Calisthenics

Calisthenics  [kal-uhs-then-iks]

1. (used with a pl. verb) Gymnastic exercises designed to develop muscular tone and promote physical well-being:

2. (used with a sing. verb) The practice or art of such exercises: 

Or what I affectionately call , the Nigger Workout.

Basically, the PT that we do at home or in the park are all calisthenics exercises. Calisthenics workout does not require and special equipments or weights. The only 2 pieces of equipment you might need would be the pull up bar and the dip bar. If those arent available, use you creativity to substitute this equipments.

People that always carry weights and hit the gym dont usually like the idea of just using bodyweight to workout. In the gym , you'll be able to see your weights increase or not. But for cali its not as tangible.

However calisthenics will build up your functional strength and your ability to control it.

This dude here only does calisthenics and look at how ripped and lean he is!

Why I love calisthenics exercises so much is because I dont have to hit the gym . I can do it at home since I have a pull up bar and have ample space at home to do push ups. Which Im sure everyone has that kind of space, even if you stay under the bridge or something. Your workout routines can also very fun to do with a bit of creativity.

The real basics would be push ups, pull ups, handstands,crunches , sit ups, v-ups the list goes on.

Sounds easy right? Of course it is! For me I have been doing it since I was a primary school kid.

If a primary school kid could do it so the you now can do it. 

Push ups

The normal push ups that we do is just the basic movement . The whole exercise is a very simple and stable one.

Instead of placing your feet on the floor, stick it to the wall instead. This removes the stability of the whole exercise and will give you a good core workout as well.

Personally, when I do push ups, I do it fast and explosive. Push yourself off the floor,  push the floor hard and explosively. This trains your explosive arm strength

Explosive power is stronger than brute strength, and for cheer you would need a lot of explosive strength.

Another fun push up exercise would be the tucked planche.

This exercise is slightly more advanced compare to the ones above.

Before try to do push ups in this position, try holding it in is proper form.

Locked out elbows, torso parallel to floor and knees tucked in tight.

Be creative, your hand placement while doing push ups will train different muscle groups.

Do it with one leg , or just one arm. Variate it . Remove the stability factor of this exercise, I promise you it would be one hell of an exercise.

Pull ups!

Pull ups is one of my favourite exercises, it is also a good gauge of how strong you are to your body weight.

Heavier people will always say this

 ' You so light of course can do more than me ma!'

They are not wrong, but they are not right either.

There are a lot of heavy people that can do many reps.

So weight isnt an excuse.

For pull ups there are 3 basic grips

1. Overhand ( Palms facing out)
2. Underhand ( Palms facing you)
3. Neutral ( Palms facing each other)

Personally I prefer the overhand grip, because only the over hand grip can progress to a muscle up.

Which many people find impressive.

A normal pull up will just involve you pulling yourself up and many already find trouble doing it properly.

Do it everyday religiously, if you pray every night, go do pull ups before you pray or something.

I promise you, if you do it every single day , your reps will increase.

When you feel comfortable doing 10 today, do 11 the next, keep pushing your limits.

Someday 20 pull ups will feel like doing 20 push ups.

After you reach your desired rep, stop doing pull ups that reach your chin, that is for children.

Even babies can do that. Evidence below VVV

By now you should at least have some decent strength, make your pulls up faster, pull fast and hard.
Instead of your chin, pull to you chest. At least your nipples , unless your nipples are right at the top x.X
Just keep doing that , pull fast and make sure your chest passes the bar.
Your muscle ups will come, do the same thing and turn your elbows upwards and push it up
BAM! Your first muscle up!

Variate your pull ups as well, to work your core, hold a pike position and do you pull up.
If you got used to it , try alternating your legs .
Again be creative, the amount of variations is limitless..


Squats
Remember my previous post which mentioned squats?
Body weight squats are exactly the same. The form and execution is exactly the same. Just that there is no bar on you.
Go down slow and go up fast. Explosive squats is good for your toss and your jump.

If normal body weight squats are too easy. Try the pistol squat.


