Cheerleading

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• QShould cheerleading flyers train differently that someone who is a base?

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  A National Academy of Sports Medicine answered

  Like most sports, there are different positions or specialties in cheerleading. This will require different training routines for each teammate based on what they are needed to do during the routine. If you are the base and the main job is to support, then training for strength and muscle endurance is very important. The conditioning should include upper-body equipment to work on your strength and endurance. A flyer might need to be lighter and need to perform more dynamic movements. In this case, working on power and speed is more beneficial, and workouts should consist of short, higher-intensity exercise.  Both groups must have a good cardio base to be able to perform the routine at a high level for a long period of time, so endurance training is vital.
• QWhat should cheerleaders do during pre-season training?

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  A National Academy of Sports Medicine answered

  The goal of pre-season cardiovascular training for cheerleading is to build a good aerobic base. For some cheerleaders, it might also mean weight management. To start the process for both building a base and weight loss, focus on building up the work capacity. This is done by doing lower-intensity work, on cardio equipment if possible, to reduce the pounding on your joints.  Pre-season training is meant to prepare you for the season ahead, so there is a fine line between preparing for the season and setting yourself up for burnout in the middle of the year. Building the work capacity slowly is a safe way to ensure you are peak at the right time during the season. Once you can handle at least thirty minutes of low-intensity training, increase your aerobic base by pushing the anaerobic threshold higher. Cheerleading made of up a series of anaerobic bursts, so strengthening the anaerobic system is very important.  By the end of the pre-season you should be doing more anaerobic training, working  on power and speed, and maintaining your endurance.
• QWill a cardio program provide leg strength and conditioning for cheer?

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  A National Academy of Sports Medicine answered

  Strong legs are important in all aspects of cheerleading. Squats, lunges, and calf raises are common exercises for leg workouts. To add conditioning to your session, you can use a bike or stair machine, which will give you the cardiovascular work you need while working on endurance and leg strength. The program should include hill climbs, where you will begin with low intensity and slowly add workload (level, watts, or incline) every minute until complete leg fatigue.  Reduce the workload to let the legs recover before repeating. The goal is to get to a higher workload over time, much like you would try to increase your weights during weight training workouts. Over the period of the workout and as your legs get stronger, the program will also stress the cardiovascular system.
  
• QShould I focus on sprints or endurance for cheerleading?

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  A National Academy of Sports Medicine answered

  Cheerleading is a series of high-intensity anaerobic bursts, but the length of the routine demands much from the aerobic system. This means you must work on your endurance training so you can maintain the routine at a high level of energy throughout. This type of training is done around your anaerobic threshold for longer periods, and can be done on cardio equipment to reduce the impact on your legs or joints. It can also be done with longer runs outside. The anaerobic system is needed for lifting or throwing a teammate. Not only do you have to perform this power movement, but you might have to repeat the movement many times during your routine. This will require the use of your anaerobic system. Training on cardio equipment that focuses on short, high-intensity bursts and using the total body is the most beneficial.
• QHow can I work circuit training into my cheerleading schedule?

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  A National Academy of Sports Medicine answered

  Circuit training is a great way to work both a cardiovascular and strength training session into a short timeframe.  For most cheerleaders, putting on a lot of muscle during the weight training session is not the goal. A cheerleader wants to get stronger, but conditioning is more important to success in a long routine. Circuit training is a good way to get the strength you need while continuing to build on your cardiovascular fitness. Because of the already high demands on the legs and upper body during competitions and practices, the circuit programs should have limited exercises. The upper-body exercises should focus on the larger muscle groups with exercises that will keep you in good form. The lower-body exercises should consist of squatting and plyometric exercises. The circuit should be short with limited rest and high repetitions.  Using medicine balls, exercise bands, and dumbbells allows for creativity in the exercises while enabling you to move from one exercise to the next quickly.
• QHow can I increase the height of my jumps?

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  A National Academy of Sports Medicine answered

  For you to increase the height of your jumps, you will need to increase your power. To increase power, however, you'll first need to increase the stability and strength of your core and lower extremities. To accomplish this, you can begin by performing squat jumps with stabilization to improve landing techniques and stability. Stand in a good athletic position with your feet should width apart and pointing straight ahead. Then, while keeping your stomach tight, squat down and jump up as high as you can. Land softly keeping your feet straight and knees in line with your toes as you land. Hold the landing position for 3 seconds and repeat. You can perform 2 sets of 10 repetitions. Once you have established good stability and landing mechanics, you can perform the squat jumps faster in a more repeated fashion with less time holding the landing. Finally, progress to squat jumps performed as fast and explosively as possible, which will ultimately improve overall power in your core and lower extremity. Again, you can perform 2 sets of 10 repetitions. <br />
• QIs genetics preventing me from doing a scorpion?

