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3 Tips to Advance Flexibility & Rock Confidence with CHEERFIT

3 Tips to Advance Flexibility & Rock Confidence with CHEERFIT

by | Nov 1, 2018 | Blog, Fit tips, Parents Corner

Hey from CHEERFIT! My name is Danielle! I am the fitness expert for cheerleaders and I’ve got 3 tips to help you advance flexibility, rock confidence, and have the most amazing cheer season ever! Ready for it….

TIP #1: MINDSET IS EVERYTHING

Say it with us, “I can and I will”! With the right mindset, anything is possible! Write down your goals, tell yourself you CAN, and repeat your goals (to yourself or out loud) every night before you go to sleep. If you believe it you will ACHIEVE it! #cheerfitstrong

TIP #2: FITNESS BUILDS STRENGTH, STRENGTH BUILDS CONFIDENCE

Here at CHEERFIT, we are all about helping you reach your goals and stay motivated through fitness! Today, I am sharing my favorite CHEERFIT Workout that will help you improve flexibility and rock confidence all season long! Complete each exercise for 3 rounds and share your workout pics on Insta @cheerfittraining

TIP #3: SURROUND YOURSELF WITH PEOPLE THAT LIFT YOU UP

If you surround yourself with people that encourage you, support you, lift you up, and cheer you on..you will be UNSTOPPABLE! Remember, we rise by lifting others up! Next time at you’re at practice, simply smile to the teammate across from you. Tell them you’ve noticed their hard work and let them know how amazing they are!  You’ll both feel amazing! Need a tribe to lift you up? We’d love to invite you to join us and become a CHEERFIT Ambassador! You’ll be instantly welcomed into the CHEERFIT fam’ and get access to the community, hundreds of cheer workouts, motivation, fit tips and more! www.cheerfittraining.com/join

And there you have it, my top 3 exercises… to help your cheerleader Advance FLEXIBILITY & Rock CONFIDENCE in 3,2,1…GO! Let me know your favorite tip, and share your confidence boosting tips in the comments below!

DANIELLE DONOVAN

is the go-to fitness expert for the cheerleading industry and founder of CHEERFIT (www.cheerfittraining.com). Danielle holds national fitness certifications through the American Council on Exercise and specializes in sports conditioning, youth fitness, and group fitness as it pertains specifically to cheerleaders. Danielle has been featured on NBC,Inside Cheerleading Magazine, FITNESS Magazine, Livestrong, Yahoo Beauty, NY Post, American Cheerleader Magazine and more. Through fitness, Danielle focuses on helping cheerleaders build the confidence, strength, and flexibility they need to reach their goals and prevent injury.

How to make Confidence your Super Power

How to make Confidence your Super Power

by | Sep 21, 2018 | Blog, Cheer tips, Fit tips, free, Parents Corner

Self confidence is a super power. Once you start believing in yourself, magic starts happening.”Confidence plays a huge role in all aspects of cheerleading. I have always believed that cheerleading is 25% physical and 75% mental. Here are some tips I have to help you stay confident.

PRACTICE BEFORE PRACTICE

As many of you know, I have been battling a mental block for about two years and still am today. Just like in everyday life, we have good and bad practices as cheerleaders. It is so easy for me to get in my head after just one skill goes wrong. One of the things my coach tells me is that you physically cannot forget how to do a skill in a day or even a week. The first time is always the hardest, get it out of the way and you will be fine! One thing that helps me is coming in early to throw a few passes before practice. This gives me time to warm myself up slowly and get my nerves out.

STOP COMPARING

One of the top tips I can give you is to stop comparing yourself to others. Everyone learns at a different pace. It is easy to get discouraged when you see your teammates working on a harder skill than you. You have to remember that a team is like a puzzle. Everyone has different strengths and brings something special to the team!

STAY POSITIVE

Positivity is key! I am my biggest critic in everything I do. This can be a little bit of a problem when it comes to cheer. Not every skill you throw is going to be perfect and that is ok. Part of the learning process as an athlete is making mistakes. You cannot let the fear of failure hold you back. Take a deep breath inhale confidence, exhale doubt and go for it! Chances are you don’t give yourself enough credit, the only one holding you back is you.

Ever since I became a CHEERFIT ambassador, the support from Danielle and my CHEERFIT family has been endless! Connecting with athletes that are going through the same thing that I am has been so helpful to me. Just knowing that you are not alone on this journey and that other cheerleaders have experienced the same thing and come out stronger is so amazing! One of the biggest lessons I have learned through my years of cheerleading is that confidence fuels dreams. Once you believe in yourself and your skills, anything is possible!