That is how it looks like, it is exactly the same as a normal body weight squat.
However, its executed with just one leg and the lack of stability will work your core as well.
Always remember that your knees should never cross your toes.


Abs
Everytime when you want to get your 6 pack the first thing that comes to your mind would be sit ups
Which is useless, a six pack is your diet not the exercise you do !
There are many many different exercises for abs .
My personal favourite is the Mason Twist.

Basically its just twisting you upper torso. Like this photo >>>
Do this for just one minute properly, your whole core would burn
So sit on the floor, lift your legs off the ground
and twist your upper body, thats how this exercise is done!


If you have a accessible pull up bar , do hanging leg lifts as well
Its similar to leg lifts lying on the floor but this would be a more comprehensive core workout.
Hang on the pull up bar, lift your legs up straight and touch the bar if possible.
Lower legs in a controlled manner.
If you cant lift it straight up, try with tucked in legs, it would be much easier!





At this point in time my sentences are not flowing properly already.
Calisthenics is just physics and utilizing your biomechanics to its fullest.
Think of your body as a lever.
So Work Done = Force X Distance from pivot
Force would be your weight, which the only way to increase would be to gain weight (WHICH IS HARD)
Extend  your body, straightening your legs, putting your arms over your head  etc
All of that would make your workout even more shiong
If you just started , start easy, get more basic strength before moving on to advance exercise.


Stumbled upon this video on youtube.
This is a YiRen from Rexas.
If another cheerleader can do it, so can you!


Mad Respect.

I hope you all find this post informative.
If you want to know more just come talk to me during training :)
I wont bite. ^^v

Blazers Rexaz exchange!

On 14th July, Blazers had our 2nd exchange programme! This time it was with RP Rexaz. :DD

We headed to RP in the morning and we started our day off with ice breakers!!

First we played the squirrel and hunter game then the chicken feet game where we had a guys vs girls duel.

 Chicken feet game. ^^

After games, we had a short warm up session rexaz style which was something different from blazers' warm-ups.

Then it was stunts time!!!

Every group had a mix of both blazers and rexaz members thus we got a chance to stunt with each other. ^^

First off, it was group stunt full-up, heelstretch double down!

Then we proceeded twas b-toss toe touch & pike before ending with a trophy pyramid. :DD

This exchange was a very good opportunity for us to mingle and share different techniques with one another while getting to know cheerleaders from other teams. We even got to try the techniques learnt on the spot! ((((:

We had a very good time meeting new cheerleaders exchanging different techniques with each other & having fun at the same time. We indeed enjoyed  ourselves very much. ^___^

Thank you Rexaz for hosting us! :D

*Read about our exchange from rexaz! http://rexaz.blogspot.sg/ (:

DREAMS

Dreams, we all have them. Some people dream about finding their other half, others dream of being on top of the world. Theres an unlimited number of things we all can dream about. This is why dreams are so powerful, they cause us to use the dream to our motivational advantage. If sufficient and prolonged effort is being put into it, with a little hint of luck, we might just achieve our dreams and get the 'breakthrough' we all hope for.

I encourage everybody to dream, dream big, set targets for yourself, make sure you work hard towards them be it your own life or cheer life. Set goals with deadlines so that you have a visual that helps you keep track of your progress. You could aim for a layout twist by the end of the next month, attempt a round off group stunt rewind by the end of the year etc. Whatever you do, take necessary steps for you to achieve your dream eventually.

These a points know as CPF might help you go about achieving your cheerleading goals.

1. CONSIDER whether or not it is a realistic goal with the amount of time allocated, if not, change either one to make it more realistic. Dont set a goal you cant hit, it might cause you to be extreme demotivated. Instead, initiate plans to help yourself achieve your goal, you could go research about the stunt by watching videos or asking people who have already achieved the stunt to tell you more about how to do it and what are the difficulties involve. This way, you would get a clearly picture of your goal and it would be easier for you to work towards it.

