by Wendy Ellis
Give the resistance band a rest—and upgrade your hotel room workout with sliding discs! Using push/pull concepts, this dynamic series will challenge your entire body, anywhere your wanderlust may land you.
Whenever I travel, I find that movement is an important element in keeping my mind and body happy and connected. Although the resistance band is a useful tool for on-the-go exercise, I wanted to find an interesting new way to mimic the Reformer exercises and add challenge to the matwork.
Enter sliders, which facilitate convenient, low-impact exercise for your joints, while increasing the intensity of your basic workout. These discs also create an unstable surface to add a balance challenge. Not to mention they’re easy to pack!
This do-anywhere workout, with concepts rooted in push/pull principles as well as basic mat and Reformer movements, focuses on each body part to provide a full-body connection. It’s a safe, effective approach to strengthening and lengthening regions of the abdominals, legs, arms, shoulder girdle and spine.
So whether you’re traveling for some vitamin sea, to ski or somewhere in between, don’t forget to throw in a pair of sliders…and the following pages, of course!
WARM-UP: ROUND/EXTENDED BACK
BRING THIS WITH YOU BECAUSE IT…
- Awakens the abdominals.
- Mobilizes and articulates the spine.
- Engages the shoulder girdle and hips.
- Stretches the feet posteriorly.
START Begin in a quadruped position with your hands on the sliders and feet flexed. Make sure that your weight is equally distributed, with your wrists under your shoulders and knees hip-width apart under your hips.
MOVE Inhale as you pull the sliders toward your knees, rounding your spine. Exhale as you push the sliders forward into a V position, sliding your shoulders down your back, opening from your sternum and lengthening your neck while you lift your abdominals. Do 4–6 reps.
TIPS To increase the stretch in your lower back, move your sit bones closer to your heels while pulling the sliders with a rounded spine. You can also work with the tops of your feet on the floor, to change the nature of the foot stretch.
MODIFICATION Decrease your range of motion, and/or place a mat under your knees for cushioning.
ADVANCED Push the sliders further away or into a wider V with an extended back for a greater challenge and stretch, just make sure to keep your abdominal wall active throughout.
ARMS: SINGLE-ARM CIRCLES
BRING THIS WITH YOU BECAUSE IT…
- Engages the abdominals to support the spine.
- Stretches and strengthens the shoulder girdle and arms.
START Same as Round/Extended Back.
MOVE Inhale as you push one slider away from your shoulder, keeping your elbow slightly bent. Exhale as you pull the slider to the side, in and under your shoulder, to complete an arm circle. Do 3 reps, then repeat to the other direction. Repeat the entire sequence on your opposite side.
TIP Allow your bodyweight (ribs and pelvis) to follow the arm circle.
