9 Benefits Of Jumping Jacks And Why Include Them In Your Training
Are you still wondering about the benefits of jumping jacks and why they should be part of your fitness training regimen or do the exercises regularly? This could help you find some answers
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To some, jumping jacks are unwanted PT exercises imposed on them at the elementary school. But the benefits of jumping jacks are enormous, making them worth considering as part of your fitness regimen.
Jumping jacks are some of the most efficient ways to activate and work your muscles. They may be some simple calisthenics exercises, but they can fit into any fitness plan – warm-ups, High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT), or cardio workouts. And you can do them anywhere and whenever you want.
Read on to learn about the benefits of jumping jacks and why they should be part of your fitness regime.
Benefits of Jumping Jacks
Low Barrier to Entry
One of the main benefits of jumping jacks is their low entry to entry.
Jumping jacks are bodyweight exercises that rely on your body weight. Thus you don’t need any fitness equipment or a gym membership to do them. That means t will cost you nothing to get involved.
You can do them anywhere and whenever you want at your convenience.
Thus one of the great benefits of jumping jacks is you can do them at home, in the open fields, at the office or workplace, and during the day or night. You need only your body to get started.
Can Work All Body Muscles
Jumping jacks belong to the Plyometrics exercises group.
Plyometrics use speed and force to build power in the muscles.
Plyometrics, such as jumping jacks combine resistance exercises with aerobics to simultaneously work your muscles, lungs, and heart.
Thus one of the great benefits of jumping jacks is the exercises can work many of your muscles, including the glutes, hip flexors, quadriceps, shoulder, and abdominal muscles.
Jumping jacks, in effect, can target, work, and strengthen your lower and upper body muscles and help boost your fitness levels, making it possible for you to undertake various physical activities.
Can help Burn Calories
Jumping jacks, like all plyometrics, strengthen your muscles through maximum power. You can make the moves as quickly and explosively as you want. That means using more energy as you go through the movements.
The more energy your body dispenses, the more calories it will burn.
Thus, one of the benefits of jumping jacks is their ability to help your body burn more calories due to the intensive movements in the exercises.
The exercises will elevate your heart rate, forcing your body to burn more calories.
Can Improve Balance and Coordination
Jumping jacks involve simultaneously moving several parts of your muscles and quickly changing positions. That requires a high level of balance and coordination.
The more you do the jumping jack exercises, the better you become.
Thus, one of the great benefits of jumping jacks is their ability to help improve your balance and coordination.
Improving your balance and muscle coordination can enhance your ability to undertake challenging tasks and partake in various competitive sporting and physical activities.
Improved balance and coordination can also help improve your reaction times in various situations and sports.
Can Improve Cardiovascular Health
Like all plyometrics, one of the great benefits of jumping jacks is their ability to raise your body temperature and pump blood to your muscles. That can help improve the way your heart operates and enhance your blood circulation, thereby improving your heart health.
As a HIIT exercise, jumping jacks can help your heart and lungs to work together for better performance, help you to develop a healthy heart, and improve your circulatory system. The result is much improved cardiovascular fitness.
Can Improve Stamina and Endurance
As a HIIT exercise, one of the benefits of jumping jacks is they can help boost stamina and endurance.
The exercises will condition your heart and body to endure the stress, making them more resilient and allowing you to increase the tempo and duration. That will eventually lead to a boost in your stamina and endurance.
High stamina will improve your energy levels and make it easy to go through many daily activities with vigor and ease.
For Better Mobility and Flexibility
Jumping jacks involves taking your body through different ranges of motion.
Your muscles will contract and relax repeatedly, and your body will change its position many times as you go through the motions.
One of the benefits of jumping jacks, therefore, is their ability to improve your mobility and flexibility levels, allowing your body to stretch, contract, rotate, and receive impact when required.
Thus jumping jacks are some of the best warm-up exercises for your fitness regimen.
Can Help Boost Your Strength Levels
Jumping jacks involve moving your body out of the plane of motion it operates.
Landing from the jumps stretches your muscles, helping to build more power with each jump.
The continuous stretching and contracting of your muscles help to develop explosiveness, boosting your strength and agility.
The movement can also help strengthen your bones, as concluded in a study with rats. Thus including jumping jacks in your training regimen can help improve the health of your bones.
Can Help Improve Your Quality of Life
Like all exercises, one of the benefits of jumping jacks is they can help
- reduce blood pressure
- manage your weight
- burn unwanted fat
- improve insulin sensitivity
- improve cholesterol levels
That can help reduce the risk of various diseases, including cancer, stroke, and those associated with the heart.
Regularly doing jumping jacks is one of the best ways to improve your quality of life.
Final words from LiveLIfe
Jumping jacks is suitable for all fitness levels. Beginners and experienced athletes and exercisers can include them in their training.
You can change the intensity to suit different ages, though the elderly may have to consult a health professional before doing them due to the high-impact nature of some of the movements.
The many benefits of jumping jacks make them worth considering as an integral part of any fitness regimen.
You can use exercises for warm-up sessions or as part of your cardio sessions and enjoy the many benefits of jumping jacks.
References
- Andrews E. (2016). Explosive plyometric workout. American Council on Exercise (ACE)
- Thielen S. (2015). 6 exercise swaps that will kick up the intensity of your workout. American Council on Exercise (ACE)
- Myers J. (2003). Exercise and cardiovascular health. DOI: