This $28 Fitness Tool Upgraded My Home Workouts

The “sock workout” I found on YouTube, from Canadian fitness influencer MadFit, sounded like a clickbait-y fad. But deep in the throes of lockdown, I was desperate to mix up my routine. The 12-minute workout had me slide-lunging, plank-jacking and mountain climbing to exhaustion. I was so sore the next day that it hurt to laugh.

I’ve since upgraded from socks to a pair of fitness sliders—they glide better on my hardwood floors—and I continue to use them regularly in my workouts. What makes fitness sliders so effective, according to Amanda Mason, a certified personal trainer and mat pilates instructor at Hustle, a group fitness studio in Vancouver, is that they increase what she calls “time under tension”—the amount of time your muscles spend in the “work” portion of an exercise. For example, when doing a reverse lunge, the peak “work” portion for your leg muscles is when your back foot meets the floor and your back knee bends down. “But when using a slider, as soon as you start to slide your leg back, tension is created,” Mason explains. That makes the exact same movement sneakily more challenging.

Like the moving carriage on a Pilates reformer, using fitness sliders on your hands or feet causes instability, which requires deeper core engagement. “Right from the moment you move that foot backwards, the core starts to work to balance the body,” says Mason.

She says fitness sliders are safe for most people—including those who have joint sensitivities or who are prenatal or postpartum. “Sliders are a good low-impact workout.” she explains. 

For those new to sliders, Mason recommends starting with body-weight exercises only. “Play with your range of motion and make sure you’re comfortable sliding in and out,” she says. Then, try using them at the end of your strength training sets. For example, after a few rounds of dumbbell reverse lunges, ditch the weights and do a final round of reverse lunges on a slider. “It will really burn out the muscle group.” 

Lululemon Exercise Sliders, $28

Five Exercises To Try With Your Sliders

1. Slider reverse lunge

Stand with your feet hip-width apart. Place a slider under your right foot. Slide your right leg back while keeping your left knee bent at a 90-degree angle. To rise up, dig down into your left heel and return to the top of the movement. Repeat for 45 seconds, then repeat on the other side.

2. Plank to pike

Start in a high plank or forearm plank, with your toes on a set of sliders. Slowly pull both feet towards your hands, pushing your booty towards the ceiling. Hold, then return to a plank position. Repeat 12 times.

3. Plank knee-twist tuck

Start in a high plank with your toes on a set of sliders. Slowly pull both knees in diagonally towards your right elbow by engaging your core and your right oblique muscles, twisting your thoracic spine. Hold both knees to your right elbow for a beat before returning to a high plank. Repeat six times on alternating sides.

4. Leg curl

Lie flat on your back with your heels on a set of sliders. Engage your hamstrings and slowly pull both feet towards your booty, pushing your hips towards the ceiling into a hip bridge. Hold at the top for a beat before slowly returning your heels out in front of you. Repeat 12 times.

5. Speed skater

Standing with your feet hip-width apart, place a slider under your right foot. Drop into a squat while keeping your spine neutral. Keeping your gaze down towards the ground, slide your right leg back at a 45-degree angle behind you, like you are skating, while keeping the left leg bent. While maintaining the squat, return the right foot back to its starting position. Stay low and repeat for 45 seconds. Then repeat with left foot.

Want more at-home workout inspiration? Find everything you need to get started with mat Pilates. Wondering whether a weighted vest could ramp up your walking routine? We have the lowdown.