How to Perform Cheerleading Flexibility Routines

Flexibility is vital to a cheerleader's performance. A cheerleader must have a full range of motion in all of their joints and fully stretched backs, hamstrings and arms to be able to do common cheer movements and tumbling passes. Stretching also reduces the chance of injury.

Instructions

    • 1

      Warm up your body and get the blood flowing. Jogging, jumping jacks, whatever will increase your heart rate a little. Do this for five minutes.

    • 2

      Do ten deep lunges on each leg followed by a bent over straight leg stretch. Hold the stretch for eight counts on each side. Next do each of your splits (right, left and middle) on the floor. Hold each for at least one minute. Following this lie on your back and have a partner press your thighs down as you hold a middle split position. This should burn the muscles in your inner and outer thighs.

    • 3

      Stand with your back against the wall and left one leg ninety degrees. Have your partner lift your leg up further making sure that your standing leg is straight. Hold for thirty seconds to one minute. Repeat on the other leg.

    • 4

      Sit on your knees and press your palms into the ground, elbows straight. Rotate your weight on your wrists, changing direction and wrist positioning several times. Then lift your hands from the ground and rotate your wrists. Do a few head circles and roll your shoulders back and forth several times to loosen the joints.

    • 5

      Push up into a backbend and hold for ten seconds. Stand and go into a backbend. Push back up to a standing position. Repeat this five times. Follow up with a series of walkovers. That's it! You're stretched and have increased your flexibility, go out there and cheer!