So it either turns into something random that doesn't really do anything, or it just gets skipped altogether. If that's you — keep it simple and start with control.
Before anything else —
can they control their own body?
Your athletes need to be able to control their own body. Not just get through movements, but actually own them. The easiest place to look at this is their squat. Not how many they can do — just how it looks.
Can they keep their full foot on the ground, sit low, and stay balanced without wobbling?
If they can't, that's your starting point.
Why the squat matters in cheer
Squats are the foundation of stunting. If a base can't sit properly into a squat and stay strong and balanced, their stunt is going to be unstable before it even leaves the ground. This isn't a gym exercise for the sake of it — it transfers directly to the floor.
You don't need anything complicated
to see what's really going on.
Something as simple as a backwards roll into a squat will tell you a lot. Then you can build on it — have them land on one leg, or try to stand up from it. Now you're starting to train balance and control, which directly carries over into catching, absorbing landings, and staying stable in stunts.
Crawling and animal movements are more than enough. Inchworms, bear crawls, crab walks, duck walks — they might look basic, but they build strength through the core, shoulders, and hips all at once, while also improving coordination. That's exactly what your athletes need for stunting, tumbling, and holding positions cleanly.
The progression —
simple, but it works.
Body Control — The Squat Test
Full foot on the ground, sit low, stay balanced. If they can't do this cleanly, everything else can wait. This is the foundation.
Backwards Roll Into Squat
Reveals coordination, body awareness, and how well they can control movement under momentum. Then add single-leg landing to increase demand.
Animal Movements
Bear crawls, inchworms, crab walks, duck walks. Builds core, shoulders, and hips simultaneously while training coordination. Looks simple — isn't.
Make the Same Movements Harder
Slow them down. Take away balance. Move from two legs to one. You don't need new exercises — just more demand on the ones they already have.
Lunges — All Variations
Start with split squats or stationary lunges, build into walking lunges or different directions. Critical for level changes, jump landings, and single-leg flyer positions.
You don't need to keep adding
new exercises every week.
Most of the time, you just need to make the same movements a little harder. Slow them down, take away some balance, or move from two legs to one. The movement stays the same, but the demand increases — and that's what actually builds strength.
A simple session
that's more than enough.
Once the basics are looking good, you can put it all together. It doesn't need to be anything fancy.
That's it. Push-ups, pull-ups, squats, lunges, planks, and core work is more than enough if it's done properly. Around three sets of six to ten reps — as long as the effort is there and the movement stays clean.
Managing it with a group — use a timer.
Give them a couple of minutes to complete their reps. Whatever time is left is rest. Then go again. It keeps things structured and stops it turning into chaos, especially with bigger cheer teams.
The biggest mistake
coaches make with this.
Trying to rush the process. Skipping the basics and trying to make it look hard instead of making it effective. In cheer, that's when you start seeing unstable stunts, messy landings, and athletes who can't hold positions properly.
If your athletes can control their body, hold positions, and stay balanced — everything in cheer becomes easier to build. Stunts feel more stable, tumbling becomes more controlled, athletes look cleaner overall.
If they can't, you're just building on top of something that isn't ready.
So if you're not sure where to start — start there.