Glide Inner Thighs part of Linda Wooldridge‘s Fit in 5 Series and it is free on YouTube. It is the third workout in that series that I’ve done. The first one was Glide Cardio Sculpt and the second was Glide Standing Lower. (If you want to buy all 3–plus a 4th–on a DVD, you can purchase her Glide Series DVD.) My favorite of the 3 is definitely Glide Cardio Sculpt. Glide Inner Thighs was a tough and effective workout but I didn’t love it. I found a lot of the moves awkward and though they were very effective (I definitely felt them in my thighs both during and after the workout), 30 minutes of awkward exercises is not enjoyable. Unlike most other slide/glide workouts I’ve done, for most of the exercises you place your entire foot (including your heel) on the disk and push it into the ground when doing the sliding moves. This makes all of the moves more challenging and effective, but also awkward. And then there is the issue with my feet (2 plates and 12 screws in each heel–which affects many things), so I had to wear shoes and at one point all of the pressing into the disk in an awkward position was starting to cramp my left foot. It is possible that someone with normal feet who could do this workout barefoot (like Linda does) would not find it as awkward.
Glide Inner Thighs is 37:30 minutes long; 1 minute intro and 2:30 stretch. Equipment: sliding devices and a barre or chair. Remember–for most of these moves you are pushing your entire foot into the floor/disk to make the exercise effective.
- Plie squat slides (2x to each side, then two slide out squats staying on same side); add two same side side lunge slides after the two same side plié squats
- Plié squats on toes w/ heels touching (holding barre or chair back); changes to 2 plié squats and at the bottom of second squat tilt pelvis forward and back; add sliding legs in and out while in plié squat 2x after pelvis tilts
- Stand beside barre/chair and do one leg side slide lunges; changes to angling side slide behind you; changes to a sort of forward curtsy slide (sliding leg diagonally in front of you while also squatting w/ other leg); changes to alternating between these three slides (side, back, side front); keep leg slid out to side and pulse; changes to pulsing to back; changes to pulsing to front
- Repeat #3 on other side of body
- Come down on all 4s, one leg extended straight to the side w/ sliding device under foot–slide that leg in and out (pushing foot into floor as you slide); changes to sliding foot in and out behind you on a diagonal; changes to alternating between side slide and back slide; pulse slides to side; pulse slides to back
- Repeat #5 on other leg
- Lay on side, elbow on floor, bottom leg bent and sliding device under top foot in front of body–slide leg in and out (knee stays bent while doing this and you are “scrubbing” the floor w/ the disk); changes to placing heel on disk and sliding leg in and out (bend knee to slide in and leg straightens when sliding out); place bottom of foot on disk and continue sliding in and out in the same manner as you did you when your heel was on it (so a “longer” slide than the first version); continue this sliding motion but w/ direction changes–straight down alternated with diagonally in front of you
- Repeat #7 on other leg
For more info on Barlates and other (free) streaming workouts I’ve sampled and reviewed, check out my Streaming page.
