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.
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