Physical conditioning will help your cheerleader advance their skills and avoid injuries! Different exercises can help improve endurance, strength, flexibility, coordination, and even confidence. Here are some tips to stay in top cheer form!

Alternate instead of Rest!
Alternating body parts will keep your workout moving while giving their muscles time to rest! Here is an example…
1. 30 seconds of upper body (push-ups for example)
2. 30 seconds of abs (any variation of crunches)
3. 30 seconds of lower body (lunges for example)
4. 30 seconds of abs (a different variation of crunches than before)

Possible Exercises for Conditioning

Squat down to floor, out to plank, down to squat jump (full turn, toe touch)
Run in place/knees up with fast arms in touch-down to front arm punch
Side to side tuck jumps over a line (or imaginary line) with alternating bow & arrow motion
Down in double lunge, jump up together and clap clap
Double lunge vertical jumps
Long jumps down the floor (like line drills)
Line drills
Line drill down, tumble back
Jump builders with arms glued in blades
Stationary lunges with alternating low V and high V
Traveling lunges across the floor with alternating high/low V
Jump rope (with an actual rope or an imaginary one)
Hold a double lunge with a t-motion, lift one ankle up – flexing the calf (switch)

30 seconds of double toe touches 
30 seconds of standing tumbling (or jumps if too tired to safely tumble)
30 seconds of running tumbling (if room allows)
30 seconds of skills (Give freedom to choose from any jumps/tumbling)
30 seconds of push ups
30 seconds of SLOW push ups (2 beats down, 2 beats at lowest point, 2 beats up)
30 seconds of reverse dips (or reverse push ups)
30 seconds of jump builders with arms glued in blades
30 seconds of push ups with your feet on your partner’s back (they are on all 4’s)

Inner thigh resistance (with a partner)
Outer thigh resistance (with a partner)
Leg throws (with a partner)

30 seconds holding a T-motion - partner stands behind and pushes down on arms
30 seconds holding a high V – partner stands behind and tries to pull arms apart
30 seconds clapping front and over-head

Ankle weights
Leg lifts to the side
Leg lifts to the front
Leg lifts behind (like an arabesque)
Ankle weights in hand – side T lifts (lifts and hold at the top)
Ankle weights in hand – over head presses
Ankle weights in hand – front shoulder lifts (alternate right & left)

Stretches

Standing wall resistance stretches (partner pushes on leg while person stretching pushes down with his/her leg)
Seating wall straddle stretch (partner pushes feet against stretcher’s booty)
Scorpion stretch (stretcher is face down with scorpion leg raised to head – partner pushes leg up to head)
Skater arabesque stretch (same as above)

Abs

Imaginary softball under chin

Elbows wide

Focus is on the ceiling – not in between knees

Normal crunch
Freeze it up
Pulse it out
Freeze it up, then use arms to pull upper body up approx 2” further, after holding a bit, let go of legs but try to keep shoulders that high off the floor
While freezing up – one arm up, switch arms, both arms up, slowly take it to a T-motion, hold, boxer’s arms, then rotate. Go back to normal crunch for a bit, then repeat but rotate the opposite direction.
Rotating with the arms str8 and over-head is a more difficult variation
Cross one leg over, opposite arm is str8 out to the side (freeze & pulse also)
Cross feet at the ankle, full body crunch (also freeze and pulse)
Hands under booty, lower abs only (small movement – no rocking the legs up)
Hands under booty, lower the legs down where they ALMOST touch the floor (legs straight and toes pointed) – hold at the bottom, then raise back up
Repeat the above but rotate the feet in tiny LOW circles, then raise back up
Repeat the above but rotate in the opposite direction
Repeat the above but do scissor kicks at the bottom, raise back up
Feet in the air crossed at the ankles, shoulders off the floor, climb an imaginary rope with your hands – going side to side

Push up variations
Hand distance
Elevate feet
Pike pushup
Traveling push up
Hands below chest push up
Slow vs fast push up

Lower back
Flat on the floor – raise one leg and the opposite arm (try to focus on the lower back)
Switch
If it doesn’t hurt, hold both legs and both arms up at the same time
Rotate upper body with arms behind your head while a partner sits on your lower back
Rotate the other direction

Calves
If possible, one leg calf raises off bleachers or a step of some kind – if none is available do one leg calf raises on the floor (hold the wall if needed)
Jump rope – or imaginary jump rope
Line drills while walking on toes