With the fast-evolving training trends and methods, the core slider is another great addition to the list. Core sliders mainly provide the capability to glide. If you are looking for something fun and new, then core sliders are a good find. 

Core sliders specifically target and involve your core muscles which gives your body better stability and a conditioned effect. These sliders have the capacity to target various muscles other than your core muscles. 

This article will give you a better insight into core sliders and guide you about effective slider exercises. 

What are Core Sliders and How Do They Work?

Sliders are circular-shaped discs, often called Gliding Discs as well. You can place them along any surface and glide, you can set your hands, elbows, knees, and feet on the sliders and slide without the need of lifting them.

This sliding puts your body out of balance and calls for acute core activation to counter that. Thus, your core does extra work to stabilize your body and gets more robust and conditioned in the process. This training for balance and stability increases the agility of your body.

Plus, the versatility of gliding discs allows them to target a vast range of muscle groups.

The quick gliding motions increase muscle movement and give your body excellent cardio.

Cardio not only strengthens your heart but also increases your metabolism, agility, and muscle strength. Since the usage of these discs calls for fun variations to conventional exercises, you wouldn’t need to tire yourself with the monotonous bike or treadmill!

Having a minimum pressure on joints is another reason why Sliders are a hot product in the market. In usual exercises, your joints support your body weight. However, the gliding motions of Sliders remove the burden from the joints, thus decreasing the risk of joint-related injuries!

How To Use Core Sliders?

Using exercise sliders involves no rocket science. You can be a noob in gym equipment and still ace the way sliders are used and effectively perform every “slider workout.” Although using sliders, the first time may seem challenging and harsh at first, consistency is the way to go!

Below are a few easy and basic ways to use Sliders:

• Place your Core Sliders on the surface.
• If you are working on a tile or hard floor, place the fabric layer side on the floor.
• If you are working on carpets or rugs, place the smooth, plastic side on the floor.
• You can place your hands, elbows, knees, or feet on the upper side of the slider and start sliding!

Benefits Of Core Sliders

Like other fitness accessories, core sliders gained massive popularity due to their notable benefits which are mentioned below;

• Firstly, the name ‘core sliders’ gives a clear vision that it has some role in core strengthening. Core sliders efficiently target your core muscles while you are gliding. This gliding motion fully activates your abdominal and lower back muscles. This activation will improve muscle strength and posture. 

• Core sliders strengthen your core muscles and activate the stabilizer muscles of your body. They not only improve your balance and stability but also reduce the chances of injury during a workout.

• Slider exercises aim for moves with a great range of motion. If you make core sliders a part of your training routine, you will experience improved flexibility and mobility of your muscles. 

Best Core Slider Exercises

One of the best aspects of these exercises is that; it boosts your weight loss journey! These slider exercises incorporate all the benefits of core training mentioned above. 

All the slider exercises indeed target the core. However, all of them individually target other parts of the body too.

In every workout, the focused body muscles are mentioned.

1. Gliding Sit-Up

• Place the sliding disks under your heel.
• Lay down flat on the ground on your back and keep your right leg and left leg fully extended.
• Inhale, contract your abs, and curl up into a sitting position while simultaneously gliding your heels up.
• Make sure to hold the position for a while and then lower it to the starting position.
• This exercise targets your hamstrings.

2. Gliding Leg Crossovers

• Begin by being in a high plank position with your arms extended beneath the shoulders.
• Both of your feet should be placed behind you, each on a slider.
• Slowly glide your right foot upwards, and then cross it over to the opposite side
• Return to the initial position. Repeat the steps with the left foot.
• This exercise targets your shoulders, triceps, and glutes.

3. Reverse Lunge

• For this exercise, you’d need to place the slider beneath one of your feet, to prevent the other foot from sliding.
• Stand upright, with your right leg and left being hip-width apart with your right foot on top of the slider.
• Move the right foot on top of the disc behind you and get into a lunge position. The supporting leg should be bent while you slide your other leg back down.
• Pause for a moment and then return to the starting position.
• Make sure to place your left foot on the sliding disc and repeat the steps.
• This exercise targets your glutes, quads, hamstrings, and calves.

4. Plank Jack

• Begin with a high plank position with your arms extended fully, shoulder-width apart, and hands placed on the ground.
• Position your right and left leg behind, each foot on a slider.
• Keep your core and glutes engaged and slide your feet in and out.
• This exercise targets your chest, inner thighs, and glutes.

5. Mountain Climbers

• Begin by being in a high plank position with your arms extended fully just below your shoulders and hands placed on the ground.
• Position your legs behind, feet on the slider.
• Slide your feet and leg forward in a way that the right leg moves into the chest as high as it can go and then slide your feet again.
• Take your right leg back and do the same with the left leg and repeat.
• This exercise targets your quads, hamstrings, shoulders, chest, and back.

6. Disc Burpee

• Stand upright, keeping the gliding discs beneath your feet.
• Lower down and plant both your hands on the ground, and slide until your body is extended.
• Simultaneously bend your elbows and get into a push-up position.
• Slide your right and left foot back into your body and stand up.
• This exercise targets quads, hamstrings, glutes, calves, chest, and shoulders.

