If you love the smooth, gliding sensation of a pilates reformer but do not have the space (or thousands of dollars) to put one in your living room, a pilates slide board is the ultimate hack. Also known as a glide board, this simple piece of equipment forces you to control your movements continuously, eliminating momentum and forcing your deep stabilizer muscles to do all the work.
When you incorporate sliding movements into your routine, you are engaging your core the entire time, simply to keep yourself from falling over. It is low-impact, highly effective, and incredibly fun once you get the hang of it.
If you just bought a board and are staring at it wondering what to do, here are five foundational pilates board workouts to tone your entire body.
1. The Sliding Lateral Lunge
This move will set your inner thighs (adductors) and glutes absolutely on fire. It requires massive control to slide the leg out and pull it back in without using momentum.
- Stand with one foot on the solid floor and the other foot resting lightly on the sliding board.
- Slowly bend the knee of the leg that is on the floor, sitting your hips back as if you were lowering into a squat.
- As you do this, let your other leg slide straight out to the side on the board. Keep that leg completely straight.
- To return to the starting position, press firmly into the heel of your bent leg and squeeze your inner thighs together to pull the sliding leg back in.
- Do 12 reps on each side.
If you struggle to find the motivation to complete these difficult sets, sometimes upgrading your workout space or implementing a spiritual self care routine can help shift your mindset from “I have to workout” to “I get to move my body.”
READ ALSO: The Ultimate Sunday Reset Routine Checklist for the Sunday Scaries
2. Sliding Mountain Climbers
Traditional mountain climbers are often done quickly as a cardio burst. In pilates, we do them excruciatingly slowly to build deep core strength and shoulder stability.
- Start in a high plank position with your hands firmly on the floor and both toes resting on the sliding board.
- Make sure your shoulders are directly over your wrists and your back is perfectly flat.
- Slowly slide your right knee up toward your chest, keeping your hips as still as possible.
- Slide the right leg back out to the plank position.
- Immediately slide the left knee in.
- Alternate sides for one full minute. Your abs should be burning by the end.
3. The Reverse Plank Hamstring Curl
This is a fantastic exercise for targeting the back of the legs and the glutes, mimicking the hamstring work you would typically do on a reformer carriage.
- Lie flat on your back on the floor, with your knees bent and both heels resting on the sliding board.
- Lift your hips off the floor into a bridge position. Squeeze your glutes at the top.
- While keeping your hips lifted high in the air, slowly slide both heels away from your body until your legs are almost completely straight.
- Dig your heels into the board and pull them back in toward your glutes.
- If sliding both legs simultaneously is too difficult (and it is very difficult!), try sliding just one leg out and in at a time.
- Aim for 10 full extensions.
4. The Kneeling Ab Rollout
If you want to target your upper abs and lats, this movement is incredibly effective. It requires intense control to keep your lower back from arching.
- Kneel on the floor (use a thick mat or a folded towel to protect your knees).
- Place both hands flat on the sliding board in front of you.
- Keeping your arms straight and your core tightly engaged, slowly slide your hands forward, letting your torso lower toward the floor.
- Only go as far as you can while maintaining a perfectly flat back. If your lower back starts to dip, you have gone too far.
- Exhale sharply and use your core (not your arms) to pull your torso back up to the starting position.
- Complete 8 to 10 reps.
5. The Sliding Curtsy Lunge
This movement targets the side of the glutes (the gluteus medius) and improves your balance and ankle stability.
- Stand with one foot flat on the floor and the toes of your other foot resting on the sliding board.
- Bend your standing leg and slowly slide your other foot diagonally backward, crossing it behind your standing leg (like a deep curtsy).
- Keep your chest lifted and your weight centered over the heel of your standing foot.
- Squeeze the glute of your standing leg to pull yourself back up to the starting position.
- Perform 12 reps on one leg before switching sides.
If you are looking for more ways to incorporate sliding movements, Shape Magazine has an excellent guide on the cardiovascular benefits of slide board training and how it originated in speed skating conditioning.
