The core slider exercises below will target and tone your legs, arms, back, chest, and abs, giving you a total-body muscle toning and strengthening workout.
Core sliders are exercise discs that you can place beneath your hands and feet to increase the challenge of specific exercises. They are also known as exercise sliders.
They most often come in pairs, with one side of the discs being plastic, and the other foam covered.
The plastic side is for use on tiled floors, linoleum, and hardwood. The foam side works well on carpet.
For some exercises, you will need two pairs.
As well as toning your muscles, regular core slider workouts will improve your endurance and balance. And, as their name indicates, tone and strengthen your core with every move.
In fact, every exercise you do during a core slider workout targets the abs. This is because you must constantly engage your core muscles to control the discs so they don’t slide away from you.
Some exercises you can do with core sliders include Planks, Lunges, Burpees, and Mountain Climbers.
Inexpensive, lightweight, compact, and portable, adding core slider exercises to your fitness regimen will accelerate your results.
Table of Contents
Workout Schedule
You won’t need to do core slider workouts every day to get a great result. Three or four times a week with a day off in between is ideal.
Core slider workouts are more challenging than they look, so start slowly.
Practice the moves first, and start with 5 reps. Once you’ve mastered this, do 10 reps and 1 set. If desired, you can increase this to 2 or 3 sets when you are stronger and fitter.
Choose five of the exercises for your first workout, then do the other five exercises for your second workout, continuing to alternate them in this manner.
Tips
To prevent an injury, securely position your hands and feet on your discs before you slide and make your movements slow and steady.
When doing core slider exercises involving your feet only, placing an exercise mat beneath your hands will make for more comfortable workouts.
No exercise sliders? No worries! It’s the moves that bring results.
So if you don’t have exercise discs on hand, try using a folded towel or even a paper plate on a flat, smooth surface. I’ve done this, and it works. However, the movement isn’t as fluid, so I recommend that you buy some sliders.
I recommend the Synergee Core Sliders. The most popular fitness aid of its type on Amazon with well over 16,500 reviews to date, they have a 4.5 star rating.
10 Core Slider Exercises to Try Today
Slider Planks with Arm Extensions
Benefits:
Planks with Arm Extensions are among my favorite core slider exercises targeting the abs and triceps.
Method:
1. Get into a High Plank position on the floor, with your arms straight down beneath your shoulders and your legs straight out behind you hip-width apart, your toes bend under to add stability.
2. Place a slider beneath each hand and engage your arm, leg, and core muscles.
3. Using your right hand, slowly push one exercise slider disc forward, stopping when your arm is stretched as far as it will go.
4. Return to your starting position, then repeat steps 1 and 3 with your left hand.
Repeat steps 1 to 3 for the desired number of reps and sets.
Core Slider Mountain Climbers
Benefits:
Core Slider Mountain Climbers target the glutes, abs, shoulders, and arms.
Method:
1. Start in a Plank position on the floor with the undersides of your toes resting on exercise discs.
2. Slowly bring your right knee towards your chest, moving your left knee towards your chest as you move your right leg back. These movements are similar to climbing a mountain, hence the name of the exercise.
Repeat steps 1 to 3 for the desired number of reps and sets.
Slider Knee Tucks
Benefits:
Slider Knee Tucks target the core and abs.
Method:
1. Start in a High Plank position with your hands and feet approximately should-width apart and your feet on sliders.
2. Engaging your core and keeping your back straight, slowly slide your knees towards your chest, stopping when they reach your navel.
3. Slowly slide your knees back so you are in your starting position.
Repeat steps 1 to 3 for the desired number of reps and sets.
Sliding Pelvic Curls
Benefits:
Sliding Pelvic Curls is an excellent lower-body fitness slider exercise focusing on the quads, obliques, abs, and glutes.
