A proper warm up and stretching routine can help prevent injury, so both are essential before any form of exercise—but you already know that, right?
Cheerleading is no different, and since it engages almost every muscle in your body, a well-planned cheerleader stretching routine and warm up session is crucial to safe performance.
Though it might not seem it, cheerleading is one of the most active sports around and can involve some pretty athletic stunts—so warm ups for cheerleaders are especially important. Just like you wouldn’t dive straight into a game of football without stretching first, you also mustn’t jump straight into a cheerleading routine either.
Snazzy outfits aside, you must prepare your muscles for what’s coming. While there’s no strict stretch routine for cheerleaders to follow to a tee, there are various exercises you can do to ensure a smooth, injury-free practice or performance.
Give these cheerleading warm up exercises and stretching routines a go before your next session.
Aerobic warm up routine for cheerleaders
Before starting your cheerleading routine, do an aerobic warm up first, followed by a dynamic stretching routine.
Aerobic exercise is any physical activity that increases your heart rate and oxygen usage. Regular aerobic exercise improves your fitness, provides cardiovascular conditioning (i.e. cardio), and reduces your chances of suffering an injury.
A good warm up routine should move your body in different directions to get your blood pumping. Some of the best examples of aerobic warm ups for cheerleaders are:
- jogging either on the spot, around the gym/field, or backwards
- sliding from side to side
- skipping
- lunging
- star jumping
You should aim to warm up for around 10 minutes before moving on to stretches. This will loosen your muscles up nicely and prepare them for the task at hand. At the end of your warm up, you should ideally feel a little tired but by no means exhausted.
Related: 10 aerobic exercise examples—how to, benefits, and more
Stretches for cheerleaders
Stretching is arguably the most important part of a cheerleader’s warm up routine.
No matter how pressed for time you may be, you should never, ever skip stretching, as you risk doing serious harm to yourself if you do.
As a cheerleader, you’ll use almost every part of your body in a routine or practice session, so you must ensure you’ve stretched everywhere in preparation. Aim to hold each stretch for around 25-30 seconds before moving on to the next.
A good cheerleader stretching routine should last around 10-15 minutes, giving you time to stretch multiple body parts, upper and lower. However, there are no strict rules to determine what every stretching routine should look like. Ultimately, that power is down to you—nobody knows your body better than you.
Get to know your body and cheerleading routine and find the stretches that are best suited. In the meantime, here are some of the best stretches for cheerleaders.
Hamstring stretches
Sit down and stretch one leg out while tucking the other into your groin. Reach for your toes and hold that position for 30 seconds. Alternatively, spread both legs out and reach to either side for 20- 30 seconds at a time.
Hip stretches
In a standing position, spread your legs to double shoulder width and squat with your feet pointing outward. Tuck your elbows into your inner knee and squat as low as possible while pushing your knees out.
Quad stretches
Stand up, bend one knee backwards, and catch your foot with the same hand. Stretch your quad by pulling your ankle towards your body while balancing yourself.
Triceps stretches
Reach one hand up and behind your back, so your hand is touching the centre of your back. Push down gently with your opposite hand.
Shoulder stretches
Reach across your chest with one arm and pull it closer by grabbing underneath your elbow with your other arm.
Chest stretches
Hold your hands behind your back and gently raise them as high as possible while keeping your back straight.
How to stretch your muscles safely
Stretching alone carries its fair share of risk, and that’s before you’ve even got into your cheerleading routine.
The key to stretching safely is to treat your warm up and stretches as two separate activities. Don’t think of stretching by itself as an adequate warm up, as stretching without warming up first can cause more problems than you had to start with.
Stretching should never fully replace the aerobic exercise you do beforehand. If you fail to warm up properly before you stretch, you could pull or injure ‘cold’ muscles—i.e. ones that aren’t properly warmed up yet.
When stretching, you must:
- not bounce—as tempting as it might seem, bouncing while stretching can actually tighten your muscles further
- not hold for too long—remember to not exceed 30 seconds in one stretch position
- be symmetrical—make sure whatever stretch you’re doing is mirrored on both sides of your body. Uneven stretching can lead to uneven flexibility, putting you at higher risk of injury
- focus on your posture—this is crucial for stretching effectively
If you feel in pain at any point while stretching or feel the stretch isn’t working the way you want it to, stop immediately and inform your instructor (if you have one). Listen to your body—a good coach or instructor will help you find alternative stretches.
Ensuring that you are properly warmed up and stretched before cheerleading will not only reduce your chances of injury, but it’ll help with your overall performance, too.
Cheerleading is meant to be fun—so warm up, stretch, and enjoy yourself!
Specialist cheerleading insurance with Insure4Sport
Insurance might not be the first thing on your mind if you’re a cheerleader, but it’s a worthy investment to protect yourself should the unexpected happen.
Whether you’re an advanced cheerleader or still new to it all, you always run the risk of injuring yourself or others, either at live performances or practice sessions. That’s why it pays to have specialist cheerleading insurance in place.
At Insure4Sport, we arrange cover for various types of cheerleaders and their needs, from coaches and instructors to solo cheerleaders and full teams.
We provide:
- Public Liability from £1million to cover property damage or injury to others
- Professional Indemnity cover
- Equipment cover against theft, loss and damage
- Personal Accident cover
Learn more about our specialist cheerleading insurance here and click below to get a bespoke quote today.
