When you’re out of shape and need to lose some weight, exercise can seem pretty daunting. Easing into exercise with a move that is easy and non-threatening is always a good place to start. Jumping Jacks fit the bill as an ideal starting place. Most of us remember doing them in P.E. class back in elementary school so they’re an exercise that we are all familiar with. In this article, I’ll lay out the benefits of doing a hundred jumping jacks each day.
How to Do Jumping Jacks
- Stand with your feet together and your arms by your sides.
- Simultaneously jump your legs apart as you bring your arms out to your sides to shoulder level.
- Reverse the action to return to the start position.
- Continue in a fast, fluid manner to complete your rep or time count.
100 Jumping Jack Benefits
1.Weight Loss
Even though basic jumping jacks are a simple exercise, they can still be incorporated into an effective weight loss program to reduce body weight. Successful weight loss comes down to calorie balance; in order to lose body fat, you must end each day in a calorie deficit, where you burn off more calories than you take in. To do that you should reduce your calorie intake while also doing daily exercise to enhance calorie burn and lose belly fat.
Jumping Jacks are a good choice for weight loss exercise because they can be done anywhere, anytime. They also take just a few minutes to complete. The number of calories you can burn with jumping jacks depends on how much you weigh and how fast you are doing the exercise. A 120-pound person doing the exercise at a moderate pace will burn around 8 calories per minute, while a 250-pound person at the same intensity will burn 12 calories in a minute.
2.Great for HIIT Training
High-Intensity Interval Training is one of the best ways to train in order to lose weight and get super fit. Jumping Jacks make an ideal fit with HIIT as it is quick and easy to do and allows you to quickly ramp up the intensity of the workout. To do HIIT jumping Jack training, do your jumping jacks in short bursts of very fast jumping jacks. Do 20 seconds of this and then rest for 10 seconds. Repeat this pattern until you have completed 8 sets.
3.Stress Release
All forms of exercise provide a means of stress release. However, jumping jacks does an especially good job in this regard. The fast, repetitive plyometric movement gets the blood circulating around your body and releases feel-good hormones that naturally produce a positive mood.
Because they can be done so easily and quickly no matter where you are, jumping jacks allow you to break up periods of work or other activities that can be stressful. If you feel yourself getting stressed physically or mentally, simply jump up and pump out some jumping jacks.
4.Cardiovascular Fitness & Heart Health
Jumping Jacks are an aerobic exercise that immediately gets your heart working to improve your cardiovascular health. The exercise will increase the body’s demand for oxygen. The heart muscle and the lungs will be forced to work harder, which will allow them to perform better. As a result, more blood will be pumped with each heartbeat, your blood pressure and heart rate will go down and your risk of heart disease and other cardiovascular conditions will be lessened.
5.Muscle Tone
While doing 100 jumping jacks each day won’t turn you into a bodybuilder, it can help to improve the muscle mass of your entire body. The exercise mainly works the glutes, hamstrings, hip flexors, quads, and calf muscles, but your shoulder muscles and core muscles will also get stronger and develop more defined lean muscle.
6.Balance & Coordination
Performing the jumping jack requires performing coordinated jumping motions. It requires you to synchronize the movement of your upper and lower body limbs. This may seem tricky at the start but you will soon become very adept at it.
Elderly people, who often struggle with their balance and coordination, will especially benefit in terms of balance and coordination by doing 100 jumping jacks each day.
7.Flexibility
Most people who follow a sedentary lifestyle have very poor flexibility. When you start doing jumping jacks, you will gradually improve your flexibility, especially through the hamstrings and shoulders. To improve your flexibility more, bring your hands all the way up overhead to clap them together above your head.
8.Bone Density
Jumping jacks are classified as an open-chain exercise. That is because every rep requires your feet to leave the ground. This also makes it an impact movement. All impact movements have a strengthening effect on the bones of the lower body. As a result of the stress placed upon them, your bones will grow slightly stronger, just the same way that muscles do and you’ll improve your bone health.
Because they are an impact exercise, jumping jacks may not be appropriate for people who have joint problems, especially in the knees and ankles.
9.Excellent Warm-Up
While jumping jacks are an excellent stand-alone exercise for beginner exercises, those who are more experienced can use them as an effective warm-up to a more intense workout routine. Whether you are going for a run or about to do a weights workout, doing 100 jumping jacks will get your heart rate up, increase your core body temperature, and activate every muscle in your body.
Conclusion
If you are a beginner exerciser, jumping jacks are a great place to start your journey to regular exercise. Why not take up the challenge of doing 100 jumping jacks per day over the next 30 days? By the end of the month, you will be trimmer, fitter, and stronger.
Frequently Asked Questions
How can I make jumping jacks harder?
The first way to make jumping jacks harder is to do clap jumping jacks by bringing your arms all the way up overhead and clapping at the top of each repetition. The next gradation in intensity is to speed up so that you are doing the reps as fast as you possibly can. A third and final way to make your jumping jacks harder is to wear a weighted vest when you are doing the exercise.
Are jumping jacks bad for the knees?
No, jumping jacks are generally not bad for the knees. Even though it is an open-chain exercise, the jumping jack is quite a low-impact exercise. To reduce knee impact, keep your legs straight and land on your toes.
