Jumping Jacks


Jumping has always been a great exercise to stay fit. Jumping also helps in losing weight. There are a lot many variations in jumping. One such is jumping jack.

Jumping jacks is a form of total body workout exercise. This exercise can help you lose weight, stay fit, improve flexibility, etc. Thus, everyone should include jumping jacks in your workout routine.

Jumping jacks have many health benefits. Also, it is easy to do exercise. Here, in this post, we have mentioned all about jumping jacks that you need to know.

Let’s start with the meaning of jumping jacks.

What Are Jumping Jacks?

Jumping jacks are a form of jump training or plyometrics. Plyometrics is a combination of resistance work and aerobic exercise.

Plyometric exercises work on multiple muscles, lungs, and heart at the same time. Jumping jacks exercise work on glutes, hip flexors, and quadriceps.

It also works on the shoulder and abdominal muscles. Continue reading and know how you can do jumping jacks exercise.

The Right Way To Do Jumping Jacks

If you are doing this exercise for the first time, then you should seek advice from your doctor or fitness trainer.           

For the first time, you should do the exercise at a slow speed. You can increase the speed gradually.

For doing jumping jacks, you can follow the given sequence of steps:

Step 1: Stand with straight legs.

Step 2: Your arms should rest on sides

Step 3: Jump and spread your legs beyond hip-width apart

Step 4: While jumping, move your hands in an upward direction. Your hands should be near your head.

Step 5: Jump again, bring your legs closed, and lower your hands. Doing this will bring you back to your starting position.

Step 6: Repeat the same movement at a slow speed. You can increase your speed when you feel comfortable.

What Are The Benefits Of Jumping Jacks Exercise?

Jumping jacks are a form of plyometric exercises. Plyometric exercises help people to jump higher and run faster.

The reason behind this is that this form of exercise stretches muscles and then contracts them rapidly. Because of this reason, the majority of people include jumping jacks exercise in their workout routine.

Besides this, jumping jacks exercise provides the following benefits:

Good For Your Heart Health

Jumping jacks exercise is a form of cardio aerobic exercise. It means that your body uses oxygen to stimulate the heart muscles. Oxygen is necessary for meeting the energy demands of your body while you exercise.

During exercise, the heart has to work for pumping the oxygenated blood and for handling the carbon dioxide loaded blood. It, as a result, puts your heart at exercise along with other muscles and organs.

Hence jumping jacks provide heart a good workout. It helps in keeping your heart active and healthy.

Helps Improve Coordination

Jumping jacks involve the simultaneous movement of your hands and legs. This movement helps in improving the coordination between your hands and legs movement.

With this improved coordination, you will be able to develop a sense of rhythm, balance, timing, and posture.

Helps in Losing Weight

Cardio exercises aids in weight loss. Jumping jacks are an example of cardio exercise. It will help you burn excess calories from your body.

You can continuously do jumping jacks for a few minutes & you will notice that you sweat. It is an indication that you will gradually lose weight.

Great Warm-Up Exercise

Warm-up is a necessary activity before doing a workout. You can do jumping jacks as a part of your warm-up schedule.

Doing jumping jack as a part of your warm-up can help you relax limb muscles, core, hip, and back muscles.

Helps in Relieving Stress

It will be weird to think about how jumping jacks could help in relieving stress. But this is true, jumping jacks will help you relieve stress.

The reason behind this is that when your hands and legs move up and down your brain stimulates the feel-good hormone.

The release of adrenaline gives you a sense of excitement and enjoyment. Thus, altogether these hormones relieve your stress and make you happy.

Complete Body Workout

With jumping jacks, your complete body is at exercise. When you do jump jacks, it works on triceps, biceps, glutes, hamstrings, chest muscles, and many more.

Thus, you experience a complete body workout with jumping jacks exercise.

If you want to experience intense workout, then you can increase the duration and sets of the exercise.

Improves Stamina

Jumping and landing with perfect timing can help you improve balance and stamina. Moreover, when you do jump jacks continuously, you will gradually boost your stamina and speed.

With increased stamina and speed, you will also increase your running speed. 

Variations In Jumping Jacks Exercise

Besides the beginner's variation of jumping jacks exercise, there are a lot many variations of a jumping jack. You can try these variations once you are comfortable with the beginner’s version of the jumping jack exercise.

Front Clap Jumping Jacks

This variation involves bringing the hand in front of your chest rather than in the above direction. To do this variation of jumping jacks exercise, you can follow the given sequence of steps:

Step 1: Stand straight on your legs. Your feet should be closed & shoulders pinched back.

