How Many Calories Do Jumping Jacks Burn?
At first glance, jumping jacks may seem like an easy-to-do, basic exercise. However, they offer several benefits, such as toning your muscles and boosting your cardiovascular system performance.
They are also a great way to burn more calories, something that I’ll shed some light on in this article. Any studies or data mentioned in this article will be linked so that you can do your own reading and research.
How Many Calories Do Jumping Jacks Burn?
Jumping jacks burn an average of 8 calories per minute for a person who weighs 120 pounds. This average doubles for someone weighing 240 pounds. These numbers are courtesy of MyFitnessPal, a trust-worthy website and app made for calorie counting and diet plans.
Just so you know, dieting is particularly essential in keeping track of your calorie intake and preventing unwanted weight gain – ever wondered how all of a sudden you gained 2 pounds overnight?
How Many Calories Are Burned by 100 Jumping Jacks?
The number of calories you’ll end up burning by performing 100 jumping jacks very much depends on your weight and how much energy you put into it. You may end up burning anywhere from 10 to 25 calories.
Which isn’t bad if you consider how easy it is to perform this number of jumping jacks. I did 100 jumping jacks a day for 30 days straight and it’s a fun little exercise that you can do and at 100 a day won’t take a lot of time.
How About 500 Jumping Jacks?
45 to 125 calories. Again, the exact numbers may vary.
1,000 Jumping Jacks: How Many Calories Do They Burn?
Anywhere from 100 to 250 calories. Note that implementing only jumping jacks to lose weight is somewhat counterproductive, so I personally wouldn’t recommend it. After all, doing 1,000 jumping jacks will take quite some time, so you’d be better off doing more intense exercises. Ask me I did the 1000 jumping jacks a day challenge and I can assure you it takes a lot of time
How Many Jumping Jacks Does It Take to Burn 3,500 Calories?
Anywhere from 10,000 to 15,000 jumping jacks will do the trick. However, as I have just said, jumping jacks alone isn’t a great way to lose weight. So, instead, integrate them into your daily workout. You can use these as some cool aerobic exercise to start or end workout sessions or to get in some cardio after your main workouts.
Doing 100 jumping jacks during each session will help you burn an extra 60 calories, for example.
Do Jumping Jacks Burn Belly Fat?
Even though jumping jacks have a number of benefits, getting rid of belly fat & flattening your stomach or any part of your body, for that matter, isn’t one of them.
At least not on their own. However, this doesn’t mean that you can’t implement them in an advanced weight loss program along with adjusting your eating habits like swapping snacks for 2 protein shakes and one meal each day.
In reality, I highly recommend that you add them to whatever weight loss set-up you might be going with since they’re very basic and quite helpful at working your entire body.
Other Exercises That Are Great for Burning Calories
Exercise does increase metabolism and jumping jacks are no exemption. Besides, this workout substantially accelerates calorie burn. Here are suggestions for other calisthenics or weights workouts that you can add to your workout routine to help you burn calories and lose weight.
Without Equipment Exercise
Here are a few exercises that don't require any equipment.
Jumping Rope
- In order to do a jumping rope, first, grab the rope and set it behind you at the level of your heels. Rotate your forearms forward, then your wrists which will swing the rope overhead.
- As it’s swinging, slightly bend your knees. The moment the rope passes your shins, jump up from your toes. This might be a rough process at first if you’re new to it, but you’ll get the hang of it quicker than you think.
- Once you get comfortable with the rope, your wrists will do all the work. I highly recommend that you get a rope with self-rotating bearings in the handles. Finding those won’t be as hard since they’re very common nowadays.
- When jumping, make sure to stand on the balls of your feet in order to stay nimble at all times.
- Alternate hops in order to give your calves some rest. In other words, use a single foot each time rather than both.
- Repeat this for the desired number of reps.
Burpees
Get in a squat position with your feet shoulder-width apart and back straight. Lower your hands till they’re between your feet. Concentrate all your weight on your hands, then kick your feet back, ending up in a push-up position, not a plank. Do one push-up. Jump your feet back to their initial position.
Quickly stand up and reach your arms overhead. Quickly jump, like you would do a jumping jack. Get into a squat position as soon as you land. Repeat this for the desired number of reps.
Mountain Climber
Place both your hands and knees on the floor. Right foot near right hand and left foot extended behind you. Quickly switch your legs while keeping your arms as they are. Do this twice so that your right leg ends up close to your right hand again. Repeat this for the desired number of reps.
With Equipment
If you want to use equipment here are some suggestions that will work both your upper and lower body.
Deadlift
Position the bar over the top of your feet and get into a hip-width stance. Make sure your torso is parallel with the ground by pushing your hips back and hinging forward. Grab the bar with a double overhand grip at shoulder width. Inhale, then slightly pull up the bar while allowing your hips to drop.
