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Exercises

Cheerleading warm up: a team routine for practice and competition

Published October 24, 2026

A cheerleading warm up takes about 12 minutes: 3 minutes of jogging drills and jumping jacks, 3 minutes of leg swings, walking lunges and arm circles, 2 minutes of activation for shoulders, wrists and trunk (push-up plus, plank shoulder taps, band pull-aparts), then 3 to 4 minutes of jump primers: star jumps, jump squats and jump turns that build toward full toe-touch height. Do it as a team so everyone starts stunting warm.

  1. Jumping Jack Calves, Quads
  2. High Knees Quads
  3. Leg Swings Hamstrings, Glutes
  4. Walking Lunge Quads, Glutes
  5. Arm Circles Shoulders
  6. Push-Up Plus Chest
  7. Star Jump Quads, Hamstrings, Glutes
  8. 180 Jump Turn Quads, Glutes

Raise: jog drills as a team

Lines of high knees and jacks warm the whole team at once and fit any mat.

Raise, full-body jacks

Jumping Jack

Calves, Quads

Jacks raise the heart rate and get arms moving overhead, where cheer motions spend most of their time.

How to do it

  1. Stand with feet together and arms at your sides.
  2. Hop your feet out past shoulder width as your arms sweep overhead.
  3. Hop back to the start as your arms come down, and keep going at a pace you could talk through.

Cues

  • Arms all the way up
  • Soft knees on landing
  • Even rhythm

Common mistakes

  • Half-height arm swings that skip the shoulders: reach fully overhead.

Swap for: Star Jump, Criss-Cross Jack, Skipping in Place

Build a session with Jumping Jack

Raise and sprint prep, knee drive

High Knees

Quads

High knees warm the hips and ankles for jumps and tumbling runs.

How to do it

  1. Stand tall and start jogging in place.
  2. Drive each knee up toward hip height while your opposite arm swings forward.
  3. Stay on the balls of your feet and build the pace over the interval.

Cues

  • Knee to hip height
  • Tall chest
  • Arms pump with the legs

Common mistakes

  • Leaning back to get the knees higher: keep your torso upright and lower the knee height.

Swap for: Butt Kicks, Skipping in Place, Mountain Climber

Build a session with High Knees

Mobility: hips, legs and shoulders

Cheer needs open hips for jumps and kicks and free shoulders for motions and stunts. Swings, lunges and circles cover all three.

Hip mobility, front-to-back swings

Leg Swings

Hamstrings, Glutes

Swings that grow higher prepare the hips for heel stretches and toe touches.

How to do it

  1. Stand side-on to a wall or rack with one hand on it for balance.
  2. Swing your outside leg forward and back like a pendulum, letting the range grow with each swing.
  3. Keep your torso still, then switch sides.

Cues

  • Range grows each swing
  • Torso stays quiet
  • Standing knee soft

Common mistakes

  • Throwing the leg as high as possible from the first swing: start small and let it open up.

Swap for: Standing Side Leg Raise, Walking Lunge, Cossack Squat

Build a session with Leg Swings

Mobility, travelling lunge, a plate overhead or hands free

Walking Lunge

Quads, Glutes

Long lunges open the front of the hips before jumps.

How to do it

  1. Stand tall; hold a light plate overhead or keep hands on hips.
  2. Step forward into a lunge until your back knee is just above the floor.
  3. Push up and step through into the next lunge.

Cues

  • Long step
  • Upright torso
  • Back knee hovers

Common mistakes

  • Short choppy steps that jam the front knee forward: lengthen the stride.

Swap for: Cardio Lunge, Dumbbell Forward Lunge, Reverse Lunge

Build a session with Walking Lunge

Shoulder mobility, circles

Arm Circles

Shoulders

Circles take the shoulders through every motion position, from high V to low V.

How to do it

  1. Stand with your arms straight out to the sides at shoulder height.
  2. Draw small circles forward, growing them bigger over 10 seconds.
  3. Reverse direction and repeat.

