Jumping jack
The classic warm-up jump. Simple coordination and real heart-rate work with no equipment.
The movement
Together
01 Together
Feet together, arms at the sides.
02 Mid-jump
Feet leave the floor as the arms sweep out to shoulder height.
03 Open
Jump the feet wide as the hands meet overhead.
How to do it
Setup
- Stand tall with your feet together and your arms at your sides.
- Keep your knees soft and your posture tall, ready to bounce rather than stamp.
Execution
- Jump your feet out wide while sweeping your arms overhead.
- Jump back to the start as your arms return to your sides.
- Land on the balls of your feet with soft knees, in a steady rhythm.
Form cues
- Land softly on the balls of your feet.
- Take your arms all the way up until your hands meet.
Common mistakes
- Flat-footed, heavy landings.
- Half-hearted arm swings that shrink the movement.
Worth knowing
- For a version with no jumping, step side to side with the same arm sweep. Same rhythm, no impact.
General guidance, not medical advice. See how Setkit works.
Notes
Nobody needed a tutorial for their first jumping jack, and that is the point of it. It is available instantly, it raises your heart rate, it moves your shoulders and hips through big ranges, and it asks just enough coordination to wake you up. That makes it the best first exercise of almost any session.
In conditioning workouts it works as the easier station. Hard enough to keep your heart rate up, easy enough that you recover a little before the next demanding station. A Tabata alternating jumping jacks with squats or mountain climbers is a real workout needing nothing but floor space.
Your calves and ankles do the springing, so quality here means quiet. Balls of the feet, soft knees, steady bounce. When the landings get loud, the set has gone on long enough.