Jumping jacks · Bodyweight
How to do more jumping jacks
How to do jumping jacks that last, the ladder from step jacks to power jacks, and how to train them against the clock.
The movement
How to do one properly.
Every rep the same shape, so the numbers mean the same thing on day thirty as on day one.
- 1
Feet together, arms by your sides, knees soft.
- 2
Jump the feet out wider than your shoulders while the arms swing up overhead.
- 3
Land on the balls of your feet, knees bending to take it.
- 4
Jump back to the start. That is one.
- 5
Keep a rhythm you could hold for a minute rather than a sprint you cannot.
The way up
How to do more jumping jacks
Rung 1
Step jack
Step one foot out at a time with the arm swing. No impact, same pattern.
Rung 2
Full
Sixty in a minute at a steady pace is the first milestone.
Rung 3
Two minutes
Same pace, double the time. Now it is cardio.
Rung 4
Power jack
Sink into a quarter squat on the out, jump up on the in. Half the count, twice the work.
Jumping jacks are a timer exercise. Set one for a minute, count, rest a minute, repeat five times. Next week, six rounds; the week after, ninety seconds each.
Four or five days a week is fine; they are light enough to do daily if your calves agree. Calves are the limit for most people, so land softly and let them catch up.
How it is counted
On the board, however it got there.
No watch counts jumping jacks, so nobody's does. Say it out loud in the app or type it in, and it lands the same as a synced session.
Worth 0.3 points per rep in the app, so a challenge can weigh it against anything else you count.
Questions
Asked about jumping jacks
How many jumping jacks in a minute?
Fifty to sixty at a pace you can hold is good; a hundred is sprinting and most people fall apart by forty seconds. Pace wins over the minute and over the month.
Do they count for anything?
Every one is a rep in the app, and a hundred of them is real work. They are the easiest way to put something on the board on a day with nothing else in it.
Does it count from my watch?
No watch counts jumping jacks, so nobody's does. Say it out loud in the app or type it in, and it lands the same as a synced session.
Is it free?
Yes. The athlete app is free: logging, challenges and every guide on this site. Coaches pay for their workspace; the people they coach do not.
Other exercises
Everything else we count.
Push up
How to do more push ups
Pull up
How to do more pull ups
Squat
How to do more squats
Plank
How to hold a plank longer
Sit up
How to do more sit ups
Dip
How to do more dips
Burpees
How to do more burpees
Lunges
How to do more lunges
Skipping
How to skip rope longer
Extensions
How to do more back extensions
Battle ropes
How to last longer on battle ropes
Running
How to run further
Cycling
How to ride further
Swimming
How to swim further
Rowing
How to row further
Steps
How to walk more steps every day
Hiking
How to hike further
Football
How to get fitter for football
Basketball
How to get fitter for basketball
Tennis
How to get fitter for tennis
Dancing
How to build stamina for dancing
Yoga
How to make yoga a daily habit
Do more jumping jacks.
Let someone see it.
Get the app, log what you did or let your watch send it, and hand your friends the code.