7. Pikes

• Begin with a high plank position. Your arms should be shoulder-width apart, and your hands should be placed on the ground.
• Your right foot and left foot should be placed behind you, each on a slider.
• Must keep your legs straight throughout the exercise.
• Brace your core and hike your hips up towards the ceiling, pulling your feet towards your hands. Your hands and shoulders should stay in their position.
• Hold it for a while and glide back to the starting position.
• This exercise targets your shoulders, triceps, biceps, and glutes.

8. Hip Adduction

• Keep the sliders under your knees and get into an upright kneeling position.
• Balance your hips on your feet.
• Keep your feet in place and spread out your legs as far as you can.
• Remember to keep your back straight and your core engaged.
• Once your right knee is far apart from your left knee, squeeze your inner thighs to bring them back to the starting position.
• This exercise targets your inner legs and glutes.

9. Traveling Plank

• Get in a standard plank position with the sliders under your elbows.
• Slide one elbow forward and take a step up with the same leg. Take your leg back and repeat the same with the other side.
• ‘Travel’ along with the room while doing this exercise. Remember to keep your core tight.
• This exercise targets your shoulders, chest, back, glutes, and calves.

10. Arm Rotations

• Get into a high plank position, your feet placed behind you and arms extended shoulder-width apart, hands placed directly beneath your shoulders.
• A slider should be set beneath each hand. You should be facing downward to avoid neck strain.
• Extend one arm outward, moving it in a full circle and then coming back to the initial position.
• Perform the desired number of reps and make sure to repeat the same with the opposite arm. 
• This exercise targets your chest and shoulders.

11. Calf Flicks

• Get into a plank position with both your feet placed under separate sliders.
• Keep your toes tucked underneath you. Untuck the toe of one foot and position it so that it points.
• Tuck it back again and repeat the same with the other foot.
• This exercise targets your calves.

12. Ab Glide-Out

• Kneel on the ground, with your arms extended and hands placed under the shoulders, on the sliders.
• Keep your upper body straight. Slowly glide your arms out in front of you while keeping your core engaged, head faced down.
• Slide as far down as you can, hold the position for a while, and then slide back into your starting pose.
• This exercise targets your lower back, shoulders, and triceps.

13. Body Saw

• Get into a plank position with your elbows placed on the ground, shoulder-width apart.
• Your right leg and left leg should be extended behind you, your feet on a set of sliders.
• Tuck your tailbone and engage your core and butt.
• Push your forearms and elbows, and without losing core engagement, slide as far down as you can.
• Wait for a moment and slide back to the starting position.
• This exercise targets your lower back, hips, shoulders, calves, and triceps.

14. Plank Knee Tuck Twist

• Get in a high plank position with your arms extended beneath the shoulders, and your hands placed on the ground.
• Both of your feet should be placed behind you, each on a slider.
• Engage your core and slowly bring your diagonally underneath your body towards one arm.
• Hold this position for a moment. Then return to the starting position.
• Repeat, bringing your right knee and left knee towards the opposite arm.
• This exercise targets your chest, shoulders, and hips

15. Single-Leg Slide

• Get in a high plank position with your arms extended beneath the shoulders.
• Both of your feet should be placed behind you, each on a slider.
• With your core tight, glide your right foot sideways in a circular arc while keeping the left foot planted firmly in position.
• Glide the foot back to the initial position in a similar arc motion.
• You can either do all reps for one side and then switch to the other side or keep alternating legs.
• This exercise targets your glutes and hamstrings.

16. Corkscrew

• Initiate by being in a high plank position.
• Keep your right foot and left foot each on one slider.
• Slide your right foot in front.
• Lift your left hand above the ground and shift all the body weight towards the right hand.
• Touch your right knee with your left hand.
• Go back to the high plank position and do all the steps by switching the sides.

17. Arm Crawl

• Initiate by being in a high plank position, hands on the ground.
• Keep both feet on the sliders, both of them hip-width apart.
• Walk forward using your hands (as if you are crawling)
•  After a short crawl, go back to the previous position.

These are just a few workouts, the versatility of the Core Sliders allows you to perform a plethora of exercises apart from the ones mentioned above! 

The fact that these drills provide engagement of all the body muscles, including hands, arms, feet, and legs without severely impacting the joints, is what makes them a perfect addition to your workout.

FAQ’s

Are sliders really useful for exercises?

Every slider workout has one primary purpose, which is to engage all the muscles of your body efficiently. All the slide workouts mainly target the strengthening of your core, which eventually acts as a stabilizer for your entire body.

Can you use furniture sliders for exercise?

I bet you all have seen furniture sliders once in your lives. They are little sliding discs placed under heavy furniture to help them move from one place to another. Surprisingly, there isn’t only one function for these sliders to serve. 

You can also use these little discs to perform all the slider exercises mentioned above. They may or may not be as efficient as other core sliders, but of course, if they are easily accessible to you, something is always better than nothing.

Takeaway

Core sliders have improved muscle mobility, strength, and flexibility. The core sliders focus on multiple muscles and help your body to work out effectively. Due to versatility, core sliders can be used on different surfaces like carpet, grass, or even hard flooring. 

Core sliders are highly convenient to use so beginners to advanced-level professionals can adopt them for their training. Its highly portable property makes it more likable. Plan fun activities with the help of core slides and make your workout more enjoyable.