Just because you’ve done planks and lunges before doesn’t mean you know how to do them with sliders – it’s that mindset that’ll lead you to an injury.
Yes, sliders are great for adding resistance to core and leg exercises and stretching out your hips, Nick Bremer, a NASM-certified personal trainer with Blink Fitness, confirms – but, only with proper execution.
So, if you want to keep sweating from your living room instead of icing a strain on the couch, I suggest you check out Bremer’s slider safety tips below before your next workout.
Related: Try This Total-Body Sliders Workout on Any Hard Surface at Home
Engage the Proper Muscles
Too many times, Bremer has witnessed people approach slider core exercises without activating the proper muscle groups.
“Make sure to engage the abs by drawing your belly button towards your spine – otherwise, you won’t reap the benefits of the exercise to develop your core,” Bremer says.
While performing core exercises that involve your knees driving upward, make sure your abs are assisting that movement – not momentum, Bremer adds.
If you need help, he suggests pulling the knees up slowly – you’re doing this correctly if you can feel your abs working immediately.
Understand Your Limitations
With sliders, it’s easy to slip and hyperextend joints and muscles. So, when doing a slider leg exercise – such as the side lunge – it’s important to be aware of your limitations and range of motion, Bremer admits.
He recommends starting an exercise at a slower pace and feeling it out before upping the intensity. Keeping with a 4/2/1 tempo is a great place to start: that’s four seconds lowering into a squat, two seconds holding the position, and one second coming back to the top, for example.
“Challenge yourself, but don’t go too far and cause an injury,” Bremer urges.
Don’t Overdo It
“With sliders, it’s best to stick to some basic exercises,” Bremer says.
He finds that when you overcomplicate a move or pick a complicated exercise, you sometimes miss the benefits of working out.
“The next time you work out, add sliders to these classics: planks, bear crawls, and mountain climbers.” Incorporating fun and challenging stability and resistance components to a simple move is Bremer’s solution for continual progress.
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