All-Star Cheer ?

[Keep_Believing]

I have noticed more girls on higher level teams such as level 4 & 5 that are amazing athletes, have excellent tumbling and jump skills, & appear to be overweight. These girls are obviously doing rigorous work outs on a regular basis and have above average strength to throw such difficult and high level skills. I have the upmost respect for all these amazing and dedicated athletes. It is good to see cheerleaders in all shapes and sizes. My question is with these kind of demanding workouts do you think the extra weight most likely comes from the average American diet such as fast food and large portions? Or do many cheer teams focus more on strength conditioning v. balancing aerobic conditioning?

 

[NJ Coach]

It could be diet, slow metabolism, genetics, or any combination of the 3. I don't know if we're completely balanced on strength vs aerobic conditioning, but we try and make sure we're doing both.

 

[MyGirlCheers]

Also, some of those girls are very muscular - that adds bulk and can give the appearance of being overweight (based on the unrealistic standard set by fashion and the media).

 

[cheer25mom]

It's called genetics. Not everyone is or will ever be rail thin, no matter what diet or exercise program they are on.


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[catlady]

Cp is a backspot, is 5'5" and weighs 138. She has a teeny, tiny size 0 waist with size 5 or 7 hips and thighs that she has developed doing cheer. She definitely looks larger in comparison to many on her squad, but she is solid muscle. Yoga, Pilates, or Ballet might help to lengthen the muscle in her legs, however, I'm pretty convinced most of it is her body type and boils down to all the squatting and using those legs and hips to propel flyers in the air.

As far as eating, I definitely have noticed her eating habits are different in the school year. Cp usually comes home from school, does homework and grabs a bite running out the door to practice. Often, she asks to stop off and get food on the way home and fast food is the only option. She doesn't over eat, in fact, she doesn't eat much, but the time of day she eats and the type of food certainly make a difference.

 

[cheer25mom]

Cp is a backspot, is 5'5" and weighs 138. She has a teeny, tiny size 0 waist with size 5 or 7 hips and thighs that she has developed doing cheer. She definitely looks larger in comparison to many on her squad, but she is solid muscle. Yoga, Pilates, or Ballet might help to lengthen the muscle in her legs, however, I'm pretty convinced most of it is her body type and boils down to all the squatting and using those legs and hips to propel flyers in the air.

As far as eating, I definitely have noticed her eating habits are different in the school year. Cp usually comes home from school, does homework and grabs a bite running out the door to practice. Often, she asks to stop off and get food on the way home and fast food is the only option. She doesn't over eat, in fact, she doesn't eat much, but the time of day she eats and the type of food certainly make a difference.

My CP is 10 and a base. She is a girls 10 or do in the waist, but we are having to buy juniors 0s and 1s to fit her legs. She still wears girls tops, but our days of girls pants are over.


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[mommadonna]

As long as they're healthy and able to perform the skills, and as long as their physicians are happy with the condition they are in, this discussion is irrelevant.

 

[LabbyGirlMOM]

@Kris what is overweight my Princess Hotmess is 9 and wears a youth med/large bottoms and a youth med tops and was recently called overweight.

 

[Rudags]

I think its a mix of fast food and not training on a daily basis. A lot of our upper level athletes at best do practices twice a week and maybe a private. I can tell you people who are in the gym daily, who work out outside of practice and maintain a healthy diet are the ones who appear "not over weight".

 

[cheer25mom]

I think its a mix of fast food and not training on a daily basis. A lot of our upper level athletes at best do practices twice a week and maybe a private. I can tell you people who are in the gym daily, who work out outside of practice and maintain a healthy diet are the ones who appear "not over weight".

Not always. We have an amazing athlete on our worlds team. Eats clean, in the gym 5 days a week, ect. She is about 4' 10" and not what most would consider skinny, but flies and can out tumble just about everyone on the team, she has beautiful hyperextended jumps, ect. She is 100% healthy but overweight according to the BMI scale. My CP is as well, but her doctor says that those scales are not the ultimate indicator, especially with kids. CP has a body fat percentage well below average for girls her age and the doctor says that is much more important to overall health than weight.


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[Rudags]

Not always. We have an amazing athlete on our worlds team. Eats clean, in the gym 5 days a week, ect. She is about 4' 10" and not what most would consider skinny, but flies and can out tumble just about everyone on the team, she has beautiful hyperextended jumps, ect. She is 100% healthy but overweight according to the BMI scale. My CP is as well, but her doctor says that those scales are not the ultimate indicator, especially with kids. CP has a body fat percentage well below average for girls her age and the doctor says that is much more important to overall health than weight.


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I wasn't speaking as a 100%. There will always be exceptions to any "rule" but I would say positively there is a correlation between athletes who do cheer 7 days a week vs. those who do it 2 days a week and with eating habits, etc.

 

[cheer25mom]

I wasn't speaking as a 100%. There will always be exceptions to any "rule" but I would say positively there is a correlation between athletes who do cheer 7 days a week vs. those who do it 2 days a week and with eating habits, etc.

I just don't like generalizations about kids and weight. The fact is that healthy kids come in a range of shapes and sizes, and there is enough body image pressure on girls from society in general without it coming from the gym too. There is nothing wrong with encouraging kids to work out more, but the "you're fat because you aren't in the gym enough" mentality bothers me.


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[Rudags]

I just don't like generalizations about kids and weight. The fact is that healthy kids come in a range of shapes and sizes, and there is enough body image pressure on girls from society in general without it coming from the gym too. There is nothing wrong with encouraging kids to work out more, but the "you're fat because you aren't in the gym enough" mentality bothers me.


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I understand your viewpoint, and I would never use the word fat to an athlete. However, I would and DO use the term healthy. My level 5 athletes are instructed to eliminate soda from their diets as well as fast food and also to research what they are putting in their bodies, and if they are NOT in the gym enough (either cheer gym or work out gym) then they will be missing out. Theyre not 'fat' because they arent in the gym enough.... they are just not utilizing their talents if they're not in the gym enough. Size doesnt matter if you have the strength to do it. I weigh 240 and in college at my "rock bottom" I weighed 260. I was throwing standing fulls, two to whip doubles and any speciality pass you would dream of (except arabians.... I just never grasped half twists) and from looking at my body shape and type I definitely defyed gravity. However, just because I have a big frame didnt mean that I couldnt throw skills, just meant I had to work harder.

 

[cheer25mom]

I understand your viewpoint, and I would never use the word fat to an athlete. However, I would and DO use the term healthy. My level 5 athletes are instructed to eliminate soda from their diets as well as fast food and also to research what they are putting in their bodies, and if they are NOT in the gym enough (either cheer gym or work out gym) then they will be missing out. Theyre not 'fat' because they arent in the gym enough.... they are just not utilizing their talents if they're not in the gym enough. Size doesnt matter if you have the strength to do it. I weigh 240 and in college at my "rock bottom" I weighed 260. I was throwing standing fulls, two to whip doubles and any speciality pass you would dream of (except arabians.... I just never grasped half twists) and from looking at my body shape and type I definitely defyed gravity. However, just because I have a big frame didnt mean that I couldnt throw skills, just meant I had to work harder.

Exactly my point, you can be doing all of that and still not be skinny.


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[Rudags]

Exactly my point, you can be doing all of that and still not be skinny.


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Agreed. as someone else said, genetics plays a roll as well.