Method:
1. Lie on your back with sliders beneath each foot, your knees bent, and your arms 6 or 8 inches from your sides.
2. Engage your ab and glute muscles and lift your pelvis to bring your knees and shoulders into a straight line.
3. Slid your feet towards your buttocks, slide them back, then lower your hips to the floor.
Repeat steps 1 to 3 for the desired number of reps and sets.
Sliding Dog
Benefits:
Sliding Dog targets the hamstrings, calves, and core.
Method:
1. Starting from a High Plank position with the underside of your toes on sliders.
2. Slowly slide your feet towards your hands, making a V-shape with your body.
3. Slowly slide your feet back to their starting position.
Repeat steps 1 to 3 for the desired number of reps and sets.
Core Slider Reverse Plank Circles
Benefits:
Core Slider Plank Circles target the core, hamstrings, arms, and abs.
Method:
1. Assume a Reverse High Plank position, with your weight on your heels, your toes lifted, and each hand flat on an exercise slider disc with your fingers facing your body.
2. Make a small clockwise circle with your right hand, then your left. Continue doing this, alternating between doing clockwise and anti-clockwise circles.
Repeat steps 1 and 2 for the desired number of reps and sets.
Exercise Slider Disc Curtsy Lunges
Benefits:
Curtsy Lunges is one of my favorite core slider exercises as it targets the adductors (inner thighs), as well as the glutes, quads, and calves.
Method:
1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, your hands clasped in front of you, your left foot on the floor, and the ball of your right foot on an exercise slider.
2. Engaging your core and glutes and keeping your back straight and with most of your weight on your left foot, slide your right foot across and behind your left foot.
As you do this, lower your hips to bring your thighs parallel to the floor. At this point, your right knee will be a few inches above floor height.
3. Pushing off through your heel, slide your right foot back to its starting position.
Repeat steps 1 to 3 for the desired number of reps and sets, working your legs one at a time.
Slider Arm Circles
Benefits:
Slider Arm Circles is among the most simple and effective core slider exercises targeting the shoulders, arms, and core.
Method:
1. Start in a High Plank position with your hands shoulder-width apart resting on exercise slider discs.
2. With your abs and glutes engaged, and keeping your hips still, slowly move your right hand and the glider in a clockwise circle, then reverse the circle. This counts as one rep.
Repeat steps 1 and 2 for the desired number of reps and sets, working each arm separately or alternating them.
Core Slider Lateral Lunges
Benefits:
Core Slider Lateral Lunges target the quads, hamstrings, glutes, and calves.
Method:
1. Stand upright on sliders with your feet approximately shoulder-width apart and engage your abs and glutes.
2. Slide your right foot to the right, keeping your back straight, moving your hips back a little, allowing your left knee to bend, but stopping before it is as far forward as the toes of your left foot. At this point, most of your weight should be on your left leg.
3. Slide your right foot back to the center, straightening both legs to bring you back to your starting position.
Core Slider Burpees
Benefits: Core Slider Burpees target the glutes, quads, core, calves, shoulders, chest, and triceps.
Method:
1. Stand with your feet hip-width apart with an exercise slider beneath each foot.
2. Squat and place your hands on the floor on either side of your feet, then move your feet back so you are in a Push-Up position.
3. Do a Push-Up, then slide your feet forward before jumping to your feet, raising your arms above your head.
Repeat steps 1 to 3 for the desired number of reps and sets.
Repeat steps 1 to 3 for the desired number of reps and sets, alternating legs.
Final Thoughts on Core Slider Exercises
If core slider exercises aren’t in your fitness regimen, give them a try. While the movements look easy, they are anything but, so I think you will be surprised at how much effort is required.
Exercise slider discs are inexpensive, incredibly light, and compact. Their size and weight make them perfect to pop into your suitcase when traveling for work or going on vacation, so you need never miss a workout.
There’s a bit of a learning curve, but once you get the hang of using them, you will love the results they deliver.
You may like to read, The Benefits of Plank Exercise and How it Can Transform Your Core.