To get a HUGE list of stretches go follow inspiration__buddies on instagram. They are PERF! Seriously, they have stretches that I have never heard of or thought of. If you follow any of the big name cheer anons this instagram is what they use to learn new, harder stretches. There are beginner to advanced stretches that really challenge you to get to the level that you want to be on. There are stretches on how to get rid of cramps, tumbling help, and balance techniques that I will DEFINITELY use when I start coaching. I will give you a link so you can check out the pics and videos yourself because there are so many that it is really hard to choose the best ones (and I can't figure out how to copy and paste them on here yet. If I figure it out I will make another post of the pics.)
instagram.com/inspiration__buddies
I'm also a HUGE fan of the Nike Training app. It gives you the option to do workouts that Gabby Douglas and Shawn Johnson endorse. If Olympic winning gymnasts say you should do these I'm pretty confident they will help. There are also a lot of other really great exercise options with this app to work on any other aspect of your body like leg and core strength, which will help with jumps.
My squad was pretty lax when it came to stretching (prob why I was more flexible than my flyer). We did standing and sitting straddles to middle, left and right. We did sitting straddles to left and the right with the opposite leg bent in. We got into a hurdler position on the ground and reached for our toes. We did butterflies. The people that could, did splits. We crossed arms across our body. We put one arm over our shoulder and used the other hand to reach up from the bottom and touch it. We stretched out wrists forward and back. We did pike stretches. We did hollywood's (some people call them pretzels I think). We got into a sumo squat position and sat as far as we could. Occasionally we would do V-ups and leg lifts. We pulled heel stretches.
I would use these to warm up before actually stretching. But these don't work to improve flexibility if they're all you do. My coach tried telling us for four years that these would make us flexible. I think she was on drugs because that isn't true at all. They are like warm ups for gym class, not stretches to make cheerleaders flexible. It's a miracle that I know anything when I had a coach like this.
instagram.com/inspiration__buddies
I'm also a HUGE fan of the Nike Training app. It gives you the option to do workouts that Gabby Douglas and Shawn Johnson endorse. If Olympic winning gymnasts say you should do these I'm pretty confident they will help. There are also a lot of other really great exercise options with this app to work on any other aspect of your body like leg and core strength, which will help with jumps.
My squad was pretty lax when it came to stretching (prob why I was more flexible than my flyer). We did standing and sitting straddles to middle, left and right. We did sitting straddles to left and the right with the opposite leg bent in. We got into a hurdler position on the ground and reached for our toes. We did butterflies. The people that could, did splits. We crossed arms across our body. We put one arm over our shoulder and used the other hand to reach up from the bottom and touch it. We stretched out wrists forward and back. We did pike stretches. We did hollywood's (some people call them pretzels I think). We got into a sumo squat position and sat as far as we could. Occasionally we would do V-ups and leg lifts. We pulled heel stretches.
I would use these to warm up before actually stretching. But these don't work to improve flexibility if they're all you do. My coach tried telling us for four years that these would make us flexible. I think she was on drugs because that isn't true at all. They are like warm ups for gym class, not stretches to make cheerleaders flexible. It's a miracle that I know anything when I had a coach like this.