Cues

  • Start small, finish big
  • Arms long
  • Ribs down

Common mistakes

  • Arching the lower back on the big circles: keep your ribs stacked over your hips.

Swap for: Band Pull-Apart, Plank IYTW, Dumbbell External Rotation

Build a session with Arm Circles

Activation: shoulders, wrists and trunk

Bases press and catch, flyers hold tight, and tumblers land on their hands. Wake up the shoulder blades and trunk before you load them.

Activation, shoulder blades

Push-Up Plus

Chest

The extra push at the top of each push-up switches on the muscles that hold your shoulders steady under a flyer or in a handstand.

How to do it

  1. Set up in a high plank with hands under shoulders.
  2. Do a push-up, then at the top keep pushing the floor away so your upper back rounds slightly.
  3. Let the shoulder blades come back together before the next rep.

Cues

  • Push the floor away at the top
  • Body in one line

Common mistakes

  • Skipping the extra push at the top: that last bit is the point.

Swap for: Plank Shoulder Tap, Plank IYTW, Incline Push-Up

Build a session with Push-Up Plus

Activation, trunk and shoulders

Plank Shoulder Tap

Abs

Shoulder taps warm the wrists and trunk together.

How to do it

  1. Hold a straight-arm plank with feet a little wider than hips.
  2. Lift one hand and tap the opposite shoulder.
  3. Replace it and tap with the other hand, keeping your hips from rocking.

Cues

  • Hips stay still
  • Feet wide for balance
  • Slow taps

Common mistakes

  • Rocking side to side: widen the feet and slow down.

Swap for: Plank, Push-Up Plus, Bear Crawl

Build a session with Plank Shoulder Tap

Activation, upper back

Band Pull-Apart

Shoulders, Upper Back

Pull-aparts wake up the upper back that keeps posture tight in stunts.

How to do it

  1. Hold a light band at shoulder height with straight arms and hands shoulder width apart.
  2. Pull the band apart until it touches your chest, squeezing your shoulder blades together.
  3. Return slowly.

Cues

  • Arms straight
  • Squeeze between the shoulder blades
  • Slow return

Common mistakes

  • Shrugging up toward the ears: keep the shoulders low.

Swap for: Band Face Pull, Band Rear Delt Fly, Plank IYTW

Build a session with Band Pull-Apart

Jump primers

Build from simple jumps to the shapes you perform. Each set a bit higher than the last.

Sport primer, explosive jack

Star Jump

Quads, Hamstrings, Glutes

Star jumps are an easy first step toward the spread of a toe touch.

How to do it

  1. Squat down slightly with arms in front of you.
  2. Jump up and spread arms and legs into a star in the air.
  3. Bring them back together before landing softly.

Cues

  • Full star in the air
  • Land with feet together
  • Quick reset

Common mistakes

  • Landing with legs still wide: close them before touching down.

Swap for: Jumping Jack, Jump Squat, Clap Jack

Build a session with Star Jump

Sport primer, vertical jump

Jump Squat

Quads, Glutes

Jump squats wake up the legs for height without needing technique.

How to do it

  1. Stand shoulder-width, then drop into a quarter to half squat.
  2. Jump straight up, swinging your arms.
  3. Land softly and reset before the next jump.

Cues

  • Quick dip, fast up
  • Land quietly
  • Reset between reps

Common mistakes

  • Linking reps with sloppy landings: reset fully at this stage.

Swap for: Box Jump, Frog Jump, Star Jump

Build a session with Jump Squat

Sport primer, jump with a half turn

180 Jump Turn

Quads, Glutes

Half turns prepare your landings for turning jumps and choreography.

How to do it

  1. Stand with feet shoulder-width, then dip into a quarter squat.
  2. Jump and turn half a circle in the air, arms helping the rotation.
  3. Land facing the other way with soft knees, then turn back on the next jump.

Cues

  • Turn the head and shoulders first
  • Land balanced
  • Alternate directions

Common mistakes

  • Landing off balance and twisting the knee: start with smaller jumps.

