Jumping jacks are a classic cardio exercise that have long been a staple of physical education classes and fitness routines. But how many calories does doing 100 jumping jacks actually burn? This is a common question for those looking to estimate calorie expenditure from various exercises.
The quick answer is that doing 100 jumping jacks will burn around 10 calories for a 125 pound person. However, the exact number of calories burned doing 100 jumping jacks depends on a few key factors:
- Your weight – Heavier people burn more calories performing the same exercise as lighter people
- Intensity – More vigorous jumping jacks burn more calories than slower, low impact versions
- Duration – Total time spent doing jumping jacks affects overall calorie burn
So while 100 jumping jacks may burn roughly 10 calories, the exact number could vary from around 5 calories for a lighter, less active person doing mild jumping jacks up to 15+ calories for a heavier, fit person doing high intensity jumping jacks non-stop for a longer duration.
Breaking Down Calorie Burn from Jumping Jacks
To get a more detailed estimate of how many calories doing 100 jumping jacks burns, we need to break down the calorie burn calculation step-by-step:
1. Determine MET Value
The MET (metabolic equivalent of task) value represents the energy cost of a specific activity compared to resting metabolic rate. 1 MET is equal to the energy it takes to sit quietly. The MET value for moderate intensity jumping jacks is approximately 6 METs:
- Vigorous jumping jacks: 8 METs
- Moderate jumping jacks: 6 METs
- Light effort jumping jacks: 4 METs
For a standard set of moderate pace jumping jacks, using 6 METs is a good estimate.
2. Calculate Your VO2max
VO2max measures maximal oxygen consumption during exercise. It represents your cardiovascular fitness and endurance capabilities. Your VO2max is needed to translate the MET value of jumping jacks into calories burned per minute.
Here is a table with average VO2max values for different fitness levels:
| Fitness Level | VO2max (ml/kg/min) |
|---|---|
| Very poor | 15 – 25 |
| Poor | 25 – 35 |
| Fair | 35 – 40 |
| Good | 40 – 45 |
| Excellent | 45 – 55 |
| Superior | 55 – 80 |
To determine your estimated VO2max:
– Take the mid-point for your fitness range
– Adjust up or down within the range based on your perception of your cardiovascular endurance
– Alternatively, use 36 ml/kg/min as an average VO2max if unknown
3. Plug MET Value and VO2max into Calorie Formula
Using values for standard MET level of jumping jacks and estimated VO2max, you can now calculate calories burned per minute using this formula:
Calories/min = [(MET x 3.5) x (VO2max) x (weight in kg)] / 200
For example, for a 125 pound (56.7 kg) person with a VO2max of 40 ml/kg/min the math is:
Calories/min = [(6 METs x 3.5) x (40 ml/kg/min) x (56.7 kg)] / 200 = 8.4 calories/min
So in this example, doing moderate intensity jumping jacks burns approximately 8.4 calories per minute.
4. Multiply by Duration
The final step is to factor in the duration jumping jacks are performed.
Let’s assume it takes 1 minute to complete 100 jumping jacks:
Calories burned = Calories/min x duration
Using our example above, calories burned doing 100 jumping jacks in 1 minute is:
Calories burned = 8.4 calories/min x 1 minute = 8.4 calories
So for a 125 lb person with average cardio endurance, doing 100 jumping jacks in 1 minute burns about 8 or 9 calories.
Summary of Factors Affecting Calorie Burn
To summarize, the main factors that influence calorie expenditure when doing 100 jumping jacks include:
- Body weight – Heavier people burn more calories for the same exercise duration
- Intensity – More vigorous jumping style burns more calories per minute
- Cardio fitness (VO2max) – Better cardio endurance increases calorie burn at a given intensity
- Duration – Total time spent jumping affects total energy expenditure
So lighter people doing mild jumping jacks for shorter periods will burn fewer calories, while heavier fit people doing vigorous high intensity jumping jacks for longer durations will burn the most calories.
