Verywell Health asked me how many jumping jacks you should be able to do at your age, for an article on jumping jack targets by age. The honest answer is that there is no official standard. There are no research-based age norms for jumping jacks the way there are for grip strength or VO2 max. Rough targets are still useful, as long as you treat them as a baseline to improve on rather than a pass-or-fail score. This is the longer version of my answer, with the sources.
If you have chest pain, unusual shortness of breath, dizziness or a known heart condition, get cleared by your doctor before you try this.
Rough targets by age
These are the targets I gave Verywell. They assume you are healthy and doing full jumping jacks with good form.
| Age | Rough target |
|---|---|
| 5–9 | About 5 in 10 seconds, rising to 8–10 in 10 seconds by age 9 |
| 10–39 | 40–60 per minute |
| 40–59 | 30–50 per minute |
| 60–69 | 20–40 per minute |
| 70 and older | 10–20 controlled reps, or a low-impact version |
The ranges drop with age because the average person loses muscle power and aerobic capacity each decade unless they train for it, not because a 60-year-old cannot do 60. Plenty of fit people in their sixties beat the target for people in their forties. In young children the count is as much about coordination as fitness.
How to test yourself
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Warm up first
March in place or walk briskly for two to three minutes so your heart, joints and calves are ready.
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Count full reps for one minute
Start with your feet together and arms at your sides. Jump your feet out wider than your hips as your arms go overhead, then jump back. Out and back counts as one. Land softly on slightly bent knees.
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Note when you get winded
Write down your count and roughly when your breathing got hard. Getting winded within the first 20–30 seconds may suggest lower aerobic capacity.
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Retest in four to six weeks
Same time of day, same surface, same shoes. The trend tells you more than any single number.
Form matters more than speed. If your form falls apart to hit a number, slow down. The count is only useful if the reps are real.
What your count says about you
A jumping jack looks simple, but it tests four things at once:
Coordination
Arms and legs in sync
Both sides of the body have to move together, in rhythm, for a full minute.
Balance
Every landing is a test
Each landing asks your ankles, hips and core to steady you. Those skills fade with age, and they are what keep you from falling.
Power
A quick push off the ground
Every jump takes a fast, forceful contraction from your calves, thighs and hips.
Cardio
Vigorous exercise
A brisk minute of jumping jacks rates about 8 METs in the Compendium of Physical Activities, which counts as vigorous exercise.1
Power is what fades first
The fast-twitch (type II) muscle fibers responsible for explosive movement tend to decline with age. In a study comparing young and older men, the loss of thigh muscle with aging came mainly from shrinking type II fibers, while the slow-twitch fibers were about the same size in both groups.2 Muscle power, which is strength times speed, also falls earlier and faster than strength itself, and it is more closely tied to how well older adults manage daily life.3
That matters well beyond a fitness test. Power is what gets you out of a low chair and up a curb, and what lets you catch yourself after a trip or a loss of balance.
Getting winded early is a fitness signal
If you are breathing hard within 20–30 seconds, that may suggest lower aerobic capacity. It is worth taking seriously, because cardiorespiratory fitness is one of the strongest predictors of how long people live. In a study of more than 122,000 patients who had treadmill testing, being in the lowest fitness group carried a risk of death comparable to or greater than smoking, diabetes or coronary artery disease, and there was no upper limit to the benefit of being fitter.4 I cover the numbers in VO2 max and grip strength as predictors of lifespan.
Why your number may be lower
Your count depends on much more than your age. Men often do a few more reps on average because they tend to have more muscle mass, but fitness level outweighs sex. Several health problems can also limit performance:
- Joint pain in the knees, hips, ankles or feet, which repeated landings aggravate
- Excess weight, which raises the load on every landing and the effort of every jump
- Pelvic floor problems, especially after childbirth or menopause. Leaking with high-impact exercise such as jumping and running is common, even in young athletes.5 It is not something you have to live with: pelvic floor muscle training, often with a pelvic floor physical therapist, is the first-line treatment.
- Neuropathy, which dulls feeling in the feet and makes landings and balance less certain
- Heart or lung disease, which limits how much oxygen reaches working muscles
If one of these is holding you back, the low-impact version below gives you most of the same test without the landings.
The low-impact version
If jumping bothers your joints or your balance, do a step jack. Step one foot out to the side as your arms go overhead, bring it back, then step out with the other foot. You keep most of the coordination and cardio challenge with no landings. For people 70 and older, 10–20 controlled reps of either version is a reasonable target.
