Reason No. 561 that a strong core is essential: If you can’t keep your core engaged while performing dynamic movements like deadlifts and squats, then your form will deteriorate and you’ll be robbing yourself of strength gains.
The fix, however, is simple: Add more dynamic core exercises into your training, like the slider reach. The slider reach challenges you to keep your ribs, hips, and back stable throughout the exercise, which will carry over into lifts such as the deadlift, where you have to brace the core to keep tension throughout the movement.
But simply doing the move isn’t enough. You have to focus on proper form to unleash the full benefits of the slider reach. Make sure to move your hips and shoulders as a single unit, just as you would with a standard pushup—think of pulling your rib cage in and down, and hips under, similar to using an ab wheel. And try not to use your lats to pull yourself back up, as this will disengage your core.
To up the ante, you can lift a foot off the ground to introduce some rotational instability to the exercise. (This is really hard, though.)
James Michelfelder & Therese Sommerseth / M+F Magazine
James Michelfelder & Therese Sommerseth / M&F Magazine
How to Do it
Slider Reach
1. Get into a pushup position with each of your hands on sliders.
2. Brace your core and then slide one hand out with a straight arm. Simultaneously allow your other elbow to bend, as in a pushup, until your chest is just above the floor.
3. Return to the top position and repeat on opposite side.
