Has watching the Olympics motivated you to work on getting the toned body of a swimmer? The YWCA’s Amy Bracher stopped by GDGC to demonstrate some “swim” exercises that you can do without a pool.
Gliding™ discs are plastic discs that are specially designed to move on carpet or hardwood floors. “Gliding™ exercises allow you to do smooth, graceful movements that firm, tone and sculpt long, lean beautiful muscles.” For more information, visit
glidingdiscs.com.
Using Gliding™ discs, you can do lunges, squats, pushups, planks, etc.; basically any traditional move can be modified to use the Gliding™ discs.
Here are four “swim” exercises in honor of the Olympics:
- Freestyle: Place lower body on mat and keep upper body off the mat. Place hands on Gliding™ discs and use your chest, arms, back, and shoulders to move discs up and back in “freestyle” swim motion. Make sure to bring the hands as far back as possible with your elbows up and reach as far forward as possible.
- Breaststroke: Move your upper body as if you were swimming the breaststroke in the water. Keep your belly in and reach out as far as possible. You can also reverse the stroke.
- Butterfly: Move your upper body as if you were swimming the butterfly in the water. Keep your belly in and reach as far out as possible. **You can kick your legs with all of the above exercises.
- Treading water on your back: Have Gliding™ discs under your hands and feet. Lie on your back with hands near your sides and “tread” water. Move hands in circular motion or a figure 8 motion pushing down on the discs with your palms. Move legs out and in.
If you don’t have the Gliding™ discs, try using these:
- On hardwood floors: paper plates or old towels
- On carpet: paper plates
YWCA 1910 South Lewis Ave.
Tulsa, OK 74104
ywcatulsa.org
