Benefits Of Gliding Discs For An Insane Physique (And How To Use Them)

Benefits Of Gliding Discs For An Insane Physique (And How To Use Them)

Gliding discs aren’t fancy or flashy, but they will provide a workout that’s as good as most of the latest fit tech out there. Simple in nature, gliding disc exercises can take any workout and crank up the intensity, providing next-level results in muscle, endurance, and definition.

Let’s take a look at the benefits of gliding discs, and how you can start using them in your own workout.

BENEFITS OF GLIDING DISCS

Gliding discs are a convenient piece of fitness equipment that can take your workouts to new levels of fat burning and muscle building. Due to their design, gliding discs can promote the following benefits during your workout.

EVERY WORKOUT IS A CORE WORKOUT

If you’re infamous for skipping your core workouts, the gliding discs will put a stop to that. Almost every exercise you perform with gliding discs activates your core muscles. Even if you’re focusing on legs, you’ll still feel it in your core. Why?

As we’ll talk more about below, gliding discs challenge all three planes of motion, especially when it comes to twisting and turning. Since your core is the foundation of all movement, it gets called into action during most gliding disc exercises.

Want another easy way to target your core with no extra work? Try a thermogenic waist trimmer belt. All you have to do it wear it during your workouts to burn more calories and promote spot reduction around your waist.

LOW IMPACT, BIG RESULTS

Whether you’re performing box jumps during a CrossFit workout or you’re powerlifting for new personal bests, these are examples of high-impact workouts. While higher impact workouts are great for developing stronger and denser bones, your body enjoys an occasional low-impact workout for the sake of recovery.

If you’re in rehab or fresh out of the hospital following an injury or surgery, low-impact workouts are the only thing your doctor will recommend for several months. The solution? Gliding discs.

Gliding discs can provide a unique challenge to your muscles and central nervous system that triggers the benefits of building muscle, burning fat, and gaining strength, but without the high-impact nature of traditional weightlifting or Olympic-focused workouts.

UPGRADE ANY WORKOUT

Variety is essential if you want to keep seeing new gains and making sure things stay interesting. Gliding discs can take any workout and make it more challenging and rewarding. Whether you are a fan of bodyweight workouts, but you’re bored of the usual push-up and pull-up routine, or you want a way to upgrade your weightlifting workout, gliding discs are the answer.

A simple movement of sliding out your arm or leg can add a new plane of motion to the exercise and immediately challenge your balance and stability in a new way. Below, we’ll tell you more about how you can use gliding discs in your current workout, or how to create a gliding disc workout of your own.

CONVENIENCE

If you’re a gym junkie, sometimes you don’t always have access to the weight room or your fitness class of choice. It could be a holiday, you might not want to deal with traffic, or you’re traveling for business or pleasure. When this happens, gliding discs are there to ensure you have access to a great workout.

Gliding discs work on carpet, wood flooring, and tile without any worry of damage to either the disc or floor. Best of all, you don’t need a lot of room. If you have enough space to do a push-up, you can easily perform a gliding disc workout. Use them at home or in your hotel room so you can train while traveling. You’ll have a workout that rivals anything you can do at your local gym.

HOW TO USE GLIDING DISCS

There is a learning curve to using gliding discs because the discs will present a new challenge to your muscles and central nervous system. You’ll be moving in all three planes of motion during a comprehensive gliding disc workout:

  • Sagittal: front to back movements such as a lunge
  • Frontal: side to side movements such as a side leg lift
  • Transverse: rotational movements such as a cable woodchopper

Perhaps the plane of motion that your body is most unfamiliar with is the transverse, which involves rotational movements such as twisting from side to side. While this may seem difficult at first, adjusting to this new plane of motion will provide huge benefit to future workouts.

To use gliding discs, simply place your hands or your feet on the discs. We would not recommend placing hands and feet on the discs at the same time for safety reasons, especially if you’ve never used them before.

Start out with small movements. For example, while you’re in a push-up or plank position, glide your left hand in front of you. Bring it back then try the other side. You’ll be surprised at the effort your body has to use to perform small movements like that. Don’t use any weight until you’re completely comfortable with gliding discs.

DO YOU USE GLIDING DISCS IN YOUR WORKOUT?

If so, what are your favorite gliding disc exercises. If you haven’t used them yet, how will you incorporate them into your workout? Have a video of yourself using gliding discs during your workout? Tag us on Instagram so we can share it!

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