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Introducing the STARcember monthly exercise challenge, this month we’re going to be doing Star Jumps, also known as Jumping Jacks. And I thought the STAR was appropriate for the time of year.
The Star Jump challenge starts off with moderate intensity and descends before heading back up again towards New Year’s Eve for your Star Jump finally. Don’t worry, we’re giving you Christmas Day off! Thank us later.
My bet is that whoever you are, you already know what a Star Jump is. It is symbolic of exercise in general, incredibly simple and underused. And therefore is an excellent body-weight cardio exercise, if nothing else, make sure you use this exercise in your next workout. And if you want a challenge, well here it is, read on.
The Star Jump (Jumping Jack)
All my challenges are suitable for varying abilities and fitness levels and this one is no different. This challenge has three levels of intensity you can choose from starting with a one-leg Star Jump (Half Star Jump) to Regular Star Jumps and up to an Explosive Star Jump.
A star jump, also known as a jumping jack or side-straddle hop, is a type of calisthenic exercise that involves jumping with the legs spread out and the arms raised overhead, then bringing the legs together and the arms down to the sides. To do a star jump, follow these steps:
- Stand with your feet together and your arms down at your sides.
- Jump into the air and spread your legs out to the sides, so that your feet land wider than hip-width apart.
- At the same time, raise your arms overhead and clap your hands together.
- Jump back to the starting position, bringing your legs together and your arms down to your sides.
- Repeat the movement for the desired number of repetitions.
Star jumps are a great full-body exercise that can help improve cardiovascular fitness, increase muscle strength, and improve coordination and balance. They can be done as part of a workout routine or as a standalone exercise. It is important to perform the exercise with good form to maximize the benefits and avoid injury.
However, If you don’t think even the Explosive Star Jump will challenge you (you must be fit) there are some tips at the end of this article on how to up the intensity further.
Joining in Checklist
- Download the Target Guide
- Download the Scoring Sheet
- Create accountability by sharing with a friend to join you and posting on your social channels.
- Track your exercise level and target each day and score yourself on your efforts.
Target Guide
Below you can download the target guide, save it to your phone or print and pin it to your fridge, don’t forget to also download the scoring sheet.
Scoring the Challenge
The challenge is split into three levels, each with a corresponding number of star jumps to be performed each day. Participants can choose to stick to one level or mix and match, going up or down a level as desired. Each level has a score associated with it, and participants can track their progress and total score for the month using the free-scoring sheet available for download. This allows participants to monitor their progress and see how they are doing compared to others in the challenge. The challenge is designed to help participants improve their fitness and prepare for their end-of-month celebrations.
December Starcember StarJump Exercise Challenge Scoring Sheet 73.36 KB 17 downloads
Scoring sheet and daily targets for the December Star Jump Exercise Challenge (Starcember) Use…One or more columns doesn't have a header. Please enter headers for all columns in order to proceed.
Exercise Challenge Design
Looking at the chart below, you will notice the repetitions go down before ascending again. This is known as a Descending Pyramid or upside-down pyramid, this challenge starts at a relatively high level before descending and then ascending again. Ultimately, you finish on a higher level from where you started.
This type of programme would allow you to increase the intensity of the exercise as you descend.
While the repetitions are lower you can opt for a high-intensity star jump, perhaps an explosive star jump. Continue doing these until you can no longer match the repetitions and revert back to regular star jumps. As a result, the intensity is kept high throughout the challenge and enables you to perform high-intensity exercises during parts of the challenge.
Starcember Targets Table
Half Star Jump
1 x BONUS POINTS
This beginner exercise is low impact and a great start for those with bad knees or new to exercise.
- Star standing and step out to one side with one leg (the foot can either touch the floor or be elevated)
- Simultaneous raise both arms horizontally or above.
- Bring the foot back to start and repeat with the opposite leg.
- Continue in this fashion for the desired amount of repetitions.
Star Jumps (Jumping Jacks)
2 x BONUS POINTS
The star jump is a simple aerobic training exercise involving jumping in a “star” jump fashion, this exercise is also known as a Jumping Jack.
- Start with 2 feet together.
- Jump out astride so your feet are about 1 and a half times hip-width apart.
- At the same time raise your arms lateral to shoulder height or more.
- Jump back into the start position while simultaneously lowering your hands to the original position.
- Repeat for the desired amount of repetitions.
Explosive Star Jumps
3 x BONUS POINTS
The variation of a regular star jump is the Explosive Star Jump, this exercise adds a plyometric and power action to this exercise creating more intensity.
- Start with 2 feet together.
- Tuck down and wrap arms around knees or hands to feet.
- Explosively Jump out into a star shape.
- As you return to land with feet together and tuck down to the original start position.
- Use the stretch reflex to push immediately back up in the Explosive Star Jump.
- Repeat for the desired amount of repetitions.
How to up the intensity
Add ankle & wrist weights to increase the intensity of this exercise, these can be used for any variation of the exercises above.
