Jumping jacks: discover the exercise that burns a lot of calories





The jumping jacks have always been known as an exercise to be carried out during the pre-workout warm-up, to raise the heart rate. Despite this, there are numerous benefits, not all known, related to this exercise.


In the article, we deepen all the features, variants, and benefits of the jumping jack.


JUMPING JACKS: WHAT THEY ARE


The jumping jack is an aerobic exercise that allows you to train numerous muscle groups in the body in parallel. Helps to warm up muscles and increase heart rate quickly. The movement given by the jump and the movement of the arms upwards allows to improve the resistance of the bones and to tone the muscles.


Also, like any other physical exercise and - especially aerobic exercise - jumping jacks help reduce stress and increase stamina. In addition to toning the body, exercise allows you to increase fat loss when combined with a healthy diet.


Let's now pass to the calorie consumption linked to the development of this movement.


JUMPING JACKS: CALORIES


Jumping jacks are often included in workouts aimed at decreasing fat mass.


The efficiency of this exercise makes it excellent within a HIIT training circuit, as it allows high energy consumption in a relatively short time.  In fact, calorie consumption is high, being a complete bodyweight cardio exercise.  The calories consumed obviously depend on age, sex, weight, and pace at which the exercise is performed.


Generally speaking, the calories consumed by a 70 kg individual who performs the exercise are on average 50 kcal every 5 minutes, for a total of about 600 kcal per hour.


JUMPING JACK: EXECUTION


But how to do the jumping jack correctly? Here are the recommended steps:


get upright, with your legs together and your back straight;

Bring your arms extended to your sides, with your palms facing inward;

 

to start the exercise, jump by bending your knees slightly and spreading your legs. The movement must be based more on the strength of the calves, while the abdominals must be contracted;

  

at the same time as you make the jump, also bring your arms above your head until you join your hands. Do not keep your arms dead weight, but contracted and slightly stretched;

 

when the feet are spread apart, then the hands must be above the head. Please note: the tips of the feet should be positioned slightly outwards;

 

at this point immediately make a high jump so as to bring the feet together again. At the same time, bring your arms to your sides as in the starting position;

quickly repeat these movements to increase the beats.

 

To increase the difficulty of the exercise, we recommend intensifying everything with the use of weights for the arms or anklets for the legs. Or you can use an elastic to be placed at the height of the shins or just above the knees, to work the abductor muscles more.

 

On the other hand, if you suffer from muscle and joint problems we recommend that you

consult a doctor. Also, there are other versions of the jumping jack exercise. Here are 3 great variations of jumping jacks.

Keep in mind some tips for optimal execution of the exercise:

 

avoid jumping on tiptoes, but distribute the weight over the entire sole of the foot;

 

do not land on the floor with too violent impacts: the quieter and lighter the landings will be, the better the muscle involvement and, therefore, the training.

JUMPING JACKS  VARIATIONS

 

Here is a selection of some variations of the exercise in question, which allow you to work for different muscle groups.

 

CRISS CROSS JUMPING JACKS

 

The criss-cross jumping jack has as its only variation the final position of the feet in the jump. In fact, instead of bringing the feet together, it is necessary to cross them and alternate their position at each jump. This slight modification of the exercise allows greater tension in the leg muscles.

 

Repeat 30 times for 3 sets.

 

JUMPING JACKS WITH SQUAT

 

Do you want to get strong and toned legs while training your whole body with an aerobic movement? Combining the jumping jack exercise with squats will be a great solution. 

 

Execution and repetitions:

start standing with your feet together;

 

flex your knees and jump with your legs apart;

 

land by bending your knees and doing a squat.

Repeat 15 times for 3 sets.

PLANK JACK

The plank jack is an optimal variant of the jumping jack that allows you to particularly train the shoulders and abdominal muscles. 

Execution and repetitions:

Get in the plank position, with your forearms on the ground and your elbows at shoulder height. Remember to keep your back straight and your abs tight;

 

the weight is therefore placed on the tips of the joined feet and on the forearms;

 

jump while you spread your legs. Push them together again, always maintaining the plank position.

Repeat 20 times for 3 sets.

We have said how the jumping jack exercise allows you to train numerous muscle areas of the body. Let's see in detail what they are.

JUMPING JACKS MUSCLES INVOLVED

The jumping jack is a full-body exercise, so it turns out to be a great movement to really train many muscle groups. The greater the tension concentrated in these, the more effective the results obtained.

Specifically, the muscles most involved are:

quadriceps femoris muscle: located in the front of the thigh. It is made up of four muscle heads gathered by a single tendon. The quadriceps femoris participates in the flexion and extension of the lower limb;

femoral biceps: antagonist muscle of the quadriceps femoris muscle;

adductors of the thighs: they are located inside the thigh and are responsible for the movement of the legs apart;

thigh abductors: they are located on the outside of the thighs and allow the legs to be spread apart;

 branchial muscle and flexor muscle of the arms: it remains in constant tension during the exercise;

rectus abdominis muscle: it is of great importance in regards to maintaining posture. Helps in maintaining balance while jumping.

 

deltoid muscle: largest muscle of the shoulder that also extends to the upper back area. It is particularly contracted during the movement of the arms that are raised and lowered;

 

gluteus maximus muscle: also involved in the abduction of the legs - which are slightly rotated outwards - and in the extension of the pelvis.

Now that you know how to perform jumping jacks, its variations, and which muscles are involved in the movement, let's finally define the benefits it provides.

JUMPING JACKS BENEFITS

What are the benefits of jumping jacks that make it the perfect exercise to be included in any workout?

It is a great exercise for improving motor coordination. In fact, for its development, it is necessary to have coordination between the upper and lower limbs, in parallel with a good level of balance and posture.

Jumping jacks are an aerobic exercise that involves maintaining a healthy cardiovascular system. The need for oxygen stimulates the heart to pump blood faster to meet the needs of the cells.

The execution of the jumping jack for weight loss is now known. In fact, it helps to burn many calories, through the high level of energy required.

Helps relieve stress: during this aerobic exercise, the brain releases serotonin, also known as the good mood hormone. In addition, the release of adrenaline is induced which causes an energy discharge.

Promotes muscle warm-up before a workout. The latter, in fact, helps to relax the muscles of the upper and lower limbs, the pelvis, the abdominals, and the back. Its repetition for about 30 to 60 seconds is good in a warm-up routine.

Increased strength and tone of the body: jumping in parallel to the movement of the arms and the contraction of the abdominal muscles allows for a complete workout.

Furthermore, this workout allows an increase in the flexibility of the limbs, so as to facilitate the correct positioning of these during the execution of the movement and improves balance and rhythm. In addition to coordination, the correct execution of this exercise is based on the precision in the execution time of the movements and the parallel ability to maintain balance.

It improves the well-being of the bones, thanks to an increase in the mineral density of the bones.

It is therefore now clearer how jumping jacks allow you to work on all body muscles, facilitating weight loss. Introducing them in a daily workout will allow you to feel stronger and in a good mood.

To obtain visible results both in terms of strength and weight loss and mental, we recommend doing them for at least 30 days, gradually increasing the difficulty and the number of repetitions. We assure you that you will not regret it!