(Although you know any thinking trainer will tell you what the trainer likes is nearly irrelevant.)
Anyway …
One of the biggest of my big-shot trainer friends is Valerie Waters. You may be familiar with a few of her clients:
- Ben Affleck
- Jennifer Garner
- Cindy Crawford
- Richard Gere
- Jim Carey
Valerie has a product she calls the ValSlide. Sure, it comes in fancy, pretty colors (original green or her favorite color, pink) and you get a training DVD, but the product itself is basically the same furniture slide you can get at Lowe’s and Home Depot for under $10.
[Still love ya,’ though, Val. Did I mention the ValSlide comes with a Training Essentials DVD? We’re still cool, right? :-)]
The slides usually come in pairs, but in this exercise we call the Slide Body Saw, you need only one.
BTW, if you have sturdy elbows (or a pad), you can do this exercise in your socks on a wood floor or any other slippery surface.
Here’s where my fancy engineering degree comes in handy …
The Slide Body Saw is simply a traditional Plank but with a variable moment arm — which, of course, varies the resistance throughout the exercise.
In other words …
As you slide your body backward, the exercise gets harder, so it’s more challenging, more effective and more interesting [fun counts, yes?] than the standard Plank.
It’s simple. Here’s how you do it …
Make sure you stay in your plank position (straight line from your ankles through your hips through your shoulders through your ears) the whole time. No sagging — no piking.
Remember, the farther you move your body forward, the easier (lamer!) it is. So don’t spend too much time up there. Challenge yourself to see how far back you can go WHILE staying in control.
Stephen Holt
America's Baby Boomer Fitness Expert
