I was wondering if i should cut back on my shoulder work since i am now cheerleading. Im doing a lot of overhead work a few days a week with the girls. Or should i continue to work my shoulders as usual. I would especially like to hear from Nelms on this. thanx
I would train shoulders between your biggest break of from stunting. Most that overhead work will be done by the legs.
Goldberg, sorry there, I only post at night…hope you didn’t think I was ignoring ya’. Anyway, I will primarily agree with stuntgod on the leg issue. If you are REALLY going to excel at stunting, you MUST use your legs. Legs are EVERYTHING, and they are 90% of technique and success. I’m not saying that you aren’t, I’m just asking you to constantly keep that in mind. That being said, yes, I did work my shoulders in college while I cheered - but just once per week. I wasn’t wise enough back then to have a scientific reason for my weekly session, except that my body would always tell me that was enough. All I worked were military press and forward DB raises (military for overhead stunts and DB raises for getting the girls to hands). It’s been a long time ago, but I think I recall doing 3x10 on military and 2x8-10 on forward raise…that’s all. I know this is getting long, but to continue the discussion on lifting, I also used to do cleans with a front squat. The cleans were for working toss-to-hands and basket tosses, the front squat was for using my legs with the weight (girl) in front of my body, and doing them TOGETHER (clean from floor to shoulders - immediately do a front squat - lower bar to floor…repeat) was to improve endurance. A 3 minute National-level routine is ungodly, and so is combining those 2 exercises! Oh, I also noticed that you’re only stunting 2-3 days per week. We stunted 6 days per week (5 days on weeks w/o a game), and I used to eat unbelievable amounts of food to keep my energy levels and muscle growth.
You have to stop cheerleading cuz it’s girlie.
LOL I had to say that, don’t get all snippy now. If I were you, depending on how many times you lift those girls. I would skip doing shouders altogether. They get worked in other movements. Maybe some side laterals but that’s it. Come to think of it, when you lift the girls do you see their bush? How do the girls feel about you peeking under their skirt?
I know you dont really think cheerleading is girlie. Our assistant coach cheered at Georgia and is bad ass. Hes ripped and strong as shit. Im a big motherfucker with a bald head and goattee so you better be scared(hehe). It really is hard though and is probably the ultimate in functional strength. Its dangerous too. I damn near tore my abdominals off of my pelvis doing back tucks last night.
Male figure skaters and ballet dancers are
strong, ripped and athletic, but neither sport is known as the most masculine of endeavors.
I think cheerleading is right up there with
them. Besides if you were THAT big strong or athletic, you would be on the field with the real men. Sorry
It’s funny how people who have not participated in the sport seem to percieve it as girlie. I’ve cheered with a lot of guys bigger then me (I’m 5’8" 215 @ 10% bf) that previously played football. They found cheerleading to be a lot more demanding. until you try you could never know.
Jo Mama i played football in college and have power cleaned 335 pounds and weigh 235 pounds. Is that big enough for ya? I have since transferred to a school that doesnt have football. So you can blow it out your ass.
stuntgod, damn, you’re big. I’ll bet you’re a stunting machine! Jo Mama, I was originally somewhat annoyed with your post, but let me put it to you politely. Why shouldn’t I, as a former cheerleader, call you an “ignorant football player” for being out on the field getting creamed by guys, instead of being an athlete on the side lines surrounded by beautiful women? I’m not going to do that, because I respect that different people are motivated by different things - please show the same courtesy, or mature enough to develop an objective attitude. And before someone comes back with “you couldn’t play football”, I have been tested at 4.38 on the 40-yard dash, run the 100 meters in 10.8, and had a vertical leap of 34.5 inches (glory to God for the gifts - thank you, Lord). Open your mind.
Goldberg and Jeremy,
I thought I made it obvious in my first post that I don’t in any way doubt your athletic ability. However, the girliness of your “sport” has nothing to do with that. it is the persona that goes along with it. I admire the athletic ability of figure skaters, and dancers, but I in no way consider them or their activites masculine. In the same way, I acknowledge that cheerleading takes A LOT of strength, balance, and coordination. However,
dancing around on the sidelines in nut-hugger shorts doing dopey chants for a bunch of other
men in no way constitues a masculine activity.
You could have the national powerlifting team
do it and it would still be girlie.
I have an objective attitude, I just think
cheerleading is “objectively girlie”, and I am
sorry to say that the majority of the population would agree with me. To each his own though. If you are alright with it than I guess it is all that matters. I get crap from other people about competitive powerlifting and weightlifting all the time, and I am able to
let it go and enjoy my sport. I was just voicing my opinion. Take it or (as I am sure you will ) leave it.
Joe
First, in no way shape or form does cheerleading require athleticism. Of course, a cheerleader may possess some athleticism, but it is not necessary for an “activity” that requires you to yell into a big tube, have oodles of team spirit and have your hand lodged into a girl’s crotch.
Second, if I ever hear/read one man call another man a “stunting machine” again, I am going to cut off my ears and stick a pencil in each of my eyes.
I think we need to distinguish between two very different things. First off, you percieve cheerleading as just cheering during sports. That is a huge mistake. Its mainly for competition. The actual cheering is just something you have to do sometimes. Secondly, if you think it requires no athleticism, you need to try it. Youll leave with a new appreciation. There is no way doing a standing back tuck doesnt display an excellent amount of athletic ability. Also try holding a girl who weighs as much as one of the heaviest dumbbells in the gym up with one hand. You have absolutely no idea what your talking about.
Damn, you cheering guys must get a lot of quality snatch…
Goldberg, if I were doing the 120-pound college vixen press a couple hours a day, I don’t think I’d worry about working my shoulders. In fact, I don’t think I’d worry about anything at all. Oh, to be young and back in school again…
Thanks Chris. Your exactly right. Last night one of my buddies was joking with me about being a poonany cause i was cheerleading. I told him that if he saw what i saw tonight, he would think differently.
Joe, since you were intelligent and kind enough to reply with a well though-out response, I’ll be happy to compromise on this. While I still disagree with your “real men” statement, you have valid points. Like Goldberg said, cheering to me is about STUNTING. I WISH that I could have not “cheered” and just stunted and did national routines. No, the actual “cheering” in my mind is not super manly, but stunting with beautiful women certainly IS!!! I think the only way to JUST stunt is to be in Cirque de Soleil or something, and if I could do THAT stuff, I’d laugh at anyone that said it wasn’t athletic. BMJ, thank you for providing the forum readers with the complete opposite example of posting with class, like Joe Mama proved he can do. Your lack of knowledge is perfectly excusable (I certainly don’t know too much about hockey, for example), but I am intelligent enough to not make judgemental comments about a subject I am not familiar with. Just for kicks, I’d like to say again that stuntgod must be a stunting machine at his size and weight. So, we’ll see you around, Van Gogh, and may I suggest sharpening those pencils first? Oh, and wait! Next time you’re in the gym, push press a 130 lb. dumbbell into 1 hand over your head - then “pop” it over into the other hand while you’re up there. Congratulations, you’ve just done the first 10 seconds of a 3 minute National routine.
Well said Mr. Nelms and thanks for the compliment.