Time for one of the most effective cardio exercises par excellence: the jumping jack! This is what Jumping Jacks are really all about and this is how you do them right!
What have we already tried everything to get closer to the desired figure?
From running extra far, pedaling at full speed while cycling, and sweaty HIIT workouts. Of all things, jumping jacks are supposed to lead to the goal.
Yes, read that right: The jumping jack exercise is super effective!
Most people know them from childhood, but have forgotten them in the course of everyday life. We want to breathe new life into the exercise and tell you why you should give Jumping Jacks another chance.
Table of contents
- What are Jumping Jacks?
- Jumping Jacks execution: how to do them correctly
- What are the most common mistakes in the jumping jack exercise?
- What is the jumping jack good for?
- How many calories do you burn jumping jacks?
- Which muscles are trained during the jumping jack exercise?
- 30 Days Jumping Jacks Challenge
What are Jumping Jacks?
Jumping jacks are a full-body exercise that combines aerobic endurance with strength and coordination. In this exercise, you jump into the straddle with your feet. At the same time, raise your arms above your head and back down.
The jumping jack is a very effective cardio exercise because it trains the whole body in one movement.
The exercise is still underestimated by many athletes. Yet jumping jacks are very popular and have been one of the basic exercises since childhood physical education classes. However, this deceptively simple exercise should not be overlooked. It effectively trains endurance, coordination and strengthens the muscles in the legs and upper body - making it an invaluable addition to any training program.
Jumping jacks are an all-rounder that is indispensable in bodyweight workouts. No matter if you use them for warm up or as part of the workout.
Jumping Jacks execution: how to do them correctly
Yes, we learn it as children. But if you don't do jumping jacks regularly, they may be quite difficult for you at first.
But don't worry: you'll get the jumping jacks execution out of the way quickly if you try it a few times.
Attention: Take a good look around first. You'll need a little space. Keep your distance from boxes, chairs and the like.
Jumping Jacks execution
- Stand in a shoulder-width stance. Your body is upright - the neck is the extension of the spine.
- The arms are at the sides of the body in the starting position. The thumbs point forward.
- The gaze is directed forward. Pull the shoulder blades back, tighten the abdomen and buttocks.
- Bend your knees slightly and jump your legs into a slight straddle. The power for this comes from the calves and thighs.
- At the same time, bring your arms together above your head. The arms are slightly bent and under tension.
- The fingers touch above your head.
- Jump again and bring your arms to your thighs and legs together to return to the starting position.
This was an execution of the jumping jack exercise.
Tip: As a beginner, you can practice in front of a mirror. This way you can see if you are doing the exercise correctly. You can also record a short video of yourself.
Jumping Jacks for advanced
If the classic version is too boring for you, then you can try the variation with crossed legs. For this, you alternately put the left and right leg forward.
This is a great variation to further increase coordination between the legs.
What are the most common mistakes in the jumping jack exercise?
Especially in the beginning, when you are just starting to train, you may make mistakes with Jumping Jacks.
Even if the jumping jack looks very simple in theory, you should pay attention to the subtleties in order to achieve the maximum effect.
Most important of all is the body tension!
1. the body tension
As a beginner you have relatively little body tension. The jumping jack exercise is only effective if you tense your abdomen and buttocks.
Also, the arms are folded above the head with tension and not swirled through the air wobbly as spaghetti.
You need to keep the tension from your legs to your fingertips. If you struggle with this, take a look here: "This is how you tighten your abdominal muscles!“
2. coordinate legs and arms
Legs, feet, arms, hands, right, left, up, down - not so easy, is it? Do jumping jacks slowly and cleanly. It's much more effective to do 10 real jumping jacks than 20 sloppy ones that might cause tension in your neck.
Make sure that you don't do bow legs or knock-knees - this only puts unnecessary strain on the knees. With sufficient body tension, you can easily avoid this.
3. the upper body and your look
Don't look at your feet. That will cause you to form a hunchback. And we don't want that.
The upper body must be upright. The best way to do this is to tense the abdomen and buttocks.
Your gaze is directed forward. Not up, down, right or left. Fix a point in space and perform the Jumping Jacks.
What is the jumping jack good for?
The benefits of jumping jacks are many! Jumping jacks not only burns calories, but also improves agility, coordination, endurance, balance, muscle tone and even promotes mental health.
In addition, this exercise helps to improve the functioning of the immune system by promoting blood circulation in the body. Finally, jumping jacks are ideal for exercising the legs and core muscles and improving posture.
Jumping jacks are a popular warm-up exercise because they use your entire body, extending from your ankles to your shoulders. The full range of motion helps you prepare for the next activity.
Although underrated, jumping jacks are an amazingly effective strength exercise. Your leg muscles need to contract as you jump into a straddle and back to a standing position for maximum effect. Plus, the powerful lifting and lowering of your arms strengthens your upper back and shoulders - all while maintaining body tension!
