Summer is the season to show off what you’ve got. If you want to shed fat and build muscle without complex gear, it’s time to give gliders a try. These little disks are the perfect portable training tool because they’re lightweight and easily fit into a bag or a purse and they can seriously improve your flexibility, strength and endurance. A couple of paper plates or Frisbees can double up as gliders, too.
Gliders let you move through a deeper range of motion while greatly reducing the amount of impact and stress on your joints. The disks create a somewhat unstable surface for you to work from, forcing you to recruit smaller muscles and engage your core more than you otherwise would. The net-net? Gliders can take any bodyweight exercise to the next level. Try doing each move for 45 seconds, followed by 15 seconds of rest, repeating the entire sequence five times. Trust me, your whole body will thank you!
1Core – Knee Tuck
- Start in plank position from your hands with both feet on the gliders
- Exhale as you pull your knees in toward your chest
- Focus on keeping your core tight and your hips in line with your body
- Inhale as your extend your feet back into plank position
- Repeat
2Legs – Reverse Lunge
- Start standing with both feet on the gliders
- Inhale as you bend your right leg and slide it back until your knee is touching the floor at a 90-degree angle
- Exhale as you pull the right leg back to starting position
- Repeat on the other side
3Upper Body – Arm Crawl
- Start in a plank position from your hands with both feet on the gliders
- Walk forward using only your hands, one in front of the other, as you drag your feet on the gliders behind you
- After several paces, reverse the walk and move backward to your starting position
- Focus on keeping your core tight and your hips in line with your body
- Repeat