Ready to make this season the best, most confident yet? Join us and become part of the CHEERFIT Family!

BELLE FABIAN

I am sixteen years old and live in Charlotte, North Carolina. I am going on my seventh year as a competitive cheerleader and cheer at Cheer Extreme Charlotte.

Learn how to advance flexibility and rock confidence

Learn how to advance flexibility and rock confidence

by | Sep 16, 2018 | Blog, Fit tips, free, Parents Corner

Hey moms is there anything more frustrating than watching your daughter stretch F-O-R-E-V-E-R, and not seeing those results??? Hmm, no too much right?

Don’t worry, I am here to help!

We all know stretching is important, which is why for many of us, it is the go-to thing to do to advance your flexibility. But what if I told you stretching isn’t the only answer?!?! I know, you must think I am crazy, but hear me out. While, yes stretching is very important, it’s not the only way to advance your flexibility!!

Although you should be stretching..you do not need to be stretching every day for hours (or what feels like hours) at a time.

Here at CHEERFIT, we focus on STRENGTHENING the muscles your cheerleader needs to advance flexibility. Strengthening the muscles you need to improve flexibility will in turn help increase your cheerleader’s range of motion, allowing her to advance FLEXIBILITY, confidence, and prevent injury! A win, win, win across the board!

So let’s get to it! As the fitness expert for cheerleaders, I’ve got a bunch of exercises for you that will help your cheerleader strengthen their hamstrings, lower back, and hip flexors – the key areas that are worked when stretching. And I bet these are things you guys have never tried before. So instead of stretching, and stretching, and stretching..give these CHEERFIT exercises a try. 

Hello CHEERFIT!

LOWER BACK FLEXIBILITY – Superman V-Up

This exercise will not only focus on improving your cheerleaders lower back, which helps increase flexibility, but also work on core strength and body control. All musts for flying with confidence!  Go for 10 reps x 2 rounds, and do 2-3 times a week.

HAMSTRING FLEXIBILITY – Single Leg Deadlift

Spoiler alert, this exercise is a MUST for any cheerleader! It focuses a majority on hamstrings, which again you NEED to strengthen to improve flexibility and increase range of motion, but also works technique, lower back, core and body control. To make the most of this exercise you need to make sure your cheerleader has proper form, so be sure to watch this video a few times with them and watch them as they do it to make sure they have the right form.

HIP FLEXOR FLEXIBILITY – Straddle Leg Lifts

If your cheerleader wants to increase their flexibility for stunting, tumbling or jumping..instead of sitting in splits and straddles forever, do this exercise! Another major area you want to focus on STRENGTHENING are your hip flexors! To increase flexibility your hip flexors need to be strong enough ..this will increase your range of motion AND improve flexibility!

As you can see, yo do not need to nor should you be stretching every day for hours at a time. Yes, I said it! What I want you guys to do is STRENGTHEN the muscles instead. So swap out 2 or your stretching days this week with this CHEERFIT workout and let me know how it goes! And if you want, even more, we’ve got tons of flexibility workouts and confidence boosting tips waiting for ya in the CHEERFIT Club !!

And there you have it, my top 3 exercises… to help your cheerleader advance FLEXIBILITY & CONFIDENCE in 3,2,1…GO! Let me know your favorite tip, and share your confidence boosting tips in the comments below!

DANIELLE DONOVAN

is the go-to fitness expert for the cheerleading industry and founder of CHEERFIT (www.cheerfittraining.com). Danielle holds national fitness certifications through the American Council on Exercise and specializes in sports conditioning, youth fitness, and group fitness as it pertains specifically to cheerleaders. Danielle has been featured on NBC,Inside Cheerleading Magazine, FITNESS Magazine, Livestrong, Yahoo Beauty, NY Post, American Cheerleader Magazine and more. Through fitness, Danielle focuses on helping cheerleaders build the confidence, strength, and flexibility they need to reach their goals and prevent injury.

How to Deal with being Pulled from Jumps, Tumbling, Stunt Sequence, etc.

How to Deal with being Pulled from Jumps, Tumbling, Stunt Sequence, etc.

by | Sep 14, 2018 | Blog, Fit tips, Parents Corner

Your child has spent weeks working on choreography. They are super proud of their positions. One day he/she is pulled from a section and they are totally bummed about it. What can you do as a parent? What should they do as an athlete?