Let’s look at some examples covering a range of scenarios:
| Person | Weight | VO2max | Intensity | Duration | Calories Burned |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Child | 75 lbs | 30 ml/kg/min | Light | 45 secs | 5 calories |
| Sedentary adult | 150 lbs | 34 ml/kg/min | Moderate | 1 min | 10 calories |
| Active adult | 175 lbs | 42 ml/kg/min | Vigorous | 1.5 mins | 20 calories |
| Athlete | 210 lbs | 55 ml/kg/min | Vigorous | 2 mins | 33 calories |
This table illustrates how factors like higher body weight, better cardio endurance, increased intensity, and longer duration can all significantly increase the calories burned from 100 jumping jacks.
Other Variables That Impact Calorie Burn
While body weight, cardio fitness, exercise intensity, and duration account for most of the differences in energy expenditure from jumping jacks, a few other variables can also impact calories burned to a small degree including:
- Age – Calorie burn decreases slightly with age due to loss of muscle mass
- Gender – Men tend to burn slightly more calories than women
- Efficiency – Individual biomechanics and technique can affect energy cost
- Jumping style – Explosive vertical jumps burn more calories than shallow hops
However, these other factors often account for just a small percentage of difference in calorie burn between individuals. Things like body weight, cardio endurance, exercise intensity, and duration remain the prime determinants of how many calories jumping jacks will burn.
Burning 100 Calories with Jumping Jacks
Based on the average calorie burn estimates, is it possible to do enough jumping jacks to burn 100 calories?
For most moderately active adults, burning 100 calories through jumping jacks alone would require a significant amount of continuous jumping for an extended period of time. Here are some examples:
- 150 lb person: 14 minutes of moderate pace
- 175 lb person: 12 minutes of vigorous intensity
- 200 lb person: 10 minutes of high intensity
So burning 100 calories through jumping jacks alone demands a high volume of non-stop work ranging from about 10-15 minutes for most moderately active adults.
This assumes continuous jumping in order to burn 100 calories in a single session. Spreading 100 jumping jacks over multiple short sessions of 1-2 minutes each would burn far fewer total calories.
Burning 100 Calories Through a Cardio Circuit
While doing thousands of consecutive jumping jacks could burn 100 calories, a more time efficient and practical approach is incorporating jumping jacks into a high intensity cardio circuit routine along with other bodyweight exercises.
For example, this cardio circuit rounds alternates jumping jacks with other plyometric moves to maximize calorie burn:
| Exercise | Duration |
|---|---|
| Jumping jacks | 60 seconds |
| Burpees | 60 seconds |
| Squat jumps | 60 seconds |
| High knees | 60 seconds |
| Mountain climbers | 60 seconds |
This high intensity circuit lasts 10-12 minutes total when performed continuously and burns around 100 calories for a 150-200 lb athlete.
So by combining 100 jumping jacks within a full body cardio blast, you can burn 100 calories in just 10-15 minutes versus the longer solo jumping jack sessions.
Adding Jumping Jacks to Your Workouts
Here are some tips for incorporating jumping jacks into your fitness regimen:
- Use jumping jacks intervals as a cardio warmup before strength training or HIIT
- Perform 60-90 second jumping jacks intervals between sets of weights
- Include short bouts of fast paced jumping jacks in circuit training routines
- Jump on a soft surface like grass to lower impact if needed
- Cool down your workout with 1-2 minutes of light jumping
Jumping jacks are a versatile exercise to burn calories and get your heart rate up. Integrating 100 jumping jacks or more into high intensity cardio circuits, interval training, and full body workout routines can boost calorie burn.
While doing 100 consecutive jumping jacks burns just 10-15 calories for most people, sustaining the jumping for longer intervals or combining jumping jacks with other high intensity exercises can burn 100 calories in a short, effective cardio workout.
Conclusion
So how many calories does doing 100 jumping jacks burn? For most moderately active adults, 100 consecutive jumping jacks will expend around 10-15 calories. To burn 100 calories through jumping jacks alone requires sustaining the exercise for longer continuous durations of 10-15+ minutes. While hitting 100 calories is achievable by doing thousands of jumping jacks, integrating sets of 100 jumping jacks into interval circuits and HIIT workouts allows you to burn 100+ calories in less time. By coupling jumping jacks with other plyometrics and cardio moves, you can maximize calorie burn and fitness benefits in efficient high intensity routines.
