The 6-Move Circuit That Will Smoke Your Entire Body With Just a Towel
Want to kick the intensity of your workouts up a notch? Sure, you can lift heavier weights or add an extra set of exercises in. But using a pair of core sliders also does the trick.
“Sliders produce an instability within the body, thus making your workout that much more challenging,” Charlee Atkins, C.S.C.S., founder of Le Sweat, tells Bicycling.
And you don’t have to just use core sliders for ab workouts—you can use them to work your entire body, too. So Atkins created a total-body circuit using sliders to help you take your workouts into a higher gear, nailing those PRs in the process. Along with smoking your abs, this circuit will also challenge your glutes, quads, hamstrings, chest, and shoulders.
“Keep in mind that the use of sliders includes more advanced progressions of your typical exercises, so make sure you have a solid base of fitness established before trying these,” she says. “If you’ve been sliding and gliding for a while, try adding in a set of dumbbells to up the intensity even more.”
Don’t have a pair of sliders handy? A towel and a smooth surface will do the trick.
[Looking to start cross training but don’t know where to start? The Beginner’s Guide to Strength Training will teach you all the fundamentals to get the most out of your weight session, priming you for stronger miles in the saddle.]
How to do it: Atkins put together this six-move workout for three levels: beginner, intermediate, and advanced.
Beginner: Perform three to five rounds with 8 to 10 reps of each exercise.
Intermediate: Perform three to five rounds with 10 to 12 reps of each exercise.
Advanced: Perform three to five rounds with 15+ (but no more than 30) reps of each exercise.
A post shared by CHARLEE | Fitness + Trainer (@charleeatkins) on Aug 2, 2019 at 4:38am PDT
1. Single-Leg Lateral Squat
Start by placing the slider underneath the ball of the foot that is moving laterally. Begin bending your standing knee, pressing the hips back. At the same time, start sliding the opposite foot (with the slider) out sideways, keeping the leg straight. Keep the head in line with the tailbone and chest up. Drive the ground away from the standing foot while simultaneous returning the sliding leg in. Repeat.
2. Body Saw
Start in forearm plank position, and place one slider underneath the feet (toes should be curled under, the balls of the feet on the slider). Moving forward and backward 6 to 8 inches, keep the core engaged and the head in line with the heels. Keep the quads and glutes fired for stability. Repeat.
3. Push-Up Reach
Start in a push-up plank position, each hand placed on a slider. Your hands should be slightly wider than the shoulder, shoulder over the wrists, forming a straight line from the head the heels. Perform one push-up, and then “reach” or “slide” one hand forward. Perform another push-up, and then “reach” or “slide” the other hand forward. Repeat, alternating hands.
4. Eccentric Hamstring Curl
Start in hip raise or glute bridge position with the sliders underneath each foot (weight in the heels). Keeping the head and shoulder on the ground and hips lifted, slowly slide both heels out at the same time. Keep hips raised and core engaged the entire time. Once legs are extended, slowly lower hips down to the ground. Bend knees and repeat.
5. Slider Rollout
Start kneeling and then bring both hands on top of sliders. With knees bent, keep the toes on the ground. Arms should be extended, shoulders right over the wrists. Begin pushing hands (and sliders) out, keeping the arms straight. Back should be flat and head should stay in line with the tailbone. Use the core to stabilize the body and slowly lower the chest down towards the ground. Once chest touches the ground, slide hands back and repeat.
6. Reverse Pike
Start by putting hands on top of yoga blocks (or hold onto 10-pound dumbbells) to help elevate hips off the ground. Start in a seated position, legs extended forward, and the heels on the sliders. Lift yourself up, and then using the lower abs pull the slider backward, pausing at the back before returning to start. Repeat.
You Might Also Like