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  A National Academy of Sports Medicine answered

  Assuming that you have incorporated flexibility training into your program correctly, there might be other limiting factors that will prevent you from doing a scorpion. If you have a longer torso with shorter arms and legs, it might be more difficult for you to reach your arms from the top of the back of your head to your foot. Conversely, if you have a shorter torso with longer legs, you have more length from which you can grab your limbs and pull your leg to the back of your head. Regardless, high levels of flexibility in your hips and latissimus dorsi (back muscle) will be crucial for your to be able to hold a scorpion pose.
• QWhat stretching should I be doing to make my legs straighter in my jumps?

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  A National Academy of Sports Medicine answered

   In order to make sure that your legs are straighter in your jumps, you will want to work to improve flexibility in your hamstrings and inner thighs. Improving flexibility in these areas will require you to apply two types of flexibility training. The first is called foam rolling and it is a form of self massage that releases the “knots” in your muscle tissue. When foam rolling, you place your body weight on the roller and slowly roll back and forth until you find a tender area. Once you have located a sensitive spot, hold the position on the area for 20 – 30 seconds. This is the adequate amount of time necessary to reduce the over activity in the adhesion, or knot. After you have foam rolled your hamstrings and inner thighs, you will then want to apply static stretching techniques. In static stretching, you will hold a stretch for 30 seconds in order to further lengthen the muscle. In order to stretch your hamstrings, you can lie down on the ground and extend one leg up in the air. From there you can hold the back of your leg and slowly bring closer to your chest. When stretching your inner thigh, step as wide as possible while still keeping the feet pointing straight ahead. Then, you will want to take a half of a step forward and lunge slightly toward the stepping leg. This will create a stretch in the inner thigh of the straight leg.

• QWhat is the most common cheerleading injury?

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  A National Academy of Sports Medicine answered

  The most common cheerleading injury is an ankle sprain. Because cheerleading requires constant jumping and landing, sometimes for great heights, if you have poor landing mechanics and/or ankle stability, it is very easy to sprain your ankle. To help improve ankle stability, you can perform a simple balance exercise such as a single-leg balance reach. Keep you hands on your hips and balance on one leg, keeping the glute of the balance leg tight. Next, reach the floating leg out in front of you and hold for 3 seconds. Then bring it back while maintaining balance. Next reach the floating leg out to the side, hold for 3 seconds and bring it back to center while maintaining balance. Lastly, slowly reach the floating leg back behind you, hold for 3 seconds and back to center. Repeat 5 times in each direction and then switch legs. Make sure to keep the gluteal of the balance leg tight the whole time and keep the knee in line with the toes. After this has been done, you can perform an exercise to help improve landing mechanics while challenging ankle stability. This can be done by performing squat jumps with a hold. To perform, get yourself in a good athletic position keeping your feet straight and your knees in line with your toes. Squat down and jump up as high as you can control. Land softly, keeping the feet straight and knees in line with the toes. Hold the landing for 3 seconds and repeat 8-10 times. A key part to performing this exercise is to not allow your knees to cave inward before you jump in the air or when you land. This will help take stress off the knees. You can perform 1-3 sets of each exercise.

• QWhat else can I do besides stretching to make my legs straighter in jumps?

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  A National Academy of Sports Medicine answered

  Many times your legs may bend during a jump because of tightness in the muscles in the back of the leg (or hamstrings) that are responsible for bending the knee. So stretching of these muscles will be important. However, it will be equally important that you strengthen the muscles of your hips (gluteals) to take the stress off the hamstrings when jumping. An exercise that can be preformed after stretching your hamstrings to help strengthen your gluteals would be a floor bridge. Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet on the floor. Keep the feet straight and the knees in line with the toes. Tighten you stomach and gluteals and lift your hips off the floor to the point where the knees, hips and shoulder are in alignment. Hold this position for 1-2 seconds and slowly lower your hips back to the ground and repeat. Perform 1-3 sets of 10-15 repetitions. As a progression, you can perform this same movement while lying on a stability ball to challenge your ability to stabilize yourself.