How Many Calories Do Jumping Jacks Burn? Full Breakdown
How many calories do jumping jacks burn? About 8-12 cal/min, so a 70kg person burns roughly 100 calories in 10 minutes. See tables by weight, time, and reps.
Jumping jacks burn approximately 8-12 calories per minute, so a 70kg (154lb) person burns about 100 calories in 10 minutes at a moderate pace. Your exact burn depends on body weight, intensity, and how long you keep moving.
How Many Calories Jumping Jacks Burn
Jumping jacks are a full-body cardio move that works your legs, shoulders, and core all at once. That whole-body recruitment is why the calorie burn rate is relatively high for a bodyweight exercise.
At a moderate pace (around 50-60 reps per minute, roughly 7.5 METs), an average adult burns 8-12 calories per minute. Over a typical 10-minute set, that adds up to roughly 80-120 calories depending on your size and effort.
The two biggest factors are simple: how much you weigh and how hard you go. A heavier body moves more mass with every jump, and a faster, fuller range of motion raises the intensity. Everything else, fitness level, age, and rest pauses, just nudges the number up or down from there.
Calories Per Minute by Body Weight
Heavier bodies burn more calories doing the same movement. This table shows per-minute burn at a moderate pace (~7.5 METs).
| Body Weight | Calories Per Minute |
|---|---|
| 50 kg (110 lb) | 6.3 kcal/min |
| 60 kg (132 lb) | 7.5 kcal/min |
| 70 kg (154 lb) | 8.8 kcal/min |
| 80 kg (176 lb) | 10.0 kcal/min |
| 90 kg (198 lb) | 11.3 kcal/min |
| 100 kg (220 lb) | 12.5 kcal/min |
At a vigorous pace, add roughly 20-25% to these figures. At a light, warm-up pace, subtract about 15%.
Calories by Duration
Here is how the burn accumulates over common workout lengths at a moderate pace, broken out by body weight.
| Body Weight | 5 Min | 10 Min | 15 Min | 20 Min |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 50 kg | 31 kcal | 63 kcal | 94 kcal | 125 kcal |
| 60 kg | 38 kcal | 75 kcal | 113 kcal | 150 kcal |
| 70 kg | 44 kcal | 88 kcal | 131 kcal | 175 kcal |
| 80 kg | 50 kcal | 100 kcal | 150 kcal | 200 kcal |
| 90 kg | 56 kcal | 113 kcal | 169 kcal | 225 kcal |
| 100 kg | 63 kcal | 125 kcal | 188 kcal | 250 kcal |
A 70kg person hits the well-known ~100 calories in roughly 11-12 minutes at this moderate pace.
Calories by Number of Jumping Jacks
If you count reps instead of minutes, a single jumping jack burns roughly 0.15-0.25 calories. The table below uses a 70kg adult at moderate effort.
| Number of Jumping Jacks | Approx. Calories (70 kg) | Approx. Time |
|---|---|---|
| 100 | 15-20 kcal | ~2 minutes |
| 500 | 75-100 kcal | ~8-10 minutes |
| 1000 | 150-200 kcal | ~17-20 minutes |
Lighter people land near the bottom of each range, and heavier people near the top. Speed matters too: powering through 100 reps in 90 seconds burns slightly more per rep than a slow, paused version.
What Affects the Burn
Several factors push your real-world number above or below the table averages:
- Body weight — the single biggest driver. More mass means more energy per jump.
- Intensity and pace — fast, explosive reps can lift you from 7.5 METs into the 9+ MET vigorous range.
- Range of motion — full arm extension overhead and a wide stance burn more than half-hearted reps.
- Rest pauses — stopping between sets lowers your average per-minute burn.
- Fitness level — a highly conditioned body is more efficient and may burn slightly less for the same work.
- Muscle mass — more lean tissue raises your baseline metabolic demand.
How to Burn More
Want to squeeze more calories out of the same time? Try these:
- Pick up the pace. Moving from a light to a vigorous tempo can add 25% or more to your per-minute burn.
- Go full range. Reach arms fully overhead and clap your hands; widen your stance on landing.
- Use HIIT intervals. Alternate 30 seconds all-out with 15 seconds rest to keep average intensity high.
- Stack longer sets. Pushing from 10 to 20 minutes roughly doubles total calories.
- Add a weighted vest. Even a light vest increases effective body weight and burn.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many calories do jumping jacks burn in 10 minutes? A 70kg (154lb) person burns about 100 calories in 10 minutes of moderate-pace jumping jacks. Lighter people burn closer to 65-75, and heavier people 110-125.
How many calories does 100 jumping jacks burn? Roughly 15-20 calories for an average 70kg adult, depending on speed and range of motion. That works out to about 0.15-0.25 calories per rep.
Are jumping jacks good for losing weight? Yes. They burn 8-12 calories per minute and require no equipment, making them an efficient way to add a calorie deficit. Pair them with a balanced diet for steady fat loss.
Do jumping jacks burn belly fat specifically? No exercise targets fat in one spot. Jumping jacks burn overall calories, which reduces total body fat, including around the belly, over time.
Calculate Your Exact Burn
Want a number tailored to your weight, pace, and workout length? Run the figures through our free tool:
Jumping Jack Calorie Calculator →
Related Guides
- Jumping Jacks Calories Per Minute — Per-minute and per-rep breakdown
- Jumping Jacks for Weight Loss — Build a fat-loss routine