Jumping Jacks Calorie Calculator

How many calories do jumping jacks burn?

A 155 lb person burns about 88 calories in 10 minutes of nonstop jumping jacks and about 45 at an easy warm-up pace. One hundred jumping jacks take under 2 minutes and burn roughly 15 calories.

The 2024 Adult Compendium of Physical Activities rates vigorous calisthenics such as jumping jacks at 7.5 MET, moderate calisthenics at 3.8 MET, and interval workouts at 11.0 MET.

[1]

Jumping jack calories by effort and body weight

Values assume continuous movement. For rounds with rest between them, add up the working time.

What lab studies measured

A Japanese study from 1987 is one of the few to measure jumping jacks on their own. When 92 college men did jacks at their own pace for 5 minutes, they settled at about 60 per minute. Energy measurements showed 60 per minute was also the most economical tempo. At that pace, oxygen use averaged 40.9 ml/kg/min, about 11.7 times resting, and the men worked at around 70% of their maximal oxygen uptake.

That measured value is higher than the Compendium rating of 7.5 MET. The subjects were young men working at a set tempo with full arm swings. Most home workouts include pauses and a lower bounce, so the calculator uses the Compendium figure. In a study of 106 young people aged 6 to 18, jumping jacks were the most intense of the everyday activities tested, at about 7 to 9 times resting.

[2][1][3]

How the calculator works

Calories = MET × body weight in kg × hours. Net calories subtract resting burn of about 1 kcal per kg per hour. If you enter a count, the calculator divides the total by it to give calories per jumping jack.

Worked example: a 130 lb person (59.0 kg) does 5 rounds of 2 minutes of nonstop jacks. Working time is 10 minutes. Calories = 7.5 × 59.0 × 0.167 = about 74 kcal.

At 60 jacks per minute that is 600 jacks, or 0.12 kcal each.

Nonstop and interval jacks count as vigorous activity. Easy jacks count as moderate.

[1][7]

How to use this calculator

Choose easy for warm-ups or step jacks, vigorous for continuous jacks at a steady rhythm, and intervals for short, hard rounds with rest. For interval workouts, enter the full block including short rests.

If you counted your jacks, enter the total. The per-jack figure helps when a workout plan lists reps instead of time.

Jumping jacks compared with other moves

In a 2024 comparison of seven bodyweight exercises, burpees had the highest energy cost and the plank the lowest.

Jumping jacks sat in the middle, close to push-ups and squats. Their advantage is that most people can keep them going for several minutes without stopping.

Jumping can serve as interval training. In a study of 21 adults, repeated jump sessions pushed oxygen uptake to 87% to 99% of maximum and heart rate to 96% to 98% of maximum. The rest between jumps decided how long they stayed near their maximum.

Whole-body calisthenics intervals also produced peak heart rates of about 87% of maximum in 14 inactive adults, similar to bike intervals and higher than steady cycling. Participants enjoyed them more than steady cycling.

[4][5][6]

Can jumping jacks improve fitness?

In the Japanese study, 7 men did 180 jumping jacks a day at their own pace, about 6 days a week, for a month. Their maximal oxygen uptake rose from 43.5 to 46.1 ml/kg/min, and heart rate during a standard bout of jacks fell. The group was small, but the result fits the intensity measured. For a beginner, a few 2-minute rounds of jumping jacks through the day add real vigorous minutes. Adults are advised to get 150 minutes of moderate or 75 minutes of vigorous activity each week.

[2][7]

Where these numbers can be off

Arm height, jump height, and tempo all change the cost. Full overhead arm swings and a springy jump sit near the measured lab value.

Half arm swings and a shuffle fall closer to the easy setting.

Children and teens have higher resting burn per kilogram, so adult MET values give only a rough figure for them.

[2][3]

How it works

Calories = MET × body weight (kg) × hours. Easy jacks use 2024 Adult Compendium code 02022 (moderate calisthenics, 3.8 MET), nonstop jacks use code 02020 (vigorous calisthenics, 7.5 MET), and interval workouts use code 02214 (11.0 MET). Net calories remove 1 kcal per kg per hour of resting burn.

Practical tips

• Most people settle at about 60 jacks per minute.
• Swing your arms fully overhead to raise the cost.
• Use step jacks for a low-impact option.
• Count working time only for rounds with long rests.
• Vigorous jack minutes count double toward the weekly activity target.

Frequently asked questions

• How many calories do 100 jumping jacks burn?About 15 kcal for a 155 lb person. At the 60 jacks per minute most people choose, 100 jacks take about 1 minute 40 seconds. At 7.5 MET that burns roughly 15 kcal, or 0.15 kcal per jack.
• How many calories do jumping jacks burn in 10 minutes?For a 155 lb (70 kg) person: about 45 kcal at an easy pace, 88 kcal nonstop, and 129 kcal in hard intervals. At 125 lb the nonstop figure is about 71 kcal and at 185 lb about 105 kcal.
• Are jumping jacks cardio?Yes. In a Japanese lab study, college men doing 60 jacks per minute worked at about 70% of their maximal oxygen uptake. After a month of 180 jacks a day, their aerobic capacity rose by about 6%.
• Are jumping jacks or burpees better for calories?Burpees burn more. In a lab comparison of seven bodyweight exercises, burpees had the highest energy cost and jumping jacks came well below them. Jacks are easier to keep going and suit warm-ups and longer rounds.
• How many calories do kids burn doing jumping jacks?Jumping jacks were the most intense of the everyday activities tested in a study of 106 young people aged 6 to 18. Energy use ranged from about 7 to 9 times resting, depending on age and how resting burn was measured. Use the calculator with the child's weight for a rough figure.
• Is there a low-impact version?Step one foot out to the side while raising your arms, then switch sides. It keeps the arm and leg pattern without the landing. Choose the easy setting in the calculator for step jacks.

Related calculators

References

1. Herrmann SD, et al. J Sport Health Sci 2024. 2024 Adult Compendium of Physical Activities: A third update of the energy costs of human activities
2. Sano Y, et al. Jpn J Phys Fitness Sports Med 1987. Characteristics and an effect of jumping jacks as an endurance exercise
3. Schuna JM Jr, et al. J Phys Act Health 2016. Youth energy expenditure during common free-living activities and treadmill walking
4. Poulios A, et al. J Strength Cond Res 2024. The energy expenditure associated with body-weight resistance exercises of various movement patterns performed at different durations
5. Kramer A, et al. Eur J Appl Physiol 2019. Suitability of jumps as a form of high-intensity interval training: effect of rest duration on oxygen uptake, heart rate and blood lactate
6. Poon ET, et al. J Sports Sci Med 2023. Acute physiological and perceptual responses to whole-body high-intensity interval training compared with equipment-based interval and continuous training
7. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans, 2nd edition