What are core sliders? What exercises can you do with them?

These are the questions I will answer in this blog so that you can understand more about core sliders, know if you should use them, and also know how to use them for a great workout.  At the end you’ll see a video for a full body core slider workout that you can do at home or at the gym, or even while traveling. 

Core sliders, also knows as core gliders or gliding discs, are thin discs  (usually plastic) about the size of an appetizer plate that are used for strengthening your midsection. However, they can also be for some serious leg strengthening, and even for targeting the upper body. Their versatility and cost effectiveness makes them a great tool for overall body toning.

These are awesome for all kinds of core exercises. You can take some basic moves like mountain climbers or a Pike position that you might do on a stability ball and instead use them on your feet to make those exercises much harder. 

Benefits of Core Slider Workouts

Sliders  or exercise discs are very versatile and offer many benefits.

1. Travel-friendly – these are a great workout tool for traveling because they’re so compact and light weight. You can stash them in your suitcase or even your purse or briefcase, you know, in case you want to get in some mountain climbers before you jump on the plane!
2. Balance & Core Strength – They require a lot of balance, control, and stability so they work your core and coordination during whatever exercise you are doing. Any balance workout will challenge your core, so even if you don’t feel like you’re directly working those abs or obliques, you probably are! Plus, balance translates to daily activities like standing on one leg to put on jeans, running, maintaining footing during a game of basketball, and simply avoiding falls as we age. 
3. Core Toning and Calorie Burning – As you work the deep muscles of the core because of what I explained above,  it will help tone the midsection and cinch in waistline while burning more calories than things like sit-ups. Don’t forget, the lower back is part of the core, so you’ll also be building strength there which can help reduce low back pain.
4. Gym-bag must – like with travel, these discs are simple to  keep in your gym bag for an intense core workout anytime. Take them to the gym and it’s one less piece of sweaty equipment that you have to share with others! 
5. Challenging – as you’ll see in the video, these make core workouts much harder than doing them same exercises without them. Try mountain climbers or push-ups without sliders, then give those same exercises a try with your hands or feet on the discs. Feel the difference? 
6. Affordable – you can expect to spend about $10-15 dollars on a set of gliders.  You’ll see in images below some prices on common types of sliders. In my opinion there’s no reason to spend $30 on these, but that’s really up to you. 

Types of Core Sliders

There are different versions, some that are more of a cloth material, some round, other geometrical shapes. They’re commonly made with plastic on one side, and a soft material on the other to help keep your feet in places, so they can be used on various smooth surfaces like wood floor or carpet. 

Personally, the third type shown below, which has no plastic surface, are my least favorite. They’re fine on slick floors, but don’t work well on surfaces like carpet, and just aren’t as sturdy. I personally use the ProSourceFit sliders below. 

These small, flat discs can seem overly simplistic at first glance, but as with many things in life, don’t underestimate the power of something because of its size or simplicity!

How to Use Core Sliders

The gliders are placed under your feet or hands and  for smooth sliding. They can be used for directly working your abs, such as with mountain climbers or knee tucks (watch video below to see exercises) or they can be used for lunges or push-ups in a way that is less stable, forcing you to engage your core even more. 

You’ll find that hard floors are usually the easiest to use them on since they glide the best this way, but carpet is easy as well, as long as you have the hard surface facing down. They don’t work so well on gym flooring or other rubbery/non-slick surfaces, but in a pinch I’ve managed to use them with clients on gym mats.

Core Slider Workouts and Exercises

Watch the video below for a full body core slider workout you can do anywhere. They’re great for ab workouts with exercises like mountain climbers, knee tucks, and pikes. I also love these for working the butt during lunges.

Some common moves that are effective are:

• Mountain Climbers
• Push-ups
• Reverse Lunges
• Plank Jacks
• Side lunges
• Pikes
• Knee Tucks
• Bridges/Hamstring Curls
• Single Arm Reaches

You’ll find these in the video below, which can be performed as a circuit or you can just add a few to your normal routine. With exercises like mountain climbers, try going for time. Start with 15 seconds and work your way up to longer bursts. With moves like lunges that are done on one side at a time, start with 5-10 on each side and work your way up.

You can get these core sliders 10% off with code HOLLY10 at ProSourceFit.com.

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