How to Do Jumping Jacks to Boost Your Cardio and Total-Body Strength Anywhere

Add jumping jacks to your warm-up to prime your body for cardio or strength training.
Image Credit: DragonImages/iStock/GettyImages

When you think about jumping jacks, you may have less-than-stellar memories of being forced to do them as a warm-up in gym class. While you may have written them off immediately after graduating high school, this exercise actually offers a ton of full-body benefits.

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Yes, jumping jacks elevate your heart rate to get your body primed for your workout, but they can also make your feet and ankles more resilient, improve hip mobility and even increase bone density.

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Ahead, we explore the benefits of jumping jacks, share our favorite variations and explain why and how to add this awesome exercise to your fitness routine.

  • What are jumping jacks?‌ Jumping jacks are a plyometric exercise (an exercise that involves repetitive jumping, bounding and quick force production) where you jump your legs in and out while raising and lowering your arms.
  • What are jumping jacks good for?‌ Jumping jacks are good for elevating your heart rate, improving bone density, improving hip mobility and building more resilient feet and ankles. They can also help prime your body for a training session.
  • What muscles do jumping jacks work?‌ Jumping jacks primarily target lower-body muscles including your calves, glutes, hips and quads. They also work your core muscles and shoulders.
  • Who can do jumping jacks?‌ It's best to build a foundation of lower-body strength before adding jumps to your training. Those who are pregnant, have pelvic floor weakness or have foot, ankle or knee injuries should get the green light from their doctor before adding jumping jacks to their workouts.
  • How many jumping jacks should you do at one time?‌ Beginners should start with 8 to 12 reps. With time and practice, some people will eventually be able to perform as many as 100 jumping jacks in a row. You can also perform as many jumping jacks as possible within a time interval, such as 15 or 45 seconds.

How to Do a Jumping Jack With Proper Form

Skill Level All Levels
Region Full Body
  1. Begin standing upright with your legs together and arms at your sides.
  2. Jump your legs out to the sides while lifting your arms up over your head.
  3. Finish the rep by jumping your feet back together and returning your arms to your sides.
  4. Stay light on your toes and keep a soft bend in your knees as you jump.

How Many Calories Do Jumping Jacks Burn?

Jumping jacks can burn 9 calories per minute for a person weighing 150 pounds, according to MyFitnessPal.

However, it's important to note that reducing exercise to nothing more than calories can lead to restrictive or disordered behaviors. You can be sure you're making the best choices for your health when you do physical activity you enjoy.

Jumping Jack Benefits

1. They Don't Require Any Equipment

All you need to perform jumping jacks is your own body weight, a good pair of shoes and a flat surface. This makes them an ideal exercise for anyone who wants to exercise without any equipment.

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2. They're Easy to Learn

Many people already have a history with jumping jacks because they're a staple in school gym classes. And although they may not be suitable for some beginners, jumping jacks are easy to perform once you're ready. You'll be able to jump (pun intended) back in with minimal technical practice.

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3. They Prime Your Body for Exercise

A good dynamic warm-up elevates your heart rate, increases your core body temperature, mobilizes your joints and prepares your nervous system to perform complex exercises or lift heavy loads. Jumping jacks are often included as part of a warm-up before cardio or strength training because they check all of these boxes.

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4. They Boost Your Cardio Fitness

If you've ever done jumping jacks, you know they get your heart rate up. You can plug them into many different methods of cardio training — at both high and low intensities — to improve your heart health and physical endurance.

5. They Build More Resilient Feet and Ankles

Jumping jacks are a type of extensive plyometric exercise, which means many repeated efforts of low-impact jumping and landing. This type of training can improve the health of your lower limbs (think: feet, ankles, calves and knees) by improving your ability to quickly absorb and produce force. In turn, this translates to improved athletic performance as well as more resilience to injuries in and out of the gym.

