by Vickie Austin
If when you hear the term “jumping jacks” you think of hopscotch and high school gym class, think again. Jumping jacks are a deceptively powerful exercise to provide an all-body workout.
Mistakes to avoid
According to the good folks at WebMD, it’s best to warm up with a brisk walk before launching into your first rep. Choose a flat, even surface and if possible, work out on rubber or grass, both of which absorb shock better than asphalt or cement.
Having good athletic shoes that support your feet is a given, and experts recommend you gradually increase repetitions to prevent overuse. Ignore that “no pain, no gain” saying and listen to your body: if there’s pain, take a break.
Let me count the ways
You’re probably thinking of the bread-and-butter version of jumping jacks, the one that brings us back to gym class. But there are quite a few ways to adapt jumping jacks so you use various muscle groups while also preventing boredom.
Squat jacks differ, clasping hands together while doing the lower jumping jacks. Rotational jacks include a toe touch with alternate hands, rotating your body one side at a time. Plank jacks ramp up the intensity, jumping from the plank position, and the famous burpee has you move from a floor plank to a jumping position.
A range of benefits
Again, you wouldn’t think such a simple exercise could cover so much ground. Here are just a few of the benefits:
- Bone density. Doing 10 to 20 jumping jacks daily can help with bone strength, helping prevent issues like osteoporosis and osteoarthritis.
- Flexibility. As we age, we tend to stiffen and jumping jacks help keep us more flexible.
- Fight the fat. With an increase in muscle power comes calorie burn and ultimately loss of fat thanks to an elevated heart rate.
- Plyometric = all over. Jumping jacks involve rapid, explosive movements. The exercise is a combination of eccentric, or lengthening of the muscles, and concentric, or shortening of the muscles into a contraction. Plyometric jumps improve power and agility, using elastic energy stored in the muscles and tendons.
More from Nike
As if those aren’t enough, here are some additional benefits offered by the folks at Nike. Jumping jacks are a scalable exercise. You don’t need any fancy equipment, and you can turn up the intensity or lower your speed, depending on your level of fitness. Changing the tempo can incorporate more power and require more of your body. You can also modify your movements to accommodate any issues or injuries.
Along with an increase in bone density, jumping jacks strengthen the hip muscles key to walking, running, getting out of a chair and picking things up off the floor, and they help with ankle strength.