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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.)

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.