Any exercise performed appropriately brings positive aspects to both body and mind: improving the quality of life in terms of enhancing the development of muscles, the reduction of excessive weight, etc.
No more excuses: the physical activity has nothing to be afraid of – many exercises are available that could be practiced without special equipment directly in the walls of one’s own house; even body itself may act as weight.
One of the exercises is jumping jacks. It can be used in all training programs from the lightest to the most intense, with the body moving quickly and calories burning quickly.
It is perfect for those people who do not have time to go to the gym and also do not have equipment or accessories to do any physical activities at home.
So, get ready to learn everything about this exercise and start practicing it right now!
How to do jumping jacks
As much as jumping jacks may seem like a simple physical activity, if done incorrectly, it can cause pain and muscle strain .
See how to do it correctly step by step:
- To begin, stand on a flat, non-slip surface. Pay attention to the movements of your arms and legs. They should happen in sync.
- With your feet together and your arms at your sides, take the first step by opening your legs to the sides and raising your arms upwards, closing them above your head.
- Increase your speed throughout the exercise to warm up your muscles. If you get lost between jumps and splits, stop and start over.
The ideal starting point is five sets of ten repetitions per day. Remember to stretch before doing jumping jacks.
Start slowly, listen to your body, and don’t continue if you feel pain or injury. Over time, increase the number of repetitions per set, without rushing.
How to include jumping jacks in your workouts
Now that you know how to do jumping jacks, let’s find out how to put it into practice?
We’ve put together some ways to include it in your daily training!
Simple activity
This exercise alone can help you lose pounds; however, the point is not the number of jumping jacks done to burn calories but how long they take to repeat. 50 jumps a day are ideal for helping with physical conditioning and warming up your muscles but to notice a difference in your tummy requires that you do jumping jacks for 10 to 15 minutes daily.
Alternating with other exercises
Jumping jacks are one of the exercises that can be done to help lose weight, provided you add some other forms of physical activities. You can do walking, jumping rope, sit-ups, stationary running, and many other exercises that can be done at home .
Then, just stretch, choose exercises that you enjoy doing and alternate them with jumping jacks.
Heating
For those who are already in good physical condition and perform more intense workouts, jumping jacks act as a warm-up, better preparing the muscles, tendons and joints to receive a heavy load of exercise.
5 benefits of jumping jacks
I am pretty sure you’ve seen someone performing jumping jacks. Whether at the gym, at the park, or in water aerobics, one can see such a person because it is versatile and the advantages of doing jumping jacks are many.
1. Practicality
It doesn’t need any equipment, and the excellent thing is that it may be executed anywhere, so it’s a very practical easy and quick exercise. It can be added to any workout, from beginners to advanced, because, besides strengthening and generating weight loss, it can warm up muscles and tendons, thus preparing them to face immense loads of physical activity.
2. Physical conditioning
Jumping jacks work on cardiorespiratory fitness. Added to an exercise routine supervised by a professional, it improves physical fitness and cardiovascular health.
3. Helps with weight loss
When done daily along with a proper diet, it can be good for burning fat in the body. With a nutritionist’s help and exercising for 15 minutes a day, you burn up to 235 calories. But you must be careful and focused because anything that goes wrong with your diet will make you consume those calories back and make the jumping jack exercise useless.
4. Improves motor coordination
Because it uses the whole body and requires posture and synchrony, the exercise helps improve motor coordination, since a mistake will make you restart the practice until you develop it without making mistakes in the simultaneity of the movements.
5. Strengthens muscles
It is also a great physical activity that enhances the strengthening of the lower limbs. The muscles that jumping jacks work are the calves, quadriceps, glutes, hip flexors, and hamstrings. Additional uses include the muscles of the back, deltoids, and abdomen.
Practice care
It is essential to wear light clothing and drink water to keep hydrated during all activities. Taking care of your diet is necessary to speed up the results of those who want to lose weight, but don’t go beyond your body’s capabilities and force it to a level it is not yet capable of.
For those jumping jacks indoors or covered, pay attention if the ground is steep, slippery, etc., so they do not slip. Outdoor, besides taking care of the terrain, it should take care to avoid the sun exposure during 10 am to 2 pm and use sunscreen, hat, and sunglasses.