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6. They Help With Mobility

Sitting all day long locks your joints into one position. Jumping jacks can help open up your hips by promoting both hip adduction (the movement of a body part toward your body's midline) and hip abduction (the movement of a body part away from your body's midline). They also get your arms overhead, which can help to improve shoulder mobility.

7. They Improve Bone Density

Many people are at risk of bone diseases as they age. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), 20 percent of American women and 5 percent of American men over age 50 have osteoporosis, a condition in which your bones become weak and brittle.

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One of the most overlooked benefits of strength and plyometric training is their positive affect on bone density.

An October 2015 study in ‌Bone‌ found that following a jump training program increased full-body bone density in men with low bone mass. And, a January 2015 study in the ‌American Journal of Health Promotion‌ found that regular jump training improved bone density in premenopausal women, which can potentially prevent osteoporosis later on in life. (It's worth noting we pay careful attention to the language we use surrounding gender, but we've used the terms "men" and "women" because the research we've cited does.)

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Improving bone density and health through training — including use of jumping exercises like jumping jacks — is one of the best ways to reduce your risk of developing osteoporosis later in life.

Will Jumping Jacks Help Me Get Stronger?

People who haven't exercised before or those who've been out of the gym for a long time can get stronger from pretty much anything.

However, experienced athletes likely won't see any noticeable strength gains from performing jumping jacks by themselves. You should still include them in your workouts for all the reasons listed above, but you'll need to engage in heavier resistance training in order to improve muscle strength.

Jumping Jack Common Mistakes (and How to Fix Them)

1. Wearing the Wrong Shoes

It's important to wear supportive and well-fitting shoes when performing any type of plyometric exercises. Most people will feel more comfortable jumping in shoes designed for running or lifting weights. Avoid doing jumping jacks barefoot or in minimalist shoes unless you already have a lot of experience with barefoot-style training.

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2. Jumping on an Unstable Surface

Be careful about where you perform jumping jacks — especially if you train outside. It's easy to trip or roll your ankles if you're jumping on an unstable surface. Look for rocks, sticks, tree roots, holes in the ground or other obstacles that could prevent you from landing safely. Always try to jump on a relatively flat surface if possible.

3. Landing With Rigid Legs

Jump training shouldn't be performed with rigid legs or hard, stiff joints. It's important to land with some bend in your knees so force can be transferred up through your entire body. Aim to stay light and bouncy in your legs during jumping jacks.

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4. Mismatched Arm and Leg Coordination

Jumping jacks are all about rhythm and coordination. Make sure your arms and legs move together so your hands are overhead while your legs are out to your sides. It might take some practice to nail the timing, so take your time and rest as needed when you're learning.

Jumping Jack Modifications

1. Low-Impact Stepping Jack

Jump training isn't a good fit for everyone. You can reduce the impact of jumping jacks by removing the plyometric element and just stepping from side to side.

Skill Level Beginner
Region Full Body
  1. Begin standing upright with your legs together and arms at your sides.
  2. Step your right leg out to the side while lifting both arms up over your head.
  3. Finish the rep by stepping your right foot back toward your left foot and returning your arms to your sides.
  4. Next, step out to other side with your left leg while lifting your arms overhead.
  5. Step your left foot back toward your right foot and return your arms to your sides.
  6. Continue going back and forth until you complete 8 to 12 reps per side.

2. Seal Jack

Seal jacks are very similar to jumping jacks. The only difference is that you clap your hands together in front of your chest instead of reaching overhead. This is a more shoulder-friendly option if you have pain or injuries that limit shoulder mobility.

Skill Level Beginner
Region Full Body
  1. Begin standing upright with your legs together and arms at your sides.
  2. Jump your legs out to the sides while bringing your arms toward each other and clapping your hands together out in front of your chest.
  3. Finish the rep by jumping your feet back together and returning your arms to your sides.
  4. Stay light on your toes and keep a soft bend in your knees as you jump.
  5. Perform 8 to 12 reps.