3. PRACTISE your stunt, it is not going to help if you just stand around and expect yourself to miraculously be able to do the stunt. Break it down and do it from its basic level, for example, if you want to do a liberty, start with an extention, followed by a closed-leg extention, followed finally by a liberty. Once you are confident about moving to the next level, do so, but make sure that any bad techniques get eradicated before moving on. This is to prevent any snowball of small technical errors that might accumulate as the level of difficulty of your goal is increasing.

3.PERSEVERANCE is self-explainatory.

4. FLEXIBILITY is important because there are many different ways or techniques that can be used to achieve your desired stunt, therefore being too stubborn and only sticking to one technique would not be beneficial to your steps towards your goal. What would be best if you experiment around with the different techniques and find out which is the one that suits you the best. Or alternatively you could come out with your personalised technique which would be the best as you technically understand your body better than others, so by coming using your own method, you are able to customise the technique in a way where it compliments your strengths.

These three points will get you a rough understanding on what i feel is the best way for you to achieve your cheerleading dream. One more last pointer, try to set goals with your friends, it would be more motivating when you have friends with similiar goals as there will be a tendency that you and your friends will spur each other on and therefore make it a more enjoyable and motivating road to achieving your goals.

The best part about achieving something is the long and deserving road you took to achieve it, if there aren't any challenges along the way, would it be something truly memorable? And whats the use of happiness if you dont have anybody to share it with right?

Jia you to everybody having their dreams and working towards your goals, you all can do it, no matter how hard the going gets. I believe in you all okay ^^

"Don't give up, don't ever give up." - Jimmy Valvano

YOU DID IT vs. YOU THINK YOU DID IT

I have been in the cheer scene for about a year and a half already, it might seem like a short time to some but to me its shown me alot about how people in the cheer scene act in different scenarios and also the way people do cheer in general.

YOU DID IT vs YOU THINK YOU DID IT

What do I mean when I say YOU DID IT? For example, you do a toss extension, but the gripping was horrible,  you had to press up slightly, you tossed the flyer to your CG (centre of gravity) etc. To you, you may have done a toss extension because you managed to hit the stunt and pop down. However, to some others, you did not hit a toss extension because it was not a clean toss extension (no pressing up and being stable). So to summarise, it means that you tell yourself you did it, but to others, you didnt actually do a clean toss extension.

This I find is a very common scenario among cheerleaders , although not many people dont tell you right in your face. The question now is, who do you think is correct? The person who thinks they did it or the people who says he did not? The reason I am bringing this up is because i feel some people are complacent in what they do, be it on or off mats. Some people feel that just because they did the stunt, means that they really DID the stunt.

We are now cheering in a time where perfection is of utmost importance, the judges want to see everything hit perfectly without movement and with sharp precision. That is why in everything that we do, we should make it sharp and clean. If you did a toss extention that was not clean, keep training to toss higher/straighter so that it would be clean. Telling yourself that it was not a clean toss extention won't do, you need to work on it, be it hit the gym or brush up your technique.

However, do not take it too harshly when people keep telling you that what you are doing isn't correct, what they are saying might not be 100% correct, but the least you could do is give them the basic respect and listen to what they have to say, analyse and consider whether or not what they had to say was indeed helpful and if so, make amendments and do it again. Of course if you are unsure about what the other person is saying, then there are always coaches around for you to ask for help, they are there for a reason.

Moving on to part two of YOU DID IT vs YOU THINK DID IT. If you are heading for the gym, be it because you want to build up more strength or because you were asked to do so by your coach, it doesnt matter, go to the gym and actually gym effectively. I remember my coach Hakim told my team before that if you even make the effort to do something, do it properly, for the sake of the time that could have been spent doing something maybe more productive. We all know of some people that go to the gym for forty minutes and just do a few reps of shoulder press or squads that would have probably took them five minutes, and then spend the rest of the time talking, followed by leaving the gym claiming that they have finished gymming.

HELLO! This is not gymming. You might argue that maybe the person did intend to only do a few sets just to tone their muscles. Yes true, they MIGHT be doing that, but how often do people actually take time just to go to the gym just to do a few repetitions of a few exercises? From what i know, almost never. YOU might think that you gymmed because you went to the gym and you did work out, BUT did you actually go to the gym and work out effectively? Did YOU achieve anything by going to the gym, or did you just go there just so you could tell yourself that YOU DID IT?