Swap for: Jump Squat, Star Jump, Single-Leg Jump

Build a session with 180 Jump Turn

Put them together: example sessions

Each session below picks from the exercises above for one situation, with the sets, reps, rest and RIR filled in. Open one in the session builder to change a pick, price it from a recent set, and add it to RIRLift.

Session 1

Team practice

Open in the session builder
  • Workouts3× a week
  • Working sets36 a week
  • Per workout~15 min
  • EquipmentDumbbells

You lead or join a team warm-up before stunts and tumbling.

Practice will include many jumps and stunts, so the warm-up keeps every block light, at 4 to 5 reps in reserve, and ends with a few jumps, not many.

Practice warm-up
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Jumping JackSeconds. 2 × 45 5 0 s
High KneesSeconds. 2 × 30 5 15 s
Leg SwingsPer leg. 1 × 10–12 5 0 s
Walking LungePer leg. Hands on hips. 1 × 8 4 15 s
Arm CirclesSeconds each direction. 1 × 20 5 0 s
Push-Up Plus 1 × 10 4 15 s
Plank Shoulder TapPer side. 1 × 10 4 15 s
Star Jump 2 × 5 3 20 s
180 Jump Turn 1 × 4 3 20 s
How to run it
Run it as a group. Coaches call each drill and the team moves on together.
How to progress
Keep the length; add a second round of jump primers before competition season.
Open in the session builder

Session 2

Competition warm-up room

Open in the session builder
  • Workouts1× a week
  • Working sets9 a week
  • Per workout~10 min
  • EquipmentResistance Bands

Your team has a short slot in the warm-up area before taking the floor.

Warm-up rooms are short and crowded. This version drops the floor work and keeps raises, swings and jumps, so you hit the floor ready to perform.

Competition warm-up
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Jumping JackSeconds. 2 × 30 5 0 s
Leg SwingsPer leg. 1 × 10 5 0 s
Arm CirclesSeconds each direction. 1 × 20 5 0 s
Band Pull-Apart 1 × 12 4 15 s
Jump Squat 2 × 4 3 20 s
Star Jump 2 × 4 3 20 s
How to run it
Do it at the start of your slot, then move into stunt run-throughs.
How to progress
Rehearse this exact version at practice so it feels routine on the day.
Open in the session builder

Session 3

Tumbling-focused practice

Open in the session builder
  • Workouts2× a week
  • Working sets20 a week
  • Per workout~10 min
  • EquipmentDumbbells

Today is mostly tumbling, with handsprings and landings on the hands.

Tumbling puts weight through the wrists and shoulders and hard landings through the legs, so this version doubles the shoulder and trunk work and adds jump squats for landing.

Tumbling warm-up
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
High KneesSeconds. 2 × 30 5 15 s
Arm CirclesSeconds each direction. 1 × 30 5 0 s
Walking LungePer leg. 1 × 8 4 15 s
Push-Up Plus 2 × 10 4 15 s
Plank Shoulder TapPer side. 2 × 10 4 15 s
Jump Squat 2 × 5 3 20 s
How to run it
Raise and mobility once, two rounds of the activation block, then jumps.
How to progress
Add a third round of the activation block before the first big pass of the day.
Open in the session builder

Make it fit you

Questions

What is a good cheerleading warm up?

Jumping jacks, high knees, leg swings, walking lunges, arm circles, push-up plus, plank shoulder taps, band pull-aparts, then star jumps, jump squats and jump turns.

How long should a cheer warm up be?

About 10 to 15 minutes at practice and 5 to 8 in a competition warm-up room.

Should cheerleaders stretch before practice?

Use moving drills first. Longer flexibility work fits best at the end of practice.

What are warm-up techniques for cheer?

Raise your heart rate, move every joint through its range, switch on shoulders and trunk, then build up to your jumps.

How to workout like a cheerleader?

Mix jumping, tumbling skill and strength for the legs, shoulders and trunk. Our strength guides below cover the gym side.