Why Should You Build Core Strength?
Are you seeing strong and sculpted abs as something that boosts your overall appearance? We can't deny that one of the reasons why we workout is that physique is part of the judging process at auditions.
Yet, a strong core goes beyond appearance. As an aspiring professional cheerleader, it's important to know why a strong core matters (beyond the vanity aspect). You will realize that core strength helps you perform better not just in professional cheerleading, but also in your daily life!
5 Reasons to Build Your Core Strength
1. It's your best guard against back pain
If you often experience back pain, you may have heard that strengthening your core provides relief. That is true. You probably don't know this yet, but your core includes not just your abdominal muscles. It also includes the muscles of your back that are located between your spine bones. Training your core strengthens your lower back, making it less likely to suffer from pain and sustain injuries.
2. Better posture
Does your job require you to sit all day? If so, you might be suffering from bad posture. A good posture means that your back is straight and your shoulders are back and relaxed. Proper posture is important in pro cheerleading because it makes you look confident and also taller. It also increases your energy levels! Aside from practicing good posture at home, make sure that you also do some ab workouts.
3. Perform any activity with ease
Did you know that core muscles are involved in any activity performed by an athlete? Whether an athlete jumps, kicks, or runs, their core muscles provide stability to their spine so that they're less likely to get injured. Professional cheerleaders are like athletes in that they move a lot on the field. You won't be able to do those complex movements as you'd like unless you have a strong core.
4. Improves your sense of balance
Balance is an essential part of day-to-day movement and athletic performance. With proper balance, you'll be able to carry heavy loads. Your body has the ability to maintain control when doing challenging tasks.
5. Boosts your exercise performance
Core strength is what gives you the ability to maintain proper form during your workouts. Examples of exercises that it helps with include squats, push-ups, and deadlifts. You might ask, "How often should I include abdominal workouts to my weekly fitness routine?" Aim for at least twice a week. If you could add more minutes of ab exercises to any of your routines, you will achieve greater results.
10 Core Exercises for All Levels
If you need ideas to get started, I've rounded up a list of ten core exercises. We're not going to explain them, but you can refer to this helpful guide on Self.
- Plank
- Panther Shoulder Tap
- Butterfly Sit-up
- Dead Bug
- Half Kneeling Wood Chop
- High Boat to Low Boat
- Side Bend
- Hollow Body Rock
- C-Curve
- Leg Raise
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?
We are offering you our fun, FREE (for a LIMITED time) POM FIT™ INTRO CLASS that teaches you beginner-friendly cardio moves.
To take your cheerleading fitness to the next level, we also have POM FIT™: GAMEDAY1™ - a series of challenging full-body cardio classes that include a body stretch class, kick stretch class, abdominal workout class, and more.
Join a POM FIT™ class below:
POM FIT™ INTRO CLASS (Free for a LIMITED time)
POM FIT™: GAMEDAY1™ (USD 27.00)