Here are a 3 tips to help you get through what seems like such a traumatic experience.

1. UNDERSTAND THE PROCESS

There are so many different elements that coaches and choreographers review and analyze when making formations. Understand choreographers and coaches consider height, previous position on the mat, stunt group strengths, and overall team benefits. Try to remember the movement is for the advantage of the team as a unit. Not all changes are punishment or due to lack of skill. If you understand the process, you will have no problem accepting the change.

2. TURN INTO A POSITIVE

Not all changes are punishment or due to lack of skill. Remember that cheerleading is a team sport; moves are made to benefit the team. Look at the change as positively affecting the entire team, not as a negative for you as an individual. As a parent you can find positives to help your athlete deal as well. My oldest daughter was moved to the back row for the dance section of a, routine. Of course, she took that as she wasn’t dancing well. It took me letting her know that the row in front of her was on the floor while she was up showing excitement and dancing full-out. Find a positive to boost your athlete.

3. TAKE TIME TO WORK ON SKILLS

Ask the coaches where extra work may be needed; not necessarily to gain the spot back, but to progress in skill to become a better cheerleader. Sign up for private lessons. Private lessons are a great way to get individual help. They also help increase confidence. Having one on one time can help an athlete gain a better understanding of what is required to improve in a specific skill.  Practice outside of team practice. Don’t wait until the team practice to work on skills. Team practice is usually already planned out by the coach. The athlete most likely wont even get a chance to work on an individual problem area. Take critique and apply. I always tell my athletes to not just say ok to the coach’s critique, but to apply it as well. You are sure to get positive results when you listen and adhere to feedback given to you.

COACH KELLI MARIN

Is owner and head coach Spirit Enhancers All Stars located in Portsmouth Va. Coach Kelli has been coaching for 17 years and gym owner for 11. She has received the “30 Under 30” coach of the year award awarded by Cheer ltd., top finalist for Ameri Cheer Coach of Year and 2016 choreography award recipient awarded by Eastern Cheer and Dance.

Ready to join the Club everyone is talking about and start your CHEERFIT Journey today? Let’s do this together! 

Your Cheerleader’s Guide to Tumbling with Confidence

Your Cheerleader’s Guide to Tumbling with Confidence

by | Aug 31, 2018 | Blog, Fit tips, free, Parents Corner

If there is one thing to remember, it is that tumbling and confidence go hand in hand! If your cheerleader is lacking confidence, it will most definitely be seen in her tumbling. Tumbling is such a mental game, and you need all the support, motivation CONFIDENCE, to build strength in both body and mind!

Today, I am here to share my favorite tips and exercises to help YOU help your cheerleader build confidence!

So before we get started, let me share a little insight into why confidence is SO important for tumbling.  You see, the sport of cheerleading is very much focused on perfectionism. And our cheerleaders tend to think that if it is not perfect, it’s bad..NOT THE CASE! However, this mentality takes a toll on our cheerleaders and wears them down both physically and mentally! So let’s change that shall we??

TIP #1: TURBO LUNGES

Turbo lunges are a great exercise to build confidence in tumbling because they will help your cheerleader strengthen the muscles she needs to increase power, endurance, and strength! As your cheerleader builds the confidence in STRENGTH to supercharge her tumbling, guess what will also increase…her overall confidence!

 

Go for 15 reps x 3 rounds ..and if you do this with your cheerleader it will help her confidence even more!! *you can modify the exercise by taking out the jump

TIP #2: CHEERLEADERS NEED CHEERLEADERS

It is so important for your cheerleader (and you) to surround yourself with a positive group of people who lift you up! Having a go-to supportive community to share your goals, celebrate your wins, and root you on every step of the way is the #1 way to stay confidence, motivated, and supported! Looking for a supportive community of cheerleaders and parents – meet your CHEERFIT fam’! The CHEERFIT Family is our community of CHEERFIT  members and parents from around the world who support each other, celebrate success, understand the challenges, and motivate eachother every step of the way! This is an amazing community and we would love you and your cheerleader to be a part of it!

You can click here to learn more about joining the CHEERFIT family!

TIP #3: POSITIVE THINKING

Oh YES! The power of positive thinking is A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!!!

