Cheerleading is a highly physical activity with many elite skills that require a high degree of fitness and strength. Understanding the muscle components involved in cheerleading can help you make training choices that will tailor your workout to your cheerleading needs. Devote time to training each of the muscle groups you need for cheerleading to create balanced strength.
Jumps
The most prominent muscles used when jumping are your gastrocnemius and soleus muscles. These muscles are located in the lower part of your leg, or your calf. They will help you propel yourself upward, and strengthening them will improve the height of your jumps. Consider plyometric exercises that will train your muscles for power. In a jump drill, you do several jumps in a row without taking an extra bounce in between. The action of landing with your knees slightly bent and immediately springing back up into another jump is a plyometric exercise that will help you increase the power you get from your calf muscles. Pick any jump you are working to master, such as the tuck jump, where your knees bend up to your chest and your arms hit a high "V" motion. Repeat five tuck jumps in a row. Take a break and then do another drill for each of the jumps you know.
Stunting
In a stunt, one or more cheerleaders lifts another cheerleader in the air. Your powerhouse for stunting resides in the muscles of your upper legs and rear end. Your hamstrings, located in the back of your thigh, and your quadriceps, located in the front of your thigh, initiate the power for your stunts. Use them by dipping deeply to begin a stunt. Your glutes, located in your rear end, activate as you push a stunt up. They are the true power behind stunts and tosses. A good way to train these muscle groups is with squats. Stand with your feet hip-width apart and bend your knees deeply, jutting your rear end out behind you. You can do a bodyweight squat or add weights such as a barbell across your shoulders or medicine ball gripped in both hands. Work up to three sets of 12 squats.
Tumbling
Tumbling is a full-body experience. It uses all of the muscles so far mentioned: calf muscles, thigh muscles and gluteal muscles. In tumbling, it is also important to have a strong upper body. Your deltoid muscles in your shoulders and your biceps and triceps muscles in your upper arm will help you perform power-building tumbling skills such as a round-off and a back handspring. The best way to strengthen these muscles is with pushups. Perform five or more sets of 10 pushups every day. If you feel you need more difficulty, do a few sets of handstand pushups. Kick up into a handstand against the wall. Bend your arms, lowering your head to the ground, and push back up until your arms are straight.
Core Muscles
In jumping, tumbling and stunting, you will use the muscles of your core. The transversus abdominus and diaphragm in your abdomen, along with the multifidis in your back as well as your pelvic floor muscles will help you in every cheerleading move you make. When doing a toe touch, your core muscles help you lift your legs higher. When stunting, your core muscles help you hold the stunt steadier. In tumbling, strong core muscles will help you hold your body in the correct position throughout the skill. A good way to train these muscles is by holding a plank position. You can do a plank in a pushup position with your hands on the ground or with your forearms resting on the ground. Stretch your straight legs out behind you and balance on the balls of your feet. Keep your body perfectly straight. Hold your abdominal muscle in toward your spine the entire time. Hold a plank for 30 to 60 seconds.
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