While cheerleading requires extensive flexibility, any athletic activity you participate in requires a thorough warm-up. For cheerleading, start with 10 to 15 minutes of cardiovascular exercise to get blood pumping to your muscles. Next perform a full-body dynamic or active stretching routine. Finally, incorporate static stretches for the muscle groups you will use most in cheerleading.
Upper Body
The motions, tumbling and stunts of cheerleading call upon the muscles of your chest and shoulders. Stretch your pectoralis muscles in your chest and your deltoid muscles in your shoulders from a standing position (see Reference 4). Grab your hands behind your rear end and extend your arms until they are straight. Gently lift your arms up and away from your body. You can also do this stretch with a partner standing behind you. Your partner grabs your forearms and pulls them toward each other and away from your body.
Core Muscles
The abdominal and back muscles of your core help you in every category of cheerleading. They help you stand straight when cheering, lift your legs into jump positions, flip your body and steady a stunt. Stretch your erector spinae muscles in your back and your rectus abdominis muscles in your stomach before cheerleading. Kneel with your hands directly under your shoulders and your knees directly under your hips. Start with your back flat and your eyes gazing at the floor. Pull your abdominal muscles up toward your spine, rounding your back and dropping your head to look at your thighs. Next, drop your belly button toward the ground, arching your back and lifting your head to look at the ceiling. Flow back and forth between these positions three to five times.
Thighs
To jump, tumble and stunt you need strong thighs, which will definitely get a workout when you are cheering. Stretch the muscles on the front and back of your thighs before you practice or perform. Balance on one foot with one hand on a wall for support. Use your other hand to pull the foot of your free leg in toward your rear end. Keep your knee pointing toward the ground to stretch your quadriceps on the front of your thigh. Next, release your foot and stretch it out in front of you with your heel on the ground and your toe pointing up. The leg you are standing on should be slightly bent. Place both of your hands on your supporting leg to balance yourself. Lean forward, aiming your chest for your thigh and feeling the stretch in your hamstring in the back of your extended leg.
Calves
The jumps and tumbling you do in cheerleading require a lot of work from your calf muscles. Both your gastrocnemius and soleus muscles on the back of your lower leg need to be stretched before you cheer. Stand facing a wall. Place both hands on the wall and extend one leg behind you. Point your back toe at the wall, and press your back heel into the ground. Keeping your back leg straight, lean in toward the wall stretching your gastrocnemius. Next perform the same stretch with a bent back knee to isolate your soleus muscle.
References
- The Stretching Institute: Cheerleading Stretches and Flexibility Exercises
- Sportsinjuryclinic.net: Types of Stretches
- Sportsinjuryclinic.net: Chest Stretch with a Partner
- Sportsinjuryclinic.net: Anterior Shoulder Stretch
- Yoga Journa: Cat Pose
- Yoga Journal: Cow Pose
- Sportsinjuryclinic.net: Standing Quadriceps Stretch
- Sportsinjuryclinic.net: Standing Hamstring Stretch
- Sportsinjuryclinic.net: Gastrocnemius Stretch
