Get Lean for Free with Jumping Jacks – Introduction
What is the number of calories burned by jumping jacks for only 5 minutes a day?
You are busy and have little time to exercise.
But, there is one simple exercise that has an abundance of benefits.
It is a lower-impact yet high-intensity full-body workout you can do anywhere- jumping jacks.
Jumping jacks are one of the best exercises you can do that requires no equipment at all.
- they burn a ton of calories,
- are a great way to lose weight,
- shred body fat,
- increase your endurance,
- improve your muscle tone,
- circulation,
- and mobility.
You will enjoy many other health benefits by adding jumping jacks to your list of things to do.
Even if you do not know the number of calories burned jumping jacks.
Muscles Worked by Jumping Jacks
While the primary muscles used by jumping jacks are in your lower body, specifically your:
- glutes – the largest muscle of your body, that you are likely sitting on right now and that needs some attention
- quadriceps, the four-headed muscle group on the front of your thigh, and your
- hamstrings that are on the back of your thigh
Nevertheless, jumping jacks use the muscles of your entire body.
So not only does your lower body gain conditioning but so too your upper body.
For this reason, jumping jacks are one of the most effective exercises you can do for whole-body fitness.
Here is a sample workout for a 196-pound person to burn 178 calories in 15 minutes:
- one minute of jumping jacks
- rest a minute or more if you need
- do another minute
- and repeat six more times throughout the day
- eventually, you will increase your cardiovascular endurance
How to Calculate Jumping Jacks Calories Burned
To find the number of calories burned, use the following three steps:
#1. Determine the METs
What are the METs?
You have likely seen METs on treadmills and wondered.
METs is an acronym and represents ‘Metabolic Equivalent of a given Task’.
Whether running, swimming, lifting weights, or doing jumping jacks, there are standard METs for strength training and aerobic exercise.
Therefore, the first step to knowing how many calories you burn in jumping jacks is finding the METs.
The Metabolic Equivalent of a Task (METs) will tell you how many calories you burn per hour of activity per kilogram of body weight.
According to the Compendium of Physical Activities¹, the METs for calisthenics conditioning exercises like pushups, situps, pullups, chin-ups, and jumping jacks with vigorous effort is as high as 8.0.
In contrast, powerlifting exercises like squats, bench presses, and deadlifts are only 6.0 METs with strenuous effort.
| 02020 | 8.0 | 02020 | 8.0 | 02020 | 8.0 |
calisthenics (e.g., vigorous jumping jacks, pushups, situps, pullups), |
| 02023 |
3.8 |
calisthenics (e.g., pushups, situps, pullups, lunges), moderate effort | ||||
| 02024 | 2.8 |
calisthenics (e.g., situps, abdominal crunches), light effort |
Remember this MET number of 8.0.
For most people, doing any jumping jacks will require significant effort, especially if you are not in top condition.
But do not be discouraged.
Start small, and gradually you will build up your endurance and conditioning.
Now that you know the METs, you have to calculate your weight in kilograms to determine the calorie burn of jumping jacks.
#2. What is your Weight in Kilograms?
Once you know your weight in pounds, all you have to do is divide that number by 2.2.
In the 1960s, the average American man weighed 166 pounds, and the average American woman was 140 pounds. (CDC)
As you can imagine, that is no longer the case.
Today, the typical American man and woman over the age of 20 weigh a whopping 30 pounds more, 198 pounds for men and 170 pounds for women. (CDC)
If you weigh 198 pounds, divide your weight of 198 pounds by 2.2 for your weight in kilograms, which is 89.8 or a 90 kg individual rounded up.
Once you know your body weight in kilograms, now you can move to the following formula in the next step.
#3. The METs Formula
The METs formula is:
Jumping jacks calories burned = METs x weight in kg x time in hours.
If you do an hour of jumping jacks (which is highly unlikely!), express the time as 1.0, or .5 for 30 minutes, .25 for 15 minutes, and .08 for 5 minutes.
FAQ
How many calories are burned in jumping jacks?
Now, for the question at hand, which is how many calories can you burn doing jumping jacks:
Using the example of an average American man who weighs 90 kg, you can plug in the numbers to the METs formula:
- Calories burned = METS of 8.0 for calisthenics conditioning exercises x 90 kg x .25 for a 15-minute workout.
- 8.0 x 90 x .25 = 180 calories burned doing a 15 minute workout.
So, for a 198-pound man, how many calories are burned jumping jacks for just one minute?
- Approximately 12 calories per minute.
Therefore, 300 jumping jacks calories burned will use 60 calories for 5 minutes of jumping jacks.
