Core and ab training often get a bad rap in the fitness industry and then creates a lot of confusion among the people who are trying to learn and get better (you!).
Today I wanted to share with you one of my favorite core exercises and break down exactly why it’s so great, particularly for women.
Core and Abs
If you have read any of my articles in the past, you know that I am not big on direct abdominal training. You can see one of my articles specifically about how to train your abs without crunches.
With that said and before we go any further, it’s important to understand the difference between your core and your abs. Simply put, your abs are part of your core. Think of your core as your entire trunk region, from above your knees to below your chest on both sides of your body. This includes your quads, hamstrings, glutes (your butt), abs, lower back, obliques (the sides of your abs) and all the smaller and deeper abdominal muscles that stabilize your spine.
When you are strength training with big movements like squats, deadlifts, presses and push-ups, you are challenging your core to the max and that’s great. With this exercise that I’ll show you today, you are going to engage many of those same core muscles but also specifically targeting your abs, which if I’m being honest as a woman, we all want— right?
The Valslide Windshield Wiper
The Valslide Windshield Wiper is the exercise I want you to start using. Use this exercise as a supplement to your current training routine. You can add it in to the end of a session as an accessory movement or build it into a full-body circuit— three to four sets of anywhere from eight to 15 per side is going to be amazing for your core and leg development.
Make sure that you are focused on your nutrition before anything else if you want to start seeing some ab definition. All the core and ab training in the world won’t help you if your diet is out of control.
Why is this particular exercise great for women? In addition to targeting all the major core muscles, including the abdominals, it also engages the adductor and abductor muscles (the inner and outer hips and thighs) which is not only great for injury prevention for women, it’s also an area that a lot of you want to work on.
Check out this complete demo video for the Valslide Windshield Wiper. You can pick up Valslides at www.valslides.com or if you’re in a pinch, grab a set of furniture movers from Home Depot.
