I’m waking up in a soft, plush bed at Bahia Principe Ambar Green Hotel & Resort in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, after a glorious nine hours of sleep. So I should be well-rested and raring to go for today’s workout. But as I sit up amongst the crisp white pillows, I immediately notice one thing: My neck is hella sore. And it’s not because I slept funny or got a crick in my neck from the flight over. It’s because the day before, I spent hours tossing my hair over and over, learning the art of a sexy hair flip. Or, as the Philadelphia Eagles cheerleaders call it, hair-ography.

This, my friends, is a crucial part of cheerleading training, and it’s one I definitely was not expecting. “I never expected it either when I first started, and it’s funny because you never really think about your neck being sore,” says Sage Cifaloglio, the 26-year-old co-captain of the Eagles cheer squad. “But it takes effort to flip all of your hair around. I still don’t think my neck is used to it after all these years.” (She’s been doing this for six seasons.)

When I signed up to sweat with this group of 35 women, who were on location for their annual calendar photoshoot, I knew that I would be attending plenty of dance practices, stretch sessions, and yoga classes. And I wasn’t worried—I work out regularly, and while I don’t have a dance background, I figured I’ve attended enough 305 Fitness classes that I could pull through without a problem. But honestly, this neck thing threw me. I’ve seen cheerleaders do plenty of hair flips on the sidelines of football games, but it’s always so quick that I didn’t think they were a big deal. But just like anything else you do 50 times over, a tiny little hair flip can get the best of you. And it certainly got to me.

So rather than hop out of bed and simply step into my sneakers like I usually do, I took a few minutes to roll my neck around and slowly give it a few stretches. Over the next few days, I’d learn that’s another crucial element to being a success on the Eagles squad. “We warm up every single practice for at least 30 minutes. That’s how important it is,” says Victoria Caruso, 22, the other co-captain. “And we’re always encouraged to stretch more when we get home, to make sure our bodies stay loose and ready for the next day.” (Dance your way fit with Women's Health's High-Intensity Dance Cardio, the first-ever socanomics DVD!)

Curious about what else it takes to be a part of the Eagles squad? Here’s what I found out.

That hair flip requires thought.

When Sage and Victoria first started teaching me a hair flip, I thought it'd be pretty simple to pick up. Step 1: Flip hair over. Step 2: Flip hair back. Done—right?

Not so much. First, the hair flip down requires you to engage your core, stagger your steps, and gently bend your knees. Then, you shake your chest while flipping your hair over, bending your knees until you’re basically in a half-lunge. And you can’t forget to bring your arms out to your sides—remember, pom poms are in hand. Then, to flip back, you straighten your legs, keep shimmying your chest, and flick your chin hard up toward the sky. That last part is key—if you don’t, your hair won’t make it back up and over, and instead you’ll look like this.

So, yeah. Hair flips are a lot harder than they look.

Shake what your momma gave ya.

When I wasn’t learning to whip my hair back and forth—and practicing it over and over in my hotel room—Sage and Victoria were teaching me bumps, or 18-24 counts of a dance routine that’s performed on the sidelines while the game is in play. As I progressed through each eight-count of moves, I realized how relaxed I needed to be so that my movements could seamlessly flow from one to the next. “You’re too stiff, don’t be afraid to loosen up!” Sage kept telling me. “Come on, you’ve got sass!” echoed Victoria. Their encouragement made me feel like I was in a safe space to really go for it—after all, if you don’t believe it, nobody in the stands will—and by the end, I was swinging, shaking, and swaying my hips more than I ever have in my life.

Related: Even People Who Hate The Gym Will Love This Dance-Inspired Workout

Get used to having your hair down.

As someone who sweats a decent amount during a workout, one of my biggest pet peeves is having slick, sweaty hair stuck to my neck. That’s something I needed to quickly get over in cheerleading bootcamp, as the girls wear their hair down for everything. Dance rehearsals, yoga classes, stretch sessions—you name it and their hair is down, even if it’s over 90 degrees and humid like it was in Punta Cana. While I didn’t mind it most of the time, I will admit the yoga session was mildly annoying. Gentle flows didn’t allow for hard hair flips, which meant my strands were basically trying to suffocate me whenever I transitioned from an inversion to an upright pose. But hey, at least the pictures look good, right?

Need to add more stretching into your day? Try this yoga for everyday athletes:

preview for Yoga for Everyday Athletes

Bring the ‘tude.

While hair flips and solid dance moves are an important part of being an Eagles cheerleader, the most critical component is actually mental. “You have to be confident,” Sage told me. “Of course you can help people with confidence; help it blossom, but you can’t just make someone be confident. So the girls need to have that piece within them, and then everything else can start to fall into place.”

When I attended rehearsal (the squad typically has three-hour practices twice a week), there was one particular moment where confidence was on full display: the walk. About halfway through practice, the ladies all lined up in rows of five women on one side of the studio. Then, “When I Grow Up” by The Pussycat Dolls started blasting through the speakers and, I kid you not, these ladies were transformed. All of a sudden there were 35 fierce, untouchable women strutting across the floor with so much sass they would’ve rivaled Beyonce. Each step was made with purpose, with heads held high and personality infused into every movement. Sitting there, I wanted to be one of those women. So I got up and worked on my own strut, pointing my toes and lengthening my legs like never before. And now, whenever I need a confidence boost I cue up that song as a reminder that I, too, can be just as fierce.

Related: Jennifer Lopez Just Clapped Back At Haters Who Say Her Abs Are Photoshopped

Elongate, elongate, elongate.

The Eagles cheerleaders work hard to give attitude, but at the end of the day, those in the nose-bleed section don’t care about pursed lips or eyes that smize—they want to see you move. “Fans at the top of the stadium, when they’re looking at us they’re not seeing the pupils of our eyes,” Sage said. “They’re seeing our arms or our straight legs. So we need to give them a good show, and we can’t do that if we’re hunched over or not extending well.”

That’s where yoga comes in. The practice naturally helps you focus on extension and zeroing in on every movement, so I wasn’t surprised when some of the girls asked me to participate in a class. And before dance rehearsal, there was a long stretch session. Both allowed me to really work on my posture, flexibility, and form during each movement, and I was confident that, had we been in a football stadium, anyone way up in the back still would’ve seen my pointed toes.

Related: ​These Are The 4 Best Leg Exercises For People Who Want To See Serious Results

Consider a Spin class or two.

Think about it: Cheerleading is a very cardio-heavy activity, much like indoor cycling, and at boutique studios, you’re basically learning choreography on a bike. Plus, there’s always an “arms section” dedicated to lifting three- to five-pound weights for a three- to five-minute song. And since pom poms weigh about the same, I’m going to go ahead and say my weekly sessions at Swerve could help me become a member of the squad. Hey, after watching me dance, stretch, and flip (my hair—let’s not get crazy, people) for three days, they said I had a shot.

Headshot of Samantha Lefave
Samantha Lefave
Freelance Writer

Samantha Lefave is an experienced writer and editor covering fitness, health, and travel. She regularly interviews pro athletes, elite trainers, and nutrition experts at the top of their field; her work has appeared in Runner's World, Bicycling, Outside, Men's Health and Women's Health, Cosmopolitan, Glamour, and more.