10:26
Faizan
Cheerleading requires a lot of strength, balance and flexibility in order to do all the jumping, acrobatic tumbling and stunts involved in the sport. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, ankle sprains are the most common type of cheerleading injury, but knee, wrist and head injuries also very common. Proper training in doing stunts and jumps can help prevent some of those injuries, though doing exercises to strengthen your ankles and wrists might also help. Before you do any of these cheerleading exercises, warm up for five to 10 minutes by doing some type of light cardio, such as walking or jogging.
Perform wrist curl exercises to strengthen the wrists and forearms. Hold a dumbbell in each hand and sit on a chair, leaning forward to rest your forearms on your knees, palms facing up. Allow your wrists to drop backward toward the floor. Keep your forearms on your knees as you curl your wrists upward until your palms are parallel with your forearms. Repeat this exercise 12 to 15 times, take a short break and then do a second set.
Flip the position of your arms to do another type of wrist curl exercise that will further strengthen your forearms and wrists. This time, hold the dumbbells and rest your forearms on your knees with your palms facing down toward the floor. Allow your hands to drop down toward the floor. Raise your wrists upward as far as you can go, and then lower them back down. Repeat the entire motion 12 to 15 times, take a break and then do a second set.
Place your hands on a pullup bar, about shoulder-width apart. Grip the bar tightly and take your feet off the floor. Hold this hanging position as long as you can. This helps build strength in the wrists but also develops grip strength -- something that can come in handy if you're the base for stunts such as a pyramid or basket toss.
Ankles
Sit on a chair or on the floor and extend a leg out in front of you. Practice writing the alphabet with one big toe, and then the other. This puts your ankle through a wide range of motion and helps to strengthen the foot and ankle as you also develop dexterity.
Stay seated and point and flex your foot, holding each position for a few seconds. Point and flex each foot 10 times, take a short break and then repeat. As you get stronger, incorporate a resistance band into the exercise. Place the middle of the resistance band around the ball of your foot, hold the two ends in your hand to create tension on the band, then point and flex your foot against this added tension. Then have a friend hold the ends of the band as you wrap the middle of the band around the top of your foot, positioning your friend in front of you far enough to create tension on the band. Now point and flex again 10 times.
Take a cue from your ballerina friends and practice "releves," which are another word for standing on tippy-toes. Stand with your ankles close to touching and your toes spread wide. Then press up onto the balls of your feet, holding this "up" position for several seconds. Repeat this motion 12 to 15 times, take a break and then repeat.
Perform wrist curl exercises to strengthen the wrists and forearms. Hold a dumbbell in each hand and sit on a chair, leaning forward to rest your forearms on your knees, palms facing up. Allow your wrists to drop backward toward the floor. Keep your forearms on your knees as you curl your wrists upward until your palms are parallel with your forearms. Repeat this exercise 12 to 15 times, take a short break and then do a second set.
Flip the position of your arms to do another type of wrist curl exercise that will further strengthen your forearms and wrists. This time, hold the dumbbells and rest your forearms on your knees with your palms facing down toward the floor. Allow your hands to drop down toward the floor. Raise your wrists upward as far as you can go, and then lower them back down. Repeat the entire motion 12 to 15 times, take a break and then do a second set.
Place your hands on a pullup bar, about shoulder-width apart. Grip the bar tightly and take your feet off the floor. Hold this hanging position as long as you can. This helps build strength in the wrists but also develops grip strength -- something that can come in handy if you're the base for stunts such as a pyramid or basket toss.
Ankles
Sit on a chair or on the floor and extend a leg out in front of you. Practice writing the alphabet with one big toe, and then the other. This puts your ankle through a wide range of motion and helps to strengthen the foot and ankle as you also develop dexterity.
Stay seated and point and flex your foot, holding each position for a few seconds. Point and flex each foot 10 times, take a short break and then repeat. As you get stronger, incorporate a resistance band into the exercise. Place the middle of the resistance band around the ball of your foot, hold the two ends in your hand to create tension on the band, then point and flex your foot against this added tension. Then have a friend hold the ends of the band as you wrap the middle of the band around the top of your foot, positioning your friend in front of you far enough to create tension on the band. Now point and flex again 10 times.
Take a cue from your ballerina friends and practice "releves," which are another word for standing on tippy-toes. Stand with your ankles close to touching and your toes spread wide. Then press up onto the balls of your feet, holding this "up" position for several seconds. Repeat this motion 12 to 15 times, take a break and then repeat.
Posted in: cheerleading
