Feel Great All Day: 7 Morning Exercises for Dancers & Pro Cheerleaders
Whether you’re a morning person or not, exercising when you wake up can make you feel radiant like the sun. It’s even better when you can get some Vitamin D to energize you and wake you up.
So in the morning, when you want to shake off the grogginess and jumpstart your day without caffeine, you can do so with these feel-good exercises perfect for pro cheerleaders and dancers:
Start slow with a combination of planks
For those who don’t like getting sweaty in the morning but feel good when they feel strong, planks will do the trick.
Pro cheerleaders and dancers alike need a strong core. 2 minutes is the magic number and no further for each type of plank. The goal is to mix up the different planks so you can work out different abdominal muscles.
Note: Don’t strain yourself to hold a 2-minute plank. It will be bad for your lower back. Instead, work your way up to 2 minutes. If it hurts, you need to check on your form.
1. Full Plank
Time: 2 minutes
Start with the most basic plank you can do on a yoga mat. Only your hands and toes will touch the floor. Remember, your hands should be directly below your shoulders, look directly in front of you, and push your navel in. Make sure your body forms a straight line from your shoulders to your feet. This should give you a good stretch as well.
2. Forearm/Elbow Plank
Time: 2 minutes
From there, you can challenge your core further by going down on your forearms instead of your hands. You will be lower on the floor now but don’t let your knees or your hips drop. Pull the navel in and focus on your breaths and holding your form.
You can also bring one foot up and balance on the toes of the other, also known as a full plank with leg lift.
3. Side Plank
Time: 2 minutes/side
Cheerleaders are not born with perfectly sculpted shoulders, they workout to maintain those shoulder blades. So there are two ways to do this: either you push yourself up with your hand or your forearm. The latter will always be harder.
Push your feet away from you, with one foot on top of the other. You can either put your hand on your waist or raise it up to the sky. The latter will help you maintain your balance.
You can also raise one leg so you’re doing the side plank with abduction.
4. Walking Plank
Time: 2 minutes
Now for an even more core-burning exercise—a combination of a full plank and an elbow plank. Start on a full plank position, go down to an elbow plank, and back up to a full plank. Continue the cycle while making sure of proper alignment.
Work on your jumps
Nothing is more energizing than jumping exercises at 6 am. Surely you won’t need a caffeine boost after working on your glutes and thighs all while getting a serious cardio. Jumps will also boost your endurance. Now here’s a combo that will give you maximum results in a short time:
5. Jump Lunges
Time: 1 to 2 minutes
This twist on your usual lunges uses quads, hip flexors, glutes, hamstrings, and calves making it a great lower-body exercise.
The effectiveness of this exercise relies on how well you can keep your form while transitioning smoothly, and making sure you land gently. Make sure to clear space for this exercise.
So start with your basic stance, feet shoulder-width apart while engaging your core for strength. Take a huge step forward with one leg, arms on the side or on your hips. Lunge forward on the leg while the other knee goes closer to but not touching the floor.
From the lunge, jump up quickly and switch the position of your feet, landing gently on another lunge. To help you move better, position your arms like you would when you’re jogging.
Aim for 30 seconds at first or around 5-10 reps and work your way up to a minute doing 25 reps.
6. Jump Squats
Time: 2 to 3 minutes
Depending on your fitness level, you can do 1 jump squat per second and get 100 done in 1.6 minutes.
So start in a stance with feet shoulder-width apart, drop down to a regular squat, jump up with your hands raised to the sky, and land into a squat. Repeat the cycle 25 times.
If it gets difficult, try to do 10 reps, rest for a while and do another one or two sets.
7. Latissimus dorsi exercises
Time: 1 minute
If you really want to tone your arms, shoulders, and biceps without using weights, then work on your back muscles, specifically your lats. Our latissimus dorsi muscles are the strongest in our body and can carry a lot of weight.
Pull-ups can give your lats a great workout. But it takes time before you can work your way to some serious pull-ups at home with a pullup bar on your door or at the local park.
Start with a dead hang with your legs crossed. Grasp the bar overhead with your hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart. Do the overhand grip, which is where your palms face away from the body. Check on your form making sure your elbows are straight and do not bend. Stop when you feel pain from your lats.
To Great Mornings
Pro cheerleaders should always make time to exercise. You will need to work on your core, your arms, your endurance, and even your back for a toned body.
Doing these exercises in the morning lets you check “Exercise” off your to-do list first thing in the morning. And doesn’t it feel so good to kickstart your day without needing caffeine in your system? With jumping exercises, core-strengthening planks, and back exercises, you can wake up to great mornings and maintain a fit and healthy pro cheer body.
Need a Great Workout Routine for Your Pro Cheer Audition Prep?
Pro cheerleaders stay fit, flexible, and strong so they can give out their best performance in the arena. However, achieving that wow-worthy, toned physique doesn’t happen overnight. You need to arm yourself with the right daily workouts.
Thinking of becoming a pro cheerleader?
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