If you think it, you’ll believe it and make it happen. It all starts with those positive thoughts! So share your positive thoughts, goals, and wins every week in a journal or with your community! Surrounding yourself with people who understand your crazy cheer world and are excited to see you win is the key to helping your cheerleader build confidence! So start that positive thinking and share your goals with us: @cheerfittraining (IG)

And there you have it, my top 3 tips…time to help you cheerleader SUPERCHARGE her tumbling in 3,2,1…GO! Let me know your favorite tip, and share your confidence boosting tips in the comments below!

DANIELLE DONOVAN

is the go-to fitness expert for the cheerleading industry and founder of CHEERFIT (www.cheerfittraining.com). Danielle holds national fitness certifications through the American Council on Exercise and specializes in sports conditioning, youth fitness, and group fitness as it pertains specifically to cheerleaders. Danielle has been featured on NBC,Inside Cheerleading Magazine, FITNESS Magazine, Livestrong, Yahoo Beauty, NY Post, American Cheerleader Magazine and more. Through fitness, Danielle focuses on helping cheerleaders build the confidence, strength, and flexibility they need to reach their goals and prevent injury.

The ABC’s of Stunting

The ABC’s of Stunting

by | Aug 3, 2018 | Blog, Fit tips

They say, “education is the foundation upon which we build our future.” This quote could not ring more true not only in our schools, but in sports. The best cheerleading we see are from athletes who respect the basics and build a foundation of sustainable stunting, jumping, and tumbling.

In fact, it is one of the core values my business, Rah Rah Routines, focuses on when teaching stunt technique to organizations throughout the Northeast. It is imperative that we incorporate educational elements to promote positive habitual behavior during our stunt camps. This ensures that all athletes fully understand the concepts of performing basic to advanced stunts.

OUR THEORY:

“If the mind doesn’t get it, the body can’t perform it — knowledge is power.”

 

With that, at the start of every stunt camp we host a competitive, multiple-choice-type of game that explains our stunting principles, or what we like to call The ABC’s of Stunting. With these simple ground rules, we reenforce the importance of safety and technique. This allows athletes to start building a solid foundation in cheerleading powered by knowledge and education.

While we can’t divulge all of our secrets, check out The ABC’s of Stunting and how this could help you become a more knowledgable stunter:

A = Awareness

Cheerleaders who have a safety-first mindset have a lower injury rate compared to their peers, and have tremendous growth and improvement in cheerleading skills. Athletes who are aware of their physical and emotional surroundings learn from teachable moments and fully understand that safety is a top priority.

B = Body Control

Cheerleaders who learn how to correctly use their muscles and bodies can improve overall health and the technique of the stunting skills performed. And that’s exactly why, Founder Danielle, created CHEERFIT. A demonstration of good body control is when a flyer can keep their hips squared to enhance their tightness and balance when in the air or when an athlete finishes a backhandspring with a hollow body, engaging the core.

C = Communication

I strongly believe that most of the stunting mistakes that happen are because of a lack of communication, such as miscounting or listening distractions. Effective and efficient communication among teammates leads to superior teamwork and improved listening skills. This enhances their success rate to achieve more advanced stunts and progress to higher competitive levels.

And there you have it. Comment below to let us know which tip was most helpful, and if you have a tip you’d like to share..leave it in the comments!

Join the CLUB to become a CHEERFIT Ambassador, and let your CHEERFIT journey begin! As an Ambassador, you and your cheerleader will be instantly welcomed into the CHEERFIT fam’ and receive 24/7 access to the Club: weekly workouts, community support, motivation, cheer workout videos, meet-ups, and media opportunities.  Check it out.

Happy Workout! Leave a comment to let us know what your favorite exercise of this workout is!

 

Christina Hernandez — Founder & Head Choreographer; Rah Rah Routines

is a cheerleading and tumbling aficionado who has led senior-level all star teams to multiple local, regional and national titles and has more than 25 years of experience as a Pop Warner, high school and all star cheerleader. She is contracted to work as a tumble instructor at several cheer and dance organizations in New Jersey, and is a longstanding choreographer for reputable recreation, high school, and all–star competitive teams throughout the Northeast region. She is a member of the American Association of Cheerleading Coaches and Administrators (AACCA), USASF, and NFHS. Christina is USASF certified in Building and Tumbling Levels 1-5, and assists USASF in credentialing other all star coaches. She is a certified Varsity judge for all-star competitions, and a freelance writer for Cheer Professional magazine.

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