Cheer 's Monica Aldama Shows Off Her Abs as She Rehearses for DWTS : 'I've Never Worked This Hard'

Gabrielle Chung

September 10, 2020 at 5:44 PM·3 min read

Monica Aldama/instagram Monica Aldama

Cheer's Monica Aldama is working hard as she prepares for the upcoming season of Dancing with the Stars!

The Navarro College cheerleading coach, 47, gave fans a glimpse of her rehearsals on Wednesday, sharing a photo on Instagram of her abs that she said are ″starting to make a come back″ thanks to the show's physically demanding dance routines.

″I’ve officially been in LA for 2 weeks and 3 days but it feels like much longer," she captioned the shot. ″I’ve been practicing for a week and a half, and to be honest, I’ve never worked this hard physically in my life. I’ve learned so much in such little time - although I’m still working on that technique.″

″My partner has been amazing and is tough as nails on me. (Karma right??? 😂)″ she continued, referencing her own no-nonsense approach to coaching.

″I’m thankful for the opportunity to have this journey and I’m soaking in every bit of it," Aldama added.

Monica Aldama

Aldama is just one of the many contestants set to compete on the ABC series when it premieres on Sept. 14.

The DWTS season 29 cast also includes Backstreet Boys' AJ McLean, Tiger King star Carole Baskin, Selling Sunset's Chrishell Stause and former Bachelorette Kaitlyn Bristowe, among many others.

Aldama's Cheer castmates shared words of encouragement for the coach earlier this month, with Jerry Harris — who is known for his "mat talk″ and positive way of hyping up his fellow teammates — gushing on Good Morning America, ″Congratulations, Monica, for getting picked to be on Dancing with the Stars!″

″You deserve this! Yes! I'm so, so happy for you. I can't wait to vote for you every week, cheer for you and just scream at the TV!" he said.

Nathan Congleton/NBC/ via Getty Monica Aldama and Jerry Harris

Meanwhile, Gabi Butler and Lexi Brumback told Entertainment Tonight that Aldama ″will kill it" while competing for the mirrorball trophy.

"With her determination, she could become a pro at anything. I can see her doing a back walkover in high-heel boots. I know she can do anything. She'll be fine,″ Brumback, 20, said. ″She'll do great, honestly.″

Butler, 22, chimed in and added, ″She's very used to walking in heels already, so I feel like she's a really hard worker. She is a coach and because she did cheer back in the day, I think that she can take good criticism and I feel like she's a hard worker. So I think that she would kill it."

RELATED VIDEO: Coach Monica & Gabi Butler Hope They Get to Celebrate Cheer's 6 Emmy Noms with the Narvarro Team

Coach Monica & Gabi Butler Hope They Get to Celebrate Cheer's 6 Emmy Noms with the Narvarro Team

PLUS: Coach Monica Aldama says Varsity has been receptive of how 'Cheer' turned out, but doesn't know about making a season 2

Aldama has served as the head coach for Navarro College's elite cheerleading team for over two decades, leading the squad to 14 National Championships.

″I'm hoping that my 25 years of experience in getting teams ready for competition, I can use the strategy that we use for mentally and physically preparing," she said on Good Morning America last week. "I have never danced in my life. I've always done cheerleading. I've learned very quickly that it's completely different a whole different technique. I have a long journey ahead of me, but I know how to work hard."

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