How to Build a Strength Foundation for Tryouts

It’s time to start preparing for cheer tryouts! The earlier you start, the less stress and pressure you’ll feel as you start getting in shape to make the team. That means now is the best time to start building a strength foundation for tryouts. Talk to the cheer coach to see if she or he has any tips for exercises you can do to get ready for the big day. Having a cardio base is a great start. This doesn’t mean you have to have that cardio foundation down before you start strength training though. If you have been doing some cardio already, great, but if not, you can start doing it and strength training at the same time (like, now!). Building your strength before tryouts won’t be time-consuming, so don’t worry or feel overwhelmed. If you enjoy working out and want to set aside a half hour or hour to go to the gym each day, that’s great, but you can also squeeze it in throughout your day. If you’re following our cardio plan, you are already doing a workout four to five times a week. If you feel tired and sore, it’s because you are getting strength training in with these cardio workouts, too. Especially if you are running, your leg muscles are being worked. So just adding a few strength exercises to those cardio workouts will get you ready for tryouts. It’s best to do your cardio workout first so you are warmed up for your strength-training workout, but if you find that you are too tired after the cardio segment, do whatever works best for you. The important thing is to do it! Two to three times a week, do squats and lunges after your cardio workout. If you have access to a gym, use a squat rack and do a weight you can lift 10 times but that leaves you feeling the burn. Grab dumbbells for the lunges and do a set of 20 walking lunges. Throw in some ab exercises or arm exercises, like push-ups, dumbbell shoulder raises, or bicep curls to give your legs a break in between sets. Then, do two more sets (for a total of three) of squats and lunges with abs and arms mixed in. On the other days, you can still do some strength work after (or before) your cardio workouts. Make it a routine to finish your run (or bike ride, elliptical, etc.) then immediately do a 60-second plank for arm and core strength. Do the front and both sides, holding for 60 seconds each for a total of three minutes. If you can’t hold it for a full minute yet, that’s OK! Start with 30 seconds and work up to it. Don’t feel bad for shaking” “that just means it’s working! After your plank, do some side lunges without weight to build strength and flexibility. Simply stand straight, then step out with your left leg and shift all your weight onto your left foot, bending down into a side lunge. Keep both feet flat on the floor while you do this. You can stay down in that position for a few seconds to feel the stretch, then come up to neutral and do the same thing on your right leg. Do eight to 10 on each leg. If you start incorporating these strength-training exercises into your workouts now, you’ll be in shape and ready to go by tryouts!