The jumping exercise is a simple full-body workout that you can do anywhere. Do it outside in the summer and indoors in the winter.
You don't need any training equipment for Jumping Jacks. And no gym subscription. And not even a training mat.
For beginners and advanced
Jumping exercises are a great way to get your heart rate up and burn calories quickly. Their similarity to jumping rope makes them the perfect addition to any interval workout, or even as an active recovery or cool-down exercise when performed slowly. No HIIT workout would be complete without including a version of jumping jacks!
You are completely flexible and can determine the intensity yourself. If normal jumping jacks are too boring for you, then you can add light weight on the legs. Or simply do the exercise faster and longer.
Very important: Comfortable and well-fitting training shoes! The shoe must enclose your foot tightly and provide good support, otherwise it can end painfully!
The advantages of Jumping Jacks at a glance
- mobilize joints and tendons
- improve arm-leg coordination
- activate the whole body
- warm up all major muscle groups
- improve endurance
- increase the pulse
- increase calorie consumption
- Strengthening for legs, upper body and torso
- Are flexibly adaptable to the fitness level
- provides a crisp buttocks, because it trains the middle and small pomus muscle
- tightens the thighs
- trains the calves, inner and outer thighs
- strengthens your back. Bringing the arms together involves the latissimus, deltoid, trapezius, pectoral, shoulder muscles and triceps.
These 7 abdominal exercises will change your body in 4 weeks!
How many calories do you burn jumping jacks?
The exact answer depends on your weight, jump height and jump duration. In general, a person who weighs between 60 and 70 kilograms can burn up to 100 calories in just 10 minutes of jumping jacks.
If you do the same for 30 minutes, you can burn up to 300 calories! In the hour it would be about 600 calories - however, there is probably no one who can really do the jumping jack exercise for an hour.
Because of their effectiveness, jumping jacks are ideal for HIIT workouts and for those who want to burn a lot of calories in a short time.
Which muscles are trained during the jumping jack exercise?
Whether you want to build muscle or just work out your whole body, jumping jacks are the perfect exercise for everything. By tensing your muscles as you jump, you maximize their effectiveness and work out multiple areas of your body at once. They are one of the classic full-body exercises.
One always divides the muscle groups in all exercises into primary and secondary trained muscles.
Primary muscles:
- Femoral extensor (quadriceps femoris muscle): The four-headed thigh extensor is important for stretching up from a squat position. In the classic jumping jack exercise, your legs must remain partially bent while jumping to keep you upright - and that means hard work for the thighs!
- Thigh flexor (biceps femoris): The thigh flexor is the counterpart of the thigh extensor. You also train it when you perform jumping jacks.
- Calf muscle (Musculus triceps suare): The calves help you push off and land during jumping jacks. It is also involved in flexion in the knee joint and foot drop and rotation.
- AdductorsThey are located on the inside of the thigh. In the jumping jack exercise you need them to pull the splayed leg to the starting position.
- AbductorsThey are the counterparts of the adductors. The abductors are located on the outside of the thigh. They also include the gluteus medius. It helps you to spread your legs. The abductors help you to straddle the jumping jack.
Supporting auxiliary muscles
- Pomus muscles (Musculus gluteus maximus and medius)When you spread your legs, you use the gluteus medius, one of the three pomus muscles. If you train it well, you can fight against lateral fat deposits on the hip. When you hop into the straddle, the gluteus medius causes the hip to extend.
- Deltoid muscle (Musculus deltoideus)The deltoid is the largest shoulder muscle. You find it in the upper back. It is used in jumping jacks when you raise and lower your arms.
- Upper arm flexors (brachialis and biceps brachii muscles): These muscles are in constant tension when you perform jumping jacks.
- Straight abdominal muscle (rectus abdominis): The straight abdominal muscle helps you maintain posture and straighten the body while jumping.
So you see that the jumping jack exercise is unjustly underestimated. It trains your entire body! From the calves up to the arms.
These are the 22 most effective fitness exercises for the living room!
30 Days Jumping Jacks Challenge
You know your stuff and want to get started right now? We have put together a challenge for you. That means for you: 30 days Jumping Jacks.
You will see how much your body will change in just one month if you exercise regularly.
You can download the Jumping Jacks Challenge or bookmark it on Pinterest.
Download: 30 Days Jumping Jacks Challenge
Our conclusion
Jumping jacks are a wonderful fitness exercise for which you don't need any equipment or a gym. The jumping jack exercise strengthens your entire body and on top of that your endurance.
Either build them into your workout as a warm up or perform them at full speed in your workout.
Have fun with this effective fitness exercise!
To browse further:
* Advertising & affiliate links: Our website is financed by advertising and affiliate links. As a partner of linked stores (e.g. Amazon) we earn from qualified sales.
Read more
