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Maybe Netflix’s hit docuseries “Cheer” got you interested in training like a cheerleader, or maybe you’re just on the lookout for something fresh and fun to add to your workout routine. Whatever brought you here, welcome: you and your abs will be happy you made it.
These five cheer-inspired core exercises come from CHEERFIT, a high-energy workout that blends cheer-inspired exercises with more traditional strength, cardio, and stretching moves. In this workout, you’ll do tuck crunches — which replicate the movement you’d do in a back-tuck backflip — and star abs, which replicate the movement you’d do during a jump or a ball-X basket toss.
Stealing ab exercises from this sport is smart for a lot of reasons. For one, cheerleading incorporates a lot of gymnastics-style moves, which place a huge demand on your core. Plus, stunting — whether you’re a flyer up top or one of the strong bases on the bottom — requires you to engage your core nonstop to keep the stunt in the air and protect yourself (and your teammates) from injury.
Ready to give these cheer ab moves a try? Grab a set of poms (or just channel that kind of sparkling energy) and get to work with CHEERFIT founder Danielle Donavan and CHEERFIT-certified trainers Christine BibboHerr and Claudia Ralph, the head cheerleading coach for Princeton University.
Cheer-Inspired Ab Workout
Equipment needed: a yoga mat or a soft surface to lie on.
Directions: Do each exercise for 10 to 15 reps without resting between each move. When you finish all five, rest for 60 seconds, then repeat the whole circuit again. Do three rounds total.