When to stop and see a doctor
Anyone with chest pain, unusual shortness of breath, dizziness, or a known heart condition should get cleared by their doctor first and not push through. During the test, stop if you get chest discomfort, feel faint or lightheaded, or notice a racing or irregular heartbeat.
It is also worth an appointment if your count has dropped noticeably from a few months ago, or if you now get winded doing things that used to be easy. That pattern deserves a proper workup: oxygen levels, an EKG, blood work and, when it is warranted, a cardiopulmonary exercise test. I walk through it in what it means if one flight of stairs leaves you winded.
How to raise your count
The Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans cover most of what moves this number.6
Base
150 minutes of moderate cardio a week
Brisk walking, cycling or swimming, spread across the week. Most of it should be conversational, the zone 2 effort that builds the base.
Strength
Twice a week
Squats, lunges, step-ups and calf raises build the legs that do the jumping.
Power
Do some of it faster
Stand up quickly from a chair and lower yourself slowly, or do brisk step-ups. Speed is what trains the fast-twitch fibers that fade first.
Balance
A few minutes most days
Single-leg stands next to a counter are enough to start. The guidelines recommend balance training for all older adults.
Retest every four to six weeks. Most people notice their count climb and their recovery get faster within four to eight weeks of consistent training.
Measure what actually matters
A jumping jack count is a quick, free check, but a rough one. A clearer picture comes from a measured fitness test, grip strength and body composition alongside the right labs, and then a training plan built around the results, with numbers you can retest.
Frequently asked questions
How many jumping jacks should I be able to do in a minute?
There is no official standard. As rough targets for healthy people: about 40 to 60 per minute at ages 10 to 39, 30 to 50 at 40 to 59, 20 to 40 at 60 to 69, and 10 to 20 controlled reps or a low-impact version at 70 and older. Treat these as a baseline to improve on, not a pass-or-fail score.
What do jumping jacks say about my fitness?
They test four things at once: coordination (arms and legs moving together), balance (controlling every landing), muscle power (the quick push off the ground) and cardiovascular fitness (keeping up for a full minute). Power and balance tend to fade with age, and they are what help you catch yourself after a trip.
Is it normal to get winded after 30 seconds of jumping jacks?
Jumping jacks at a brisk pace are vigorous exercise, so breathing hard by the end of a minute is expected. Getting winded within the first 20 to 30 seconds may suggest lower aerobic capacity, which improves with regular cardio. If it is new, getting worse, or comes with chest pain, dizziness or a racing heartbeat, see a doctor.
Do men do more jumping jacks than women?
Men often do a few more reps on average because they tend to have more muscle mass, but fitness level matters more than sex.
Who should not do jumping jacks?
Anyone with chest pain, unusual shortness of breath, dizziness or a known heart condition should get cleared by a doctor first and not push through. People with joint pain, balance problems, neuropathy or pelvic floor problems can use a low-impact step jack instead: step one foot out at a time while raising the arms.
References
Ainsworth BE, Haskell WL, Herrmann SD, et al. “2011 Compendium of Physical Activities: a second update of codes and MET values.” Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise 43, no. 8 (2011): 1575–1581. DOI: 10.1249/MSS.0b013e31821ece12
Nilwik R, Snijders T, Leenders M, et al. “The decline in skeletal muscle mass with aging is mainly attributed to a reduction in type II muscle fiber size.” Experimental Gerontology 48, no. 5 (2013): 492–498. DOI: 10.1016/j.exger.2013.02.012
Reid KF, Fielding RA. “Skeletal muscle power: a critical determinant of physical functioning in older adults.” Exercise and Sport Sciences Reviews 40, no. 1 (2012): 4–12. DOI: 10.1097/JES.0b013e31823b5f13
Mandsager K, Harb S, Cremer P, et al. “Association of cardiorespiratory fitness with long-term mortality among adults undergoing exercise treadmill testing.” JAMA Network Open 1, no. 6 (2018): e183605. DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2018.3605
Bø K. “Urinary incontinence, pelvic floor dysfunction, exercise and sport.” Sports Medicine 34, no. 7 (2004): 451–464. DOI: 10.2165/00007256-200434070-00004
Piercy KL, Troiano RP, Ballard RM, et al. “The Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans.” JAMA 320, no. 19 (2018): 2020–2028. DOI: 10.1001/jama.2018.14854
Ferraro K. “How Many Jumping Jacks Should You Be Able to Do By Age.” Verywell Health, October 27, 2026. Quotes Dr. Luke Sorrell. verywellhealth.com