As your hips are dropping, set the last and make sure that the bar is positioned directly under your armpits. Make sure that the bar stays in a straight line as you’re extending your knees and hips.
Once your hips are locked out, push them back and hinge forward to reverse the movement. Return the bar to the ground, reset. Repeat this for the desired number of reps.
For fitness beginners who just want to measure their fitness level and during youth weightlifting training, you can take advantage of lifting machines like different types of squat racks or the smith machine to achieve the right form and avoid injury.
Double Kettlebell Swing
The Kettlebell swing is a great exercise for advanced fitness buffs and makes for a great exercise for teenage girls and boys as well.
Get in a hinged position with your knees slightly bent, a kettlebell in each hand, and weight centered over your feet. Hike the kettlebells between your legs while keeping your spine neutral.
Drive them back to the initial position by extending your hips and pushing through the floor while keeping your arms straight at all times. Repeat this for the desired number of reps.
Machine Shoulder Press
Performed pretty much like the seated tricep press, the machine press is great for working several muscles in the upper body. It makes for a great exercise if you are considering training both biceps and triceps on the same day, or working your shoulders.
Do note, however, it’s advisable that you train your shoulders after chest day to get the most juice out of your muscles.
Here’s how it’s done…
Sit on the machine with the handles at shoulder level. Grab the handles with a pronated grip. Inhale, then press directly overhead. Slowly lower them back. Repeat this for the desired number of reps.
What Else Can You Do to Lose Weight?
Other things to consider when trying to lose weight.
Count the Calories You Take In
If you wish to lose weight, then you need to be aware of how many calories everything you eat and/or drink has.
The best and perhaps the easiest way to do this is to rely on an online food tracker or phone app like lose it! or premium to log everything you consume. Some of the best apps for this are Samsung health, myfitness pal and Chronometer.
Cut Sugar and Refined Carbohydrates from Your Diet
Most of our diets contain a lot of sugar, which has strong links with obesity. Try reducing that or stop eating sugar altogether, I did that and it worked wonders.
Refined carbohydrates are basically any processed food that no longer contains fiber or other nutrients. They include bread, pasta, and rice. They’re quick to digest, quickly converting to glucose.
More glucose in the blood is never good as it triggers the hormone insulin, leading to weight gain in most cases.
Healthy Alternatives to Processed and Sugar Foods Include:
Whole-grain pasta, rice, and bread.
Fruit, seeds, and nuts instead of sugary snacks.
Fruit-infused water instead of sodas.
Smoothies with milk or water instead of processed fruit juice.
Get Enough Sleep
There are numerous studies out there that have shown that there is, in fact, a relationship between getting less than average sleep and obesity. This is because insufficient sleep slows the process of conversion of calories to energy, more commonly known as metabolism.
The less effective your metabolism is, the more fat you’ll end up getting. Additionally, poor sleep can also lead to an increase in the production of both insulin and cortisol, the two prime agents in promoting fat storage.
Consume More Fiber
Dietary fiber is basically plant-based carbohydrates that can’t be digested in the small intestine. As a result, including more of it in your diet will increase the feeling of fullness, which may or may not lead to weight loss down the road.
If you don’t have time for cooking and preparing your meals, I recently discovered Kachava, it’s a meal replacement that, as I pointed out in my kachava review, isn’t just rich in fiber, but a lot of other healthy nutrients and it’s tastes amazing and easy to prepare. I drink it everyday now as a breakfast.
There are also other meal rep shakes on the market like Huel and Shakeology, but in my honest opinion, what makes Kachava good for you and me is that it’s more nutrient-rich, and tastes way better, not to mention that it comes in different flavors and is super easy to mix. Check out the different flavors of Kachava by clicking here.
Fiber-rich foods include:
Whole-grain cereals and bread, oats, barley, rye, etc. Fruits and veggies. Beans and peas Nuts and seeds
Practice Mindful Eating
Mindful eating is when you pay attention to how much food you eat and where you eat it in the first place. If done properly, this will greatly help you maintain a healthy weight. A majority of us lead busy lives, which means that we tend to eat on the run, relying on street food and the likes, which can harm our health.
That said, you’ll be surprised at how effective taking just one meal a day or fasting can make significant changes in your weight and overall health.
Techniques for Mindful Eating
Sit down when eating, pay attention to your food. Do not get distracted when eating: no TV or phone or anything. Eat slowly: take your time to chew and savor the meal. This gives your brain time to process what’s going on in your body, preventing over-eating.
Carefully choose your food: go for anything that is rich in nutrients and will get you full for at least a couple of hours.
Related Readings:
- I Did 100 Pushups 100 Sit-ups 100 Squats for 30 Days - Here Are My Results
- I Did Squats Every Day for 3 Months - Here Is What I Learned
- Can Stretching Make You Taller? Myth or Reality?
- Stationary Bike vs. Elliptical – Which One Should You Choose?