Step 2: Extend your hands in front of your chest and place the palms facing each other.

Step 3: Jump and pull your legs apart.

Step 4: While you jump, bring your hands to the sides. Your hands should be in line with the shoulders.

Step 5: Jump again and come back to the starting position.

Step 6: Repeat the same motion for 20 times.

Squat Jumping Jacks

This variation is a combination of jumping jacks and squats. It will help you increase the intensity of your workout.

To do squat jumping jacks exercise, you can follow the given sequence of steps:

Step 1: Start the exercise by doing a few beginner’s jumping jacks.

Step 2: Lower your legs to come into a squat position. Your toes should be in an outward direction & your legs should be shoulder-width apart.

Step 3: Place your hands behind your head.

Step 4: Jump while bringing your feet in and out. The movement will reflect as if you are doing squat while jumping jacks.

Alternating Jumping Jacks Exercise

This version of jumping jacks exercises targets your thighs, quads, hip flexors, hamstrings, and calves. For doing this jumping jack’s variation, you can follow the given sequence of steps:

Step 1: Stand straight with closed feet.

Step 2: Your hands should be your side & palms should be facing your body.

Step 3: Split your legs while you jump. The split should be such that your right leg comes forward while the left leg stays behind.

Step 4: Bend your knees slightly, do not lunge.

Step 5: Jump again and bring your left leg forward and right leg behind.

Step 6: While you jump, you can move your hands alternatively.

Step 7: Repeat the movement for 25 times.

Rotational Jumping Jacks

If you want to increase the intensity of your workout sessions, then you can try this variation of jumping jacks.

To do rotational jumping jacks, you can follow the given sequence of steps:

Step 1: Stand straight with feet being together.

Step 2: Your hands should be resting on your chest.

Step 3: Jump and land in a squatting position. Your feet should be placed on shoulder-width apart. Your toes should be in an outward direction.

Step 4: Once you land in a squatting position, you should twist your waist and try to reach the floor with your left hand. Your right hand should be towards the sky.

Step 5: Jump and come back to your starting position.

Step 6: Repeat the same movement and complete repetition.

These variations of jumping jacks work on multiple muscles. Thus, when you try these variations, you put your various muscles on work. Want to know about these muscles? Dive in the next section.

Jumping Jacks Work On Different Muscles

Jumping jacks and its variations targets different muscles in your body. These muscles are:

Calves

Calves are present in your back of the lower legs. Chiseled calves are a sign of strong legs. They can help you run faster and with ease.

Hip Adductors

Hip adductors are present in the inner thighs. Shredding fat from this area is quite near to difficult. Doing jumping jacks and its variations can help you lose fat from this area.

Hip Abductors

Hip abductors are present on outer thighs, in between your knees and thighs of your leg. Jumping jacks can help you lose weight from this area.

With jumping jacks, you can tone your thighs.      

Core

Working with the core is difficult for many of us. When you do jump jacks, your body core gets activated and various muscles are put to work.  Multiple muscles of your body are synchronized and work together. Thus, jumping jack is a nasty exercise for your body core as well.

Risks Involved With Jumping Jacks

Like with other plyometric exercises, jumping jacks exercise are also prone to injuries in the lower joints. If you don’t do it the right way, then it might happen that you will hurt your knee or ankle.

Besides this, if you face any kind of joint or knee problem, then you must consult your doctor before starting this exercise. 

Thus, while doing jumping jacks and any other plyometric exercise, you should be cautious.

Safety Measure To Be Taken

While you incorporate jumping jacks in your workout routine, you can follow some safety tips. Following these safety tips can help you avoid injuries.

These tips are:

  • You should do jumping jacks on an even and a plain surface.
  • Learn the exact form before trying any variation of jumping jacks exercise.
  • Try increasing your speed of doing jumping jacks. The higher the pace, the better will be the workout. (Though you should be comfortable with that speed).
  • Choose your comfortable and sporty shoes for doing jumping jacks.
  • If you feel any kind of pain or stretch in your body, you should stop doing the exercise. Exercise is for your good health and not for harming you. 

Conclusion

Jumping jacks work on your multiple muscles and is a great exercise to do. When you do it consistently, you can even shed your excess fat.

Over time with consistency jumping jacks will incorporate in your routine and, you will be fit, healthy, and happy.

Once you have the benefits of jumping jacks exercise, you will not regret it.

Thus, include jumping jacks in your workout routine and stay fit. Stay healthy, fit, and continue exercising.