There are many ways people gym, there are the alternate sessions doing alternate body parts, the single muscle group for the whole gym session, the single exercise for the whole gym session etc. Whatever the case, I believe that as long as you go to the gym with a mindset with what you are going to do and the number of sets and reps roughly in your head, you will be gymming efficiently and productively. That is provided that you actually push yourself and do complete that which you have planned to do.

I feel that this part is important because of the fact that many a time people wonder why they gym so much and yet they still dont show any improvement on mats. Sometimes, it is because YOU think you are putting in effort, you think that just because you went to the gym and did a few reps you should improve. But the truth is that it takes hardwork to improve, more hardwork to perfect it, and pure hardwork in the form of insanity to make you one of the best at what you are doing. This applies to both flyers and bases alike, you have to do it right, before saying that you can actually do it.

So if you feel that you are putting in alot of effort, yet you are still not showing any improvement on mats, it might be due to these few reasons: (with examples so its easier to relate and understand)

1. You do not listen to others when they tell you about your mistakes and you refuse to change.
(You frequently bend your arms while doing liberty and people are always reminding you to straighten your arms but you refuse to listen to it)

2. You are not putting in as much effort as you think you are off and on mats.
(You go to the gym to do a few repetitions of a few exercises, and count that as you gymmed)

3. Your input of efforts do not tally with what is required.
(You cannot do a proper heel stretch without shaking too much on stunt but you practice doing heel stretch while lying down on the floor all the time)

These are just some points that i have noticed in my one and a half years of cheerleading. Please let me know if i have said anything that does not make sense or isnt true, it is my first time doing a blog post on cheerleading. Thank you for reading.

"Dont give people a chance to doubt your effort. Do it right, do it good"

RP Xchange Program

14 JULY (Saturday)

Meet at Woodlands Bus Interchange 

at 10:30am 

(We'll be having breakfast together at Causeway Point!)

Dress code :     New Blazers white tee
                        black/dark training bottom


Things to bring :    Extra attire(If you sweat a lot)
                              Tapes/Guards
                              Water bottle
                              Training shoes




AND REMEMBER, DO NOT BE LATE
& do wear covered shoes into RP!

4 Major Lifts

This post if for the guys that dont know much about gymming

If you hit the gym and do know what to do just do this 4 exercises it would help you.

Bench press

Military Press

Deadlifts

Squats

So basically this 4 exercises are like the 四大天王 of the gym.

Doing them at your maximum weight each time PROPERLY, should increase your strength for stunts.

Before working out , please remember to warm up properly to prevent injuries.

I shall go into detail for each exercise

The bench press , basically its like a push up but instead of pushing your self up you push the weight up.

If you cant even do standard push ups, I dont see a point of doing this exercise.

If you can do like 30 standard push ups I think you can at least put 10kg per side.(Estimate one la)

If you workout often enough 20kg is rather simple .

First get a bench, then put some weight on the bar. If possible get a spotter, you wouldnt want the bar to fall on you and get injured physically and socially.

Lie down on the bench with your chest below the bar.

Grip the bar at anything more than shoulder width.make sure you are comfortable

Get a good grip and lift the bar off the rack and position it directly above the middle of your chest. 

Inhale as you lower it down, gently touching your chest with the bar.

Do not bounce the bar off your chest, as this can cause serious injury. 

Begin to exhale as you push the bar up and away from your body. 

Extend your arms to fully.

When pushing try to push it up as fast as you can. 

Cheer is an anaerobic activity, doing your work out slowly wont help you much.

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Do it regularly  enough you should have a nice chest too   .

Start with barbells first, its easier to control compared to dumbbells

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Next up would be military press AKA standing press.

This is probably the closest to exercise that feels like stunting. okay maybe just extension .

You could also do the variation of this which is the seated press which is easier.

Get the Olympic Bar (the thick one).

