Tips on Using Sliders

by Molly Magunga, MS ATC, CPT, CES

Hello everyone! This week’s “Fitness Tip of the Week” is about sliders. If you are looking to elevate your strength training routine, sliders are an awesome way to do that. When you change your training surface, your body must adapt in new ways. Small muscles that usually don’t have to work as hard in your day-to-day workouts become very important when unstable training surfaces are used. When you increase your strength using an unstable surface, you become significantly stronger on solid ground.

Think about the way you normally walk. Usually, a normal walking gait doesn’t require much thought at all. You put one foot in front of the other and stroll along on your merry way. Now, think about how you walk on an icy surface, like a sidewalk. Your whole walking gait changes. Your pace slows, your core engages more, and you stabilize each leg before moving to the next. Each step is methodical. I spent four years walking across freshly Zambonied ice and can speak first hand to the sweat and muscle burning that occurs when every muscle is working to stabilize you. Your body reacts in a similar way to sliders. Sliding into a lunge requires much more stabilization within your core, hips, and legs than a standard lunge.

Slider Safety Tips:

One key thing to remember, get used to the movements first before adding the sliders or weights. Be confident in the movement, then add the sliders. When you are comfortable with the sliders, you can begin to challenge yourself by adding different types of resistance. Weights are a great way to start. If you are comfortable with the weights and sliders, I love adding resistance bands to the mix for an added challenge. The possibilities are endless!

Slider Workout Tips:

Below, you will see how different strength exercises can be done using sliders. With a little creativity, most exercises can be used with sliders. Have fun!