can also increase your body’s coordination. In the exercise, you need to leap and raise your hands altogether. Through time, you can train your body to move in synchronize to become better.

Indeed, training yourself to have coordination is a handy skill. For example, if you play baseball, you will need hand, eye, and leg coordination to hit the ball and run fast to your base.

In everyday living, you also need body coordination. For example, when you prepare food in the kitchen, drive your car, or work at the office. Thus, it is a crucial skill to learn to move with coordination to get better at everything that you do, and this can be made by merely performing the jumping jacks.

Develop Stronger Muscles

Jumping jacks are not as good as lifting heavy weights in the gym. However, it can also help one develop stronger muscles especially if you do it intensely and repetitively.

Here are some of the reasons how it helps muscle enhancement:

Jumping Jacks Can Train Arms

In doing jumping jacks, swing your arms above your head. It will train your arm muscles to become stronger gradually.

For some, it might not seem too much, but this is better than having no exercises at all.

If you wish to increase the development of your arm muscles during jumping jacks, you can wear wrist weights or hold dumbbells while doing the exercise.

Leg Muscles Will Be Strengthened

Every jump that you do will lead you to a better chance of strengthening your leg muscles such as the glutes, quads, calves, and hamstrings.

It can let you have good legs and look fantastic when wearing shorts. You can also stand for long hours, run faster, and jump higher. Overall, the exercise can help you improve your physical performance.

Over time, jumping jacks will help you improve your balance too. It is essential for people especially when they get older.

If you have strong legs, then you can prevent the risk of falling and catching yourself when you slip on a wet floor.

Help One Lose Weight

Try a hundred jumping jacks in one day, and you will start to see sweats all over your body, and you will feel hungry too. It is because jumping jacks take your energy to perform it and it burns calories from the food that you eat. Aside from this, doing the jumping jacks can increase the metabolic rate.

It can help you lose weight especially if done on a regular basis. It may look like a simple exercise to do, but it is strenuous. Doing this activity for a specified period can make you feel exhausted, but it can burn the unwanted fats in your body.

Build The Bones

With this exercise, you can also have a chance to build stronger and more prominent bones in the same way how you train your muscles.

How is that possible?

Your bones will get thick and big through weight-bearing exercise. It is through forcing your body to bear an increased amount of weight which your bone will carry for support.

When you perform the jumping jacks, each time you jump and land on your feet, the gravity and the body weight puts an increased amount of stress on the bone. With this, the bones become stronger every exercise.

The weight-bearing exercise can cause your osteoblasts or the cells found in the bones that produce bone matter, to create more matter. Thus, the bones become stronger, denser, thicker, and more prominent. The result is that the bones become resilient at any activity even when faced with accidents.

Having healthy bones is necessary especially when one gets older since it naturally becomes more brittle. Doing the jumping jacks can make a difference between a simple scratch, a fractured bone, and even degenerative bone diseases when you get older.

Gradually Lead You To A Bigger Workout Plan

By merely doing jumping jacks, you can have a chance to make a steady routine and be healthy in the long run. Do the exercises and incorporate more activities into it little by little. Eventually, create a whole new circuit that will make you fit in the soonest possible time.

Jumping jacks can also motivate you to exercise more or do other things. You cannot do one hour of jumping jacks. However, it can lead you to something more significant when consistently done.

Everybody Can Do Jumping Jacks

Jumping jacks can be for everybody even children, teenagers, or adults. When done with care, it can be an unchallenging exercise. You only need the determination to do it and surely it will give you benefits in the end.

Intensity Can Be Increased

One can always increase the power of jumping jacks to make it harder and help build more muscles. For example, you can perform few reps, then add more. You can also wear vests, bring weights, or other loads on your body. You can customize it based on your needs, making it a never-ending exercise tool.

It Makes You Happy

Lastly, jumping jacks can make anyone happy, less depressed, and less anxious. Your brain can release an excessive amount of neurochemicals like dopamine and serotonin which makes one pleased during the exercise.

These chemicals can elevate your mood which can make you feel relaxed, elated, and handle minor pain in the body. Studies have shown that exercise can be an excellent remedy against depression and anxiety, and this is especially true with jumping jacks.

Jumping Jacks Variations

Meanwhile, here are some variations of jumping jacks that you can try now:

Front Clap Jumping Jacks

Step 1: Stand straight and keep your feet close together. Put your shoulders pinched on the back and extended your hands in front of your chest. Your palms must face each other. Squeeze and engage your core muscles.

Step 2: Jump high and with your legs apart. Bring your hands to your side in-line with your shoulders. Gradually land on the ground with your knees bent a little.

Step 3: Repeat the movement for 20 reps for three sets.

Alternating Jumping Jacks

Step 2: Jump high but unlike the regular jumping jacks, your right leg must be in your front, and your left leg must be at your back. Bend your knees a little but do not lunge. Flex your elbows and put your left hand in front while your right hand at the back.

Step 3: Jump again and switch the position of your legs and your arms.

Step 4: Repeat it for 25 reps, three sets.

Conclusion

In sum, jumping jacks are simple to perform, but it brings various benefits to our body. This calisthenics has been in the society for many years, and today many people incorporate it not only in the warm-up but also for the rest of their workouts.

Teach your children the proper execution of jumping jacks and encourage them to do it even at an early age. Make sure that you also do this exercise on a regular basis to see its right results for your body.

If you have more questions about jumping jacks, it is best to see a physician or a professional physical trainer.