Strength Training: How to do it Right for Maximum Benefits

Strength training such as lifting weights may be easy to do especially if your dumbbells are light. But it’s not about how many reps and sets you can finish. It’s about how you do it that matters more. And while strength training improves your muscle power, there are still a lot of people who don’t know the proper form and techniques in building muscle and strength.

Some even incur injuries due to the disregard of doing strength training right. Avoid these mishaps from happening. Get the most of the benefits from strength training for your pro cheer career by reading this article until the end.

What Are The Benefits of Strength Training

1. Increased muscle mass

As we grow older, our muscle mass declines and our overall body strength decreases. Through regular strength training, your athletic strength is maintained even in life after being a pro cheerleader.

2. Stronger bones

Strength training also increases bone density. This reduces your risk of incurring bone injuries such as fractures from performing pro cheer stunts and tumbles.

3. Joint flexibility

Pro cheerleaders need to be flexible in order to perform kicks and splits properly. Strength training helps in making your joints flexible so that you can reach wider split and kick angles.

4. Better balance

Arena dancing includes spins, tosses, high jumps, and stunts, especially with the Baltimore Ravens and Portland Trailblazers pro cheer squads. It’s very important to have a good balance to avoid falling and injuries. Strength training will keep your sense of balance at peak condition.

5. Weight control

As a result of an increased muscle mass, your body will burn more calories and fat faster. This makes weight control and weight loss easier to do.

The Importance of Proper Form for Strength Training

1. Reduces the risk of injury

You may have seen a lot of social media videos where people get injured in the gym. I have too. There’s only one thing I noticed, most of these people didn’t follow the proper instructions given by their trainer or their workout manual.

2. Helps you perform consistently

Following a proper strength training form means that you’re doing the same exercises every time. For example, with bicep curls, you’re instructed to draw strength from your biceps, not your forearms. This will improve your bicep’s performance drastically.

3. You don’t get tired easily

As mentioned, improper strength training form will make you exert strength on areas you aren’t targeting during exercise. This will waste your energy causing you to tire out sooner.

4. Better body results

With proper strength training form, the muscle areas you intend to improve are the ones exerting force. This causes the fat and calories in the target body parts to be burned for fuel. To properly do curl-ups for belly fat burning, draw strength from your abdominal muscle, not your back.

How To Do Strength Training Right

1. Lift an appropriate amount of weight

Another common cause of workout-related injuries is lifting weights that are very heavy right away. Start by lifting weights with the right amount of heaviness. One example is lifting a dumbbell that is both challenging yet comfortable for you to lift from 12 to 15 reps.

2. Move your limbs with the required motions

As mentioned, follow what your instructor says. If she says to lift, push, or pull equipment up to this and that point, do exactly as she says.

3. Breath properly

Oxygen is required to make your muscles function well. Don’t hold your breath as you lift. You’ll pass out that way. Exhale as you lift and inhale as you lower the weight.

4. Seek balance

Lift with equal force exertion on both sides of your body. If your right bicep exerts a specific amount of force for lifting a dumbbell, make your left bicep exert the same amount of force as well.

5. Engage your target muscles

If the coach says draw strength from your glutes for a booty workout, then do exactly as she says. This might be hard to do at first. Pro tip: Try to focus your mind on feeling the muscle contractions from the target areas as you do your reps.

Remember the tips on doing strength training properly. They can help you in controlling your weight better and improving your overall potential for pro cheer activities.

Here are more strength training articles you need to read to apply what you’ve learned from this blog:

• 8 Bodyweight Workouts You Can Do At Home
• No Equipment Workouts: The Best Glute Exercises of All Time
• 8 Best Moves to Strengthen Your Core
• 7 Explosive Plyometric Workouts For Better Body Speed, Balance, and Power
• 4 Common Workout Mistakes That Could Hurt Your Joints (And How to Keep Them Healthy)
• Burn Fat, Build Leg Strength, and Improve Balance: 5 HIITs You Can Do at Home
• What Is Variable Resistance Training? (And How to Do It)
• 5 Back and Bicep Workouts To Build Strength and Muscles
• Resistance Band Training: 5 Do's and Don'ts to Maximize Your Workouts

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.

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