What do you do when you need to warm up? If you're the typical cheerleader your answer would be "stretch". Stretch your hamstrings, your calves, etc. There are many variations, but they all have one common theme: get your muscles to stretch and hold each for 15-30 seconds or so. This type of stretching is called static stretching. It makes your muscles feel better and ready to go, right? Wrong!
What's wrong with static warm ups?
1. Nothing is warming up. Think about it. Stretching does not warm your muscles up. 2. Stretching cold muscles is a bad idea. In fact, it might be harmful. If you want to improve your flexibility, it's best to stretch when your muscles are warmer. Then they have more elastic tendencies. 3. They do not prepare your muscles and joints for the activity that they are about to do. Cheerleading is filled with dynamic movements like jumping, lifting, etc. Your warm up should prepare your body for these types of movements. 4. Static stretching may even be harmful or counter-productive. There are studies that suggest that making your muscles passively stretch actually decreases their ability to contract powerfully for a period after stretching. So, while you're trying to get your body ready to perform, you're not. In fact, you may be doing just the opposite.
So how do we warm up then? A movement has been spreading throughout the sports world for about 20 years now (it takes a while) in regards to warming up. This new way of warming up is called dynamic. It means doing controlled versions of what your body will actually be doing in your training or competition so it will be prepared. This way your body will actually "warm up" doing this type of warm up. A proper dynamic warm up should gradually progress from easy to intense. Additionally, it should incorporate movements that are specific to the sport. For example, a warm up for cheerleading should include pushing, squatting, lunging, twisting…get the point?
When warming up, your body's temperature should gradually increase along with your heart rate and breathing. In fact, you should be perspiring-scratch that-sweating (you're an athlete, remember?) by the end of your warm up. Then you will be ready for the rigors of real cheerleading.
A movement has been spreading throughout the sports world for about 20 years now (it takes a while) in regards to warming up. This new way of warming up is called dynamic. It means doing controlled versions of what your body will actually be doing in your training or competition so it will be prepared. This way your body will actually "warm up" doing this type of warm up. A proper dynamic warm up should gradually progress from easy to intense. Additionally, it should incorporate movements that are specific to the sport. For example, a warm up for cheerleading should include pushing, squatting, lunging, twisting…get the point? 
