What are Jumping Jacks?
If you’ve ever taken a physical education class, chances are you’ve probably done jumping jacks!
This classic bodyweight exercise, can be seen everywhere, from a third grade physical education class to a military boot camp. This exercise (performed by simultaneously jumping the feet laterally and sending the arms overhead, then immediately jumping the feet back together and bringing the arms down to the sides of the torso) is simple to learn.
Not only do jumping jacks provide cardiovascular conditioning to strengthen the heart and boost endurance, they also tone the muscles of the core, shoulders, calves, and inner and outer thighs.
Jumping jacks are an effective movement to build strength and burn calories (which aids in weight loss) at the same time!
How to Perform Jumping Jacks:
- Stand on a slip-free surface
- Begin with feet hip-width apart, arms resting at the sides of the body
- Jump the feet laterally, simultaneously arching the arms upwards to bring the hands over the top of the head (keep the core engaged to prevent injury to the back)
- Immediately jump the feet back to hip-width, returning the arms to the sides of the body
- Repeat immediately until desired number of reps are performed
Note: Body should be in constant motion, do not pause between reps
Muscles Activated:
Abdominals – internal oblique, external oblique, rectus abdominis, transverse abdominis
Shoulders – trapezius, anterior deltoid, medial deltoid, posterior deltoid, supraspinatus, infraspinatus, teres major, teres minor, levator scapulae, rhomboid minor, rhomboid major
Calves – gastrocnemius, soleus
Shin – tibialis anterior
Inner Thigh (Adductors) – pectineus, gracilis, adductor brevis, adductor magnus, adductor longus, vastus medialis, iliopsoas
Outer Thigh (Abductors) – tensor fascia latae, gluteus medius, gluteus maximus, biceps femoris, rectus femoris, sartorius, semimembranosus, semitendinosus, vastus lateralis
The 100 Jumping Jacks Challenge is the most popular video of Roberta’s Gym on Youtube, which means that this exercise really works! Check it out and let’s start to burn some calories! ❤💪
