5 Weight Plate Exercises That Build Strength

Weight plates are discs that are inserted into dumbbells and barbells to make them heavier. But they can also be used individually as workout equipment to add weight and challenge to no-equipment exercises.

As a result, you burn more fat and engage specific muscle areas easier for multiple benefits. Below, you'll find five helpful weight plate workouts that fit your pro cheer strength-building needs.

1. Plate halos

This workout focuses on targeting muscles on your shoulders, deltoids, and rotator cuffs, adding strength and form to your shoulder and chest muscle areas. Plate halos are good exercises if you want to increase endurance and mobility in your upper body for prolonged dance performances. It’s also a highly recommended fitness routine among female stunt bases.

2. Plate squat and reach

After doing plate halos, follow up with plate squats. In this exercise, you’re targeting the gluteus, core, quadriceps, calf, and hamstring muscles for better jumping, kicking power, and balance. So what makes this workout special than the standard squatting?

Carrying a plate makes it easier for you to engage most of your lower body muscles by having something to grip on. Thus, you exercise with better efficiency and reap more benefits. You also add weight to your center of gravity, forcing you to exert more effort.

3. Plate curl

Weight plate workouts for improving upper body prowess won’t be complete without plate curls. If plate halos target the shoulder, chest muscles, and quadriceps, plate curls focus on the biceps or the brachialis muscle groups.

Instead of prolonging your lifting endurance as plate halos do, plate curls increase your lifting’s explosive power. Overall, plate curls and halos make you a better base for pro cheer stunts.

4. Plate push-ups

Image source: iStock

If you prefer to target a majority of your upper body muscles in one exercise. Plate push-ups would be the best choice. You don’t need to do plate halos and curls to achieve better lifting strength and endurance.

Plate push-ups alone would work on your pectorals, shoulders, deltoids, and triceps. However, without doing halos, your shoulder and rotator cuffs won’t be very mobile for dancing.

5. Plank plate transfer

Improve your core strength and upper body muscle endurance further by doing plank transfers. This is a variation of planking with the added twist of sliding a weight plate under you from left to right. You’ll need to have a smooth fabric surface below to easily slide the weight plate.

Compared to the standard planking, the plank plate transfer is more manageable because you alternate your arms as you hold the position. It can also be done with friends as shown in this YouTube shorts video.

Some pro cheer teams like the Baltimore Ravens and Tennessee Titans Cheerleaders do stunts in which women act as secondary base crews. Others require tumblings as part of game-day dance performances. These are the reasons why you should train to build your strength, especially if the team you’re auditioning for is known to incorporate stunts in their dance routines.

Discover more strength-building exercises and tips here!

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