By Elizabeth Towe
Objective:
Mountain Climber Slides are a great dynamic core exercise. We take the traditional mountain climber and put your feet on a slide board to emphasize spinal stability with hip mobility, without spine flexion.
Exercise:
- In a prone position, put your hands at the end of the slideboard and your feet on the slide (in socks or slide booties) or on a wood floor.
- Begin with a strong and stable plank position – anchor shoulder blades on the back of the ribcage, engage the transverse abdominals, and contract the glutes and the quads. Keep the spine as long as possible.
- Bring one knee to the chest by bending both hip and knee, sliding the toes along the slideboard. Alternate bringing knees to the chest in a piston-like sliding motion without flexing the spine.
- Perform this at a speed at which you can maintain your form for 20-45 seconds. As you become stronger your speed should increase. Rest 1-2 minutes between sets and repeat for 2-3 sets.
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Elizabeth Towe is a runner and a cyclist and the owner of Balanced Movement Studio in Carrboro. She graduated from East Carolina with a degree in exercise and sports science and has been personal training for over 20 years. Her ultimate goal for all of her clients is to help them realize and achieve the optimal quality in their life – and to remember to have fun doing it.