Jumping Jack Progressions

1. Squat Jack

If you want to feel the burn in your legs, consider progressing jumping jacks to squat jacks. You will stay lower to the ground in this variation, which increases the demand on your glutes and quads.

Skill Level Advanced
Region Full Body
  1. Begin standing upright with your legs together and arms at your sides.
  2. Bend your elbows at 90-degree angles and hold your arms in front of your chest.
  3. Sit your butt back and bend at your knees. Engage your glutes and keep your chest and head up as you lower down into a half-squat until your legs form 45-degree angles, or until you reach your limiting range of motion.
  4. Hold this low position while you jump your legs out to the side.
  5. Finish the rep by jumping your feet back together. Stay in your low squat position until you finish all your reps.
  6. Stay light on your toes and keep a soft bend in your knees as you jump.
  7. Perform 8 to 12 reps.

2. Rotational Jack

Adding a rotational component to your jumping jacks ups the ante for your core and hips. It's also a bigger challenge for your coordination.

Skill Level Advanced
Region Full Body
  1. Begin standing upright with your legs together and arms extended straight out to the sides.
  2. Jump your legs out to the sides. Rotate your upper body so your left arm is reaching overhead and your right arm is reaching down to the floor.
  3. Finish the rep by jumping your feet back together and standing upright.
  4. Repeat and rotate to the other side.
  5. Stay light on your toes and keep a soft bend in your knees as you jump.
  6. Continue going back and forth until you complete 8 to 12 reps per side.

3. Star Jump

Star jumps are a more explosive and higher-impact version of jumping jacks. Try these if you're looking to build more power for sports or other athletic activities.

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Skill Level Advanced
Region Full Body
  1. Begin standing upright with your legs together and arms at your sides.
  2. Lower into a squat, bending the knees to roughly 90 degrees and keeping a flat back.
  3. Drive through your legs to explode up toward the ceiling.
  4. Spread your legs and arms away from your body to form a star shape in the air. Use your arms for momentum.
  5. As you hand, bend your hips and knees to immediately lower into the next rep.
  6. Perform 8 to 12 reps.

4. Plank Jack

Plank jacks are a dynamic version of your traditional plank. You'll set up in either high or low plank position, then jump your legs in and out. This variation challenges your core muscles because you need to maintain a strong plank position as you jump.

Skill Level Advanced
Region Full Body
  1. Lie face down on your belly with your palms on the floor underneath your shoulders and your feet flexed with the bottoms of your toes on the floor.
  2. Take a deep breath and press through your palms to lift yourself up into the top of a push-up position. Your body should make a straight line from your heels through your hips to the top of your head. (You can also get into a forearm plank if that's more comfortable.)
  3. Jump your legs out to the sides while maintaining your plank position. Avoid arching your back or piking your hips up to the ceiling.
  4. Finish the rep by jumping your feet back together.
  5. Perform 8 to 12 reps.

How to Add Jumping Jacks to Your Workouts

1. As Part of a Warm-Up

Jumping jacks are the perfect addition to a warm-up before doing cardio or lifting weights. Plug them into the end of the warm-up after you've done any stretching or floor-based mobility drills.

2. As Part of a Finisher

You can also do jumping jacks at the end of a workout as part of a cardio finisher. It's not a big deal to do jumping jacks when you're already tired because they're relatively low-impact.

3. As Part of Your Cardio Workouts

Jumping jacks work well as part of cardio workouts that involve circuits or timed intervals. You can do them quickly or explosively (trying to jump higher) in a high-intensity workout, or at slower and more relaxed pace for a low- to moderate-intensity workout.

4. As a Stand-Alone Workout or Challenge

It's easy to bust out a quick set of jumping jacks if you're looking to add some movement to your work day. If you really love jumping jacks or want an extra challenge, you can push yourself with long sets. Try working toward performing 100 or more jumping jacks in a row.

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