Fitness & Flexibility

CHEER WORK-OUT

Work-out for 5 days a week

Monday, Wednesday and Friday (Strengthening and Power)

Tuesday/Thursday (Endurance and aerobics)

AIM of EXERCISING
(1) conditioning
(2) strength
(3) flexibility
(4) Joint range of motion

STEP ONE (5 minutes)
Always START with a warm-up phrase (You should warm-up the body until you break a light sweat or feel comfortably warmed-up)
(1) to elevate body temperature
(2) to promote blood flow
(3) To prepare body to work
Examples:                                                                           

STEP TWO (ten minutes)
Stretching: Hold stretch for 30 counts, do not bounce.
It is important that you stretch every part of your body!
Sitting on the floor you can cover a wide range of muscles

• Legs together straight out in front and lean forward and pull toes toward body: calves, upper back of the legs, gluts and lower back. (gastrocnemius, hamstrings, gluteus maximus and erector spinae)
• Straddle legs and lean to one side, point toes, arm overhead. Reverse. Center. Stretches inside thighs, lower back, and front of lower legs. (abductor magnus, latissimus dorsi, anterior tibialis)
• Lay on back, bend knees into chest. Stretches all the back muscles.lay on back, bend one knee into chest them open leg out with knee bent. Reverse. (Hip Flexor)
• Diamond stretch (soles of the feet together). Stretches inside thighs and back.
• Beauty Queen Stretch: Bend one knee and cross over other leg that is extended straight out on the floor. Rotate trunk to opposite side , i.e. if right leg is crossed over left leg, rotate your trunk to right). Reverse. Stretches waistline (obliques)
• Clasp hands together in front of body and pull forward. Stretches arms and shoulders.Repeat with arms overhead, then lean to one side and reverse. Repeat with arms clasp behind back. Stretches chest.
• One had grabs the other and pulls hand back, then push hand down. Reverse hands. Stretches wrists

Standing:

• Lift leg back and grab foot. Keep knee bent beside other leg. Reverse. Stretches quadriceps.
• Tilt head toward shoulder. Reverse. Stretches neck.

There are many other ways to stretch these muscle groups. Be creative and change the stretches. For example, do most of the above floor stretches standing or use the wall to assist in the stretching.

M/W/F ROUTINE

These are our weight training days. Keep a chart and track your progress.

Focus on proper technique and alignment. Stretch in between.

Depending on the condition of cheerleaders, you need to decide on how many sets of 10 reps they do.  Start off easy and work into more sets.

LEGS-STRENGTH

Use your body weight to work your legs.

• Standing squats: feet apart and toes pointing forward (no turn-out second position plies). Keep your back straight, abdomen in tight, knees over your toes. Do not squad any lower then 90 degree angle.
• Double lunges. Right leg steps forward and bend both knees. Reverse with left leg forward. Alignment is very important on this one!
• Sit on floor, straddle leg lifts. Do right, then left, then both together.

ABDOMINALS

LEGS-POWER (PLYOMETRIC)

• Repeating tuck jumps . Concentrate on height and landing on the ball of the foot then heel down. This will help them to understand how to land their cheer jumps preventing the flat-footed, loud clunk-type landing.
• Partner straddle jumps: 2 people face each other and grabs each other's arms. One turns palms up as the other turns palms down. One partner supports part of the body weight as the other straddle jumps concentrating on height, pointed toes, and repetition. Change jump person.

ARMS , SHOULDERS, BACK & CHEST

With dumb bells.  If you don’t have dumb bells you can use water bottles or soup cans instead, anything that would equal a weight of about 5 lbs.

ARMS -POWER (PLYOMETRIC)

• Push Up Depth Jump: Assume a push-up position. Make sure your back is straight and contract your abdominals. Hands are shoulder wide apart. Push off the ground with your hands and catch yourself with elbows extended 90 degrees out form your body and hands directly under your elbows. Basically jump your hands out. Remove one hand at a time and place back to standing position. Only do a few of these and built up to 10. Again body alignment is very important.
• Push Press: Using a barbell, start with feet together, barbell at shoulder level, palms facing out. Bend at knees and hop feet apart as barbell is extended overhead. Return to starting position and repeat.

WRIST

• Curls: Lay arm and elbow on a table with wrist hanging ever the edge, palm facing up. With light weights curl wrist. Return to starting position and repeat. Change hands.
• Extended: Assume same position as above except palm is facing down. This time start with wrist bent and extend downward. Return to starting position and repeat. Change hands.

Finish with a 1 mile jog/walk, then stretch.

TUESDAY/THURSDAY ROUTINE

Do one hour of aerobics and conditioning (always remembering to warm-up and stretch). Aerobics can be dance aerobics, step aerobics, running, jump lines with jogging in between, stations. Anything that gets the heart rate up to a training rate (roughly 160 beats per minute). This is the part that you can be creative.

What is Flexibility?

Flexibility is the ability of a joint to move in a full range of motion. It is the ability to stretch your arms, legs, and other joints of your body. It is also the elasticity of the muscles and ligaments surrounding the joint. Stretching improves flexibility.

Why Become More Flexible?

The benefits of improving your flexibility are many. Here are just a few good reasons:

• Flexibility improves your performance. When a joint is flexible it will take less energy to move it in a greater range of motion.
• Prevents injury and soreness. Stretching improves muscular balance and relaxation and also decreases the resistance of your tissues, therefore you are less likely to become injured or sore.
• Flexibility (stretching) increases blood supply and nutrients to your joints and surrounding tissue. This in turn promotes greater elasticity and improved performance.
• Improves muscle coordination. Stretching improves the time a nerve impulse takes to travel to your brain and back. This helps muscle groups to work together and improves coordination.

How To Increase Your Flexibility

There are two sayings that are you should keep in mind when trying to improve your flexibility. The first one is - "Use It or Lose It" - Your muscles, tendons and ligaments need a constant reminder of their ability to stretch. It is important to stretch all groups from your neck to your toes. And the second saying is - "Over Time, Not Overnight" - Increased flexibility takes time, it does not happen overnight. Work at it every chance you get, while you're watching TV, talking on the phone, reading a magazine, or sitting at your computer. Keep stretching. Here are some tips to keep in mind while stretching:

• Stretch every day, more if possible.
• Warm-up before you stretch. Never stretch a cold muscle.
• Stretch only to the point that you feel a tug. You should not feel pain and should never bounce.
• Hold each stretch 10 -30 seconds then relax and repeat. As you improve, take your stretch a little further, but never to the point of extreme pain.
• Always stretch both sides of your body in the same way and stretch all muscles groups (i.e. calf, hamstrings, arms, shoulders, groin).
• Breathe correctly. Exhale as you begin your stretch and then relax and breath normally. Do not hold your breath while stretching or tense up. Relax and concentrate.