jumping jacks

Fat on the back of the arms can make some girls self conscious about their appearance. To work your triceps, try dips. Sit on the edge of a chair and place your hands on the chair, directly next to your hips. Wrap your fingers around the edge of the chair, straighten your back and tighten your abdominal muscles. Tuck your elbows by your sides and walk your feet forward 24 inches. Lift your hips off the chair. Lower your hips toward the floor, bending your elbows as you lower. Keep your elbows tucked as you descend. Stop when the back of your arms are parallel to the floor, push your arms to straight, lifting your hips in front of the chair. Complete 12 to 15 reps, stopping when your triceps fatigue.

Exercise provides an opportunity to get in shape with friends or family. Grab a weighted ball and a friend. Face one another and stand about 10 feet apart. Lift the ball in front of your chest and your elbows to your sides, parallel to the floor. Throw the ball to your friend without dropping your elbows. Pass the ball back and forth 12 to 15 times, stopping when your shoulders, arms and chest muscles fatigue. Stagger your stance, lift the ball overhead, bend your elbows and position the ball behind your head. In one motion, lift the ball over your head, straighten your arms and throw it to your partner. Continue passing until your shoulders, biceps and triceps fatigue, typically 12 to 15 times.

The jump and reach tones your calves, hips and butt. Stand up straight, bend your knees and position them above your ankles. Stick your hips out behind you and shift your weight onto your heels. Lower your hips toward the floor, stopping when your heels are about to lift off the floor. Straighten your arms and reach them behind you. Push through your heels and jump up while simultaneously swinging your arms overhead. Your body forms a straight line as you jump. Land softly on the middle of your feet and lower gently onto your heels. Make sure your knees are bent as you lower locking them may cause knee injury. Complete 12 to 15 reps, stopping when your muscles fatigue.

Single legged calf raises tone the calves. Isolating each leg prevents you from using the other calf during the lifts. Stand up straight, lift your right foot off the floor and shift your weight onto your left foot. Bend your left knee slightly, tighten your abdominal muscles and gaze forward. Push through your left heel and lift onto the ball of your left foot. Lift as high as possible, then lower your left heel to the floor. Shift your weight onto your left heel and repeat. Complete 12 to 15 repetitions, stopping when your calves fatigue.

Holding dumbbells during calf raises increases external resistance, placing more demands on your lower legs. Hold a moderately heavy dumbbell in each hand and stand up straight. Hang your arms by your sides, relax your shoulders and position your feet shoulder distance apart. Shift your weight onto your heels, then push through your heels and lift onto the balls of your feet. Pause in the elevated position, lower your feet to the floor and shift your weight onto your heels. Complete 12 to 15 repetitions, stopping when your calves fatigue.

Jumping jacks might not be your go to aerobic workout, but the benefits of performing them are huge. This high impact movement can burn major calories, but when done improperly can cause injuries to the lower body, particularly the ankles and knees. Its essential to perform jumping jacks correctly and focus on the quality rather than the quantity of the exercise to reduce risk to your joints.

Jumping jacks are a form of aerobic exercise. Your heart is challenged to pump harder to meet the increased oxygen demands of your muscles, according to a May 2011 article published online by Scientific American. As you do jumping jacks, your pulse increases and breathing is labored. These are signs that you are working your cardiovascular system. Incorporating jumping jacks into an exercise routine contributes to a stronger heart and more efficient cardiovascular system.

While the cardio benefits of performing jumping jacks are readily observed through changes in pulse and respiration, muscular benefits are not so obvious. They are felt, however, in the glutes, calves, abs and deltoids. The size of your muscles is not likely to increase from jumping jacks, but there will be a detectable increase in muscle strength, said certified exercise trainer Katie Brown, in an online article for Real Beauty. She cites jumping jacks as one of the top notch, high intensity exercises for building muscle endurance.

Another fitness expert, registered dietitian Joy Bauer of TODAY, recommends jumping jacks to boost calorie burning. As part of her Weight Loss Challenge program, she prescribes 100 jumping jacks done three times daily as an effective method for burning an additional 60 calories. If you are trying to lose a pound a week, that 60 calories can go toward the 500 calories you need to cut daily to meet your goal.

The real beauty of jumping jacks is that, for all the health benefits, you dont need to invest money in equipment or devote a great deal of time to reap the rewards. You know the drill: Spread the arms and legs as you jump, then jump again, bringing the arms to the sides and the legs together. Brown recommends 60 seconds of jumping jacks to begin, gradually increasing by 10 second increments as your endurance improves.