Hit Zero — Maximizing Your Potential as a Cheer Athlete
It happened to me.
It probably happened to you, too.
The trailer piqued my interest and 5 minutes into Episode 1 I knew there was no turning back.
The Netflix show Cheer tells the story of one of the most successful cheerleading programs on the planet. It follows a group of young people from very different backgrounds that come together, overcome adversity and succeed as a team.
I’ve been lucky enough to be around two of the best cheerleading programs in the State of Texas so I already knew this, but Cheer showed the rest of the world that success in the sport of cheerleading takes athleticism, dedication and sacrifice.
The show shines light on a lot of things the outsider is oblivious to, but there’s one thing you won’t see. Outside of a few push ups, some crunches and a little time on a treadmill, there’s not much semblance of any well thought out strength and conditioning program.
You never see a strength coach.
You’ll see the athletic trainers plenty.
Now it could be that there is a solid resistance training program in place at Navarro Cheer and the producers didn’t feel it merited being included in the show. Whatever the reason, we believe there’s a few huge reasons that cheerleaders, in particular those that participate competitively, ought to consider getting off the mat and into the weight room consistently.
Reduced Likelihood of Injury
As cheerleading continues to grow in popularity, so do the injury rates, which showed a 189% increase from 2001 to 2012. As cheer teams continue to push the envelope on tumbling and stunting skills, those numbers will continue to rise.
While the numbers show that competitive cheer is relatively safer than other sports, it’s injuries can be much more catastrophic. In fact, when it came to the proportion of injuries that caused an athlete to miss 3 weeks or more, cheerleading ranked 2nd, while accounting for over 50% of all catastrophic injuries in high school female athletes. As cheerleaders get older and the skills get more complex, rates tend to go up.
Competitive cheer won’t exist without the risk of injury, but a well-designed strength and conditioning program has proven to be the best way to reduce that likelihood. Why? We don’t over-complicate it.
Weak things tend to break. Strong things tend to hold up better.
Whether it’s increased strength and stability to protect the joints, increased bone density to protect the limbs or increased neck strength to protect the brain, there’s really no area where investing in strength and conditioning can’t help keep cheerleaders on the mat. Which is critical!
A missed tryout or practice can make a year-long impact because it’s all fun and games until Daytona is one month away and — HOLY SMOKES THERE’S NO ONE THERE TO CATCH SHERBS!
Performance Enhancement
You won’t have to be in a cheerleading gym a long time before you realize that some of the most athletic people on the planet are there. Take a look at a two-minute routine and you are going to see world-class strength, power and conditioning on display. These are all qualities that can be enhanced with resistance training.
Strength and power translate straight to the mat with the ability to execute more complex stunts and more explosive tumbling passes. There’s lots of skill that does into tumbling, but there’s never a time when you want to be slow into the first skill. If Newton’s 3rd Law is correct, the more force you put into the mat, the more force that’s coming out.
So your ability to accelerate into a pass and get height throughout it is 100% determined by how hard you can push the ground away. When it comes to increasing one’s ability to put force into the ground, the weight room is undefeated.
You’ll see many different body types in cheerleading, but there’s no denying that a lean body composition lends itself to success in the sport. Being in great shape raises the threshold for fatigue and enhances the ability to perform well late into routines. If your focus can be on finishing the routine and not on how tired your body is, you raise your chances of being successful.
Mental Toughness, Trust and Communication
The coaches on the show made it very clear that there are more than just physical barriers to achieving at high levels. There’s a strong mental aspect, too. The grit and toughness on display throughout the show was incredible. Relationships can be strained, confidence can take hits and distractions can abound, but you still have to find a way to compete.
The weight room builds muscle, but it also builds toughness. Failure is a daily possibility in the weight room. It forces you to respond. It’s either going to beat you or drive you to work harder. Your toughness grows each time you choose to get up and get back to work.
Trust is built in the weight room as well. Teammates learn to be accountable to each other and show they are dependable. It’s not alway the best athletes that “make mat.” It’s those that can show they can not only perform at a high level, but are reliable and consistent as well.
It’s not just muscle. It’s not just toughness. It’s not just trust. The weight room can bolster communication as well.
One of my favorite things about the show is the idea of “mat talk.” I love that even if you aren’t on the mat, you still play a critical role. You have an opportunity to show that you care about the success of your teammates as much as yourself. That sounds a lot like what I’m going to start referring to as “rack talk.” I can’t think of a better way to show that you’re invested in the team as a whole than how you act when someone else is under the bar.
Monica Aldama’s goal was to make Navarro Cheer “the best cheer program in the country.” It took great coaching, but it also took great athletes that are talented, durable, athletic and mentally tough. While your talent may be God-given, there’s a great place to improve the rest of those.
Hit the weight room.
Then go hit zero!