In summary, the amount of calories a 198-pound man burns doing jumping jacks is:
- 180 calories for a 15-minute workout of 900 jumping jacks
- 120 calories in a 10-minute workout of 600 jumping jacks
- 60 calories with a 5 minute routine of 300 jumping jacks
How many jumping jacks can you do in a minute?
Typically, the average number of jumping jacks that an exerciser can perform in a minute is between 50 to 60 jumping jacks.
So you will do between 250 and 300 jumping jacks a day.
Remember, you need to set aside 5 minutes.
You can do 2 minutes in the morning, one minute in the afternoon and two minutes in the evening.
Or do one minute of jumping jacks, rest a minute or more and do another four or 5-minute sets of jumping jacks with a rest in between each session for a total of 10 or 15 minutes.
How many jumping jacks in 2 minutes?
It follows then that you can likely do between 100 and 120 jumping jacks in two minutes.
However, with any exercise program, always begin with an amount you can easily handle and progress from there.
You want to train smart and not end up with an injury that will only set you back from achieving your fitness goals.
How many jumping jacks can you do in 5 minutes?
Let’s say that you decide to take a simple jumping jack challenge of 5 minutes a day.
Based on an average of 50 to 60 jumping jacks per minute, you can do between 250 and 300 jumping jacks for 5 minutes.
These numbers should give you a good idea of how many jumping jacks you can do, whatever the number of minutes.
How Many Jumping Jacks to Burn 100 Calories?
A 198-pound man needs to do between 8 and 9 minutes of jumping jacks to burn approximately 100 calories.
Assuming you can do 50 to 60 jumping jacks in a minute, you will need between 400 and 450 jumping jacks to burn 100 calories.
Typically you need to walk a mile to burn 100 calories, which takes longer than 8 minutes of jumping jacks.
If you run a mile in 15 minutes, the METs are 7.1, so if it is a rainy day or snowing, why not do 8 to 9 minutes of jumping jacks in your warm home to burn 100 calories instead of venturing out into the cold?
If I do 100 jumping jacks, how many calories will I burn?
How many calories burn in 100 jumping jacks?
For an average man weighing 198 pounds, you will burn 0.2 calories per jumping jack or 20 calories for 100 jumping jacks.
Calories Burned Jumping Jacks – Wrapping Up
What is the most overlooked cardio workout which can increase your heart rate, melt belly fat, and needs no special equipment?
It is not a pair of running shoes, a track, a jump rope, a treadmill, an elliptical, or even a gym.
To lose weight, improve your cardiovascular system and lower your blood pressure – all you need are jumping jacks.
As long as you have the floor and a high enough ceiling, you can do jumping jacks.
You do not need a certified personal trainer or complicated calorie counting for every meal you eat.
Jumping jacks and eating clean real food daily will make you leaner and stronger.
Eating clean and moving at least 30 minutes a day are two pillars of fast body transformation.
With just your body weight and better quality food choices, you can begin to get fit today.
This article answers this question – how many calories do you burn doing jumping jacks?
If you want to know immediately, here is the fast result: you can accomplish 75 calories burned doing jumping jacks in as little as 5 minutes a day.
Or 150 calories in 10 minutes a day.
Of course, this depends on your weight and the intensity of your jumping jacks.
An alternative exercise is mountain climbers or burpees if you cannot absorb the shock of the jacks.
Check out the rest of the post above for more details.
Are you a jumping jacks fan?
What do you do for exercise when you cannot get to the gym or have access to an elliptical, treadmill, or pool?
What’s Next
While you can turn to aerobic exercises without equipment like jumping jacks for fat loss, they are not the only game in town.
For example, anaerobic training like lifting weights continues to burn energy even after completing a strength training workout, a phenomenon known as EPOC (Excess Post-Exercise Oxygen Consumption).
Even better, weight training fuels muscle growth, and because more muscle burns calories, weight lifting turns out to be an excellent weight-loss method.
See this article: How to Weight Lift for Weight Loss, for a great plan that works!
Also, one of the most productive compound exercises you will ever do is the deadlift because it targets nearly all your major muscle groups simultaneously.
As a result, deadlifts burn a ton of calories, help with torching fat, and can dramatically change your body.
Find out How You Can Burn Over 500 Calories Deadlifting in One Workout + an excellent workout routine to try out.
Related Posts
- Deadlifts Vs Squats – Which is Better for Strength and Fitness?
- Calories Burned Squats Calculator in 3 Easy Steps
- How Many Calories Are Burned Lifting Weights
- 12 Best Jump Rope Alternative Exercises to Unlock Your Fitness
- How Long Should a Jump Rope Be + Beginner Workout Guide
Footnotes
¹ Compendium of physical activities and energy cost