Since shoulder muscles rarely get focused training during callisthenics work out(unless you do handstands)

Starting with light weights would be safer 

Get a bar , put some weights,get a spotter.

Bring the bar to shoulder level .

You can either clean it up or ask 2 people to help you get it up.

But if you cant clean it up you probably wont be able to press it up either.

So with feet shoulder width apart.

Push the bar straight up and always in front of you like how you would stunt.

Although some online tutorials says lift it behind your head, I dont think it would be useful for cheer though

So extend your arms fully slightly in front of your head.

Inhale as you bring the bar back to your shoulder level. 

Thats 1 rep. Try to do 7 reps per set. If its too easy increase the weights

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Deadlifts, its called that because you will feel like dying the next day because of the sore back x.X

I think this is the hardest exercise to do properly and you get the most shit because of improper form.

ALWAYS KEEP YOUR BACK STRAIGHT! RMB THIS!

Same as the other exercise grab a bar, put some weights, ask someone to constantly remind your form.

Stand slightly shoulder width apart.

Get into a squat position your back straight not hunched .

Grab the bar with one overhand grip and one with underhand grip.

Lift it up close to your body.

And put it back down thats one rep.

Sorry for the not very descriptive tutorial for this exercise.

Watch the video 

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Yeah keep your back straight the whole time RMB!

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Lastly squats, the exercise that works out mainly your quadriceps.

In cheer all legs are like the most important muscle group.

Most of the time, you would hear the coaches or the seniors saying.

USE YOUR LEGS !

Because biologically your legs are bigger than your arms which means it can generate more strength.

And it would make the stunt smoother and easier to execute.

If you are squatting and if you go at the peak hours, you probably wont get to squat.

The squat rack too popular already and the fact that there is only one makes it more in demand.

Go to the rack , adjust the height of the bar so that i rests on your shoulder firmly when you are almost upright.

Put the weights on .

Go under the bar and hold it with a wide grip.

Push the bar off the rack and take a small step back

Drop your butt and do your squats.

Your heels must be on the floor the whole time.

Keep your back straight as well

Knees must not exceed your toes.

Stand back up as fast as you can. 

If you do it wrongly be prepared to get super powerful knee and back injuries. Which im sure you wouldnt want.

20 per side shouldnt be too tough for guys.

7 reps per set.

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Rule of thumb

7 rep is a good gauge to see if the weight is just nice or too heavy for you.

Ensure safety whenever you want to progress to heavier weights. SPOTTERS

Form is very important, you wouldnt want to get injuries because of improper form.

Finish your sets and dont hog the equipments.

You go to the gym to train your body not your mouth. So save the chit chat for after the workout.

I hope this is useful for the junior guys that want to gym .

So hit the gym to show me that you appreciate the effort for this post XD

Jiayou

Exchange with NYP Grizzlers!

Yesterday was our 1st cheer exchange with NYP Grizzlers!!!! (((:

Photos time!

Thank you NYP grizzlers for the teabreak refreshments. (:

Group shots! (((:

It was a very good exposure for all of us learning from their culture & team fighting spirits, picking up new stunts together while making friends with them. Hope everyone learnt something new & had a lot of fun yesterday!!! (((:

Next up RP Rexaz exhange. ^____^

Seniors & juniors bonding session @ Sentosaaaaa

Last Sunday Blazers was @ Sentosa again!! This time it was specially organized by the committee as a bonding session for the seniors & juniors. (((:

1st game of self-intro ice-breaker!

 Then we proceeded to our 2nd game which was catfighting in the waters while on shouldersit dajiadajia!

Then it was pyramids time~

 

Jr & Sr pyramids!

And then we attempted b=tosses!!!

 Group shots! ^___^

Hungry? Yummy beehoon from yeeswen

Energised we continued playing & stunting again. ^^

Jr girls heelstretch

Finally the day ended with dinner @ Vivo's skypark~~~ 

And everyone became red lobsters by then hahaha.

It was the 1^st time playing & stunting in the sentosa waters for the juniors. All of us were sunburnt but hope everyone had fun & learnt something new from this outing. There will be more to come. :DDDDD