I hate stupid fad fitness products sold on infomercials, but I love innovative equipment you can actually use. I also love homemade solutions to expensive equipment!

That’s how I found these Waxman SuperSliders. They look like simple household furniture movers (and they are,) until you realize they function just like Valslides!

If you haven’t heard of Valslides, they are a little piece of exercise equipment designed by celebrity trainer Valerie Waters, supposed to help you sculpt your body no matter where you train. I became interested in them after reading about them in The New Rules of Lifting for Abs.

But I wasn’t going to spend $40 for two of these little sliding things. Luckily, I found these furniture sliders – they look similar and only cost $13 for four of them!

To be specific, I got the Waxman 9-1/2″ x 5-3/4″ Oval SuperSliders. Some other sliders were $10, but they were all smaller and round. I went with these because the oval shape is very, very similar to the Valslides. (Seriously, the only difference I could spot is that the Valslides are green and these are white!)

So what are you supposed to do with these things?

There are some good core and leg exercises you can do with these. During the exercise, what you do is put the slider underneath your hand or foot.

Compatible leg exercises include the reverse lunge, lateral lunge, split squat, and hamstring curl.

Core exercises include a modified ab roll-out, reverse ab roll-out (my personal favorite,) push up flyes, and mountain climbers.

I’m sure there are more options, too!

How well do the furniture sliders actually work?

Surprisingly, they work very well! These are way better than using paper plates to slide on, and much more durable, too. These work so well, I can’t imagine the Valslides work any better.

The Waxman SuperSliders slide very well on carpet, but they’re best on firm carpet. A shag carpet might not be the best choice!

Also, these are really big; I can easily put my hands and feet on them, or even my forearms. This is great.

Overall Value

Not only can these replace $40 Valslides, they can also be used much like the $60 LifelifeUSA Power Wheel (that’s the one where you can use your hands or hook your feet in.) So for $13, you can practically replace $100 worth of gear.

I can’t say no to that!

My final verdict is…

This is not a required piece of equipment by any means. But, these do work for the exercises I mentioned above, they’re fun, and they’re cheap. If you have any interest at all, buy a set.

And heck, you can always use them to move heavy furniture! We cyclists aren’t known for massive furniture lifting strength, after all!

Buy online: www.Amazon.com

The ab vacuum is a great exercise because it works your core nicely, and it is very simple. You can think of it as a plank done standing up.

This is so simple it can be done while waiting in line at the grocery store! But it’s still effective!

Step 1: Stand up straight and tall with your shoulders back (i.e. not hunched over) and your arms at your sides.

Now flex your abs so they are flat and tight. You want to hold this pose for 30 seconds up to 5 minutes.

Take fairly deep breaths so you feel the pressure between your lungs/diaphragm and your abdominal wall. Your lungs should be pushing on your abs, but your abs should stay flat the whole time.

Ab Vacuum video:

[video coming soon]

See more exercise guides in The Bodyweight Exercise Collection.

The Boxer Ball Crunch is an advanced version of the ball crunch. In this case, you move a lot more, which incorporates more core muscles.

Step 1: Lean back on ball like you’re doing a regular ball crunch. (But instead of crunching straight up, you will rotate your body in an oval as well as going forward and back.)

Step 2a: Contract your abs and pull your head and shoulders up, but instead of going straight up, you’ll rotate your upper body in ovals. In this example, you can see I am moving my torso in a clockwise oval.

Step 2b: Continue moving in the oval until your body is back to the start position. Be sure to face forward the entire time.

Then repeat, flowing from one rep to another.

Do at least two sets – one clockwise, one counterclockwise.

Boxer Ball Crunch video:

[video coming soon]

See more exercise guides in The Bodyweight Exercise Collection.

This is an exercise that really works your core and also feels great as a stretch. You will be lying down and twisting your spine by way of leg movement rather than torso movement.

Step 1: Lie on your back with your legs lifted and knees bent about 90 degrees. Palms should face down and press into the ground for support.

Step 2: Lower your legs to your left side, down until they almost touch the floor. The outside of your left leg will face the floor. Brace your abs and return to start position.

Step 3: Lower your legs again, this time to the right, so your right leg nearly touches the floor. Brace your abs and lift back to the starting position.

Repeat, alternating sides each time.

Lying Spinal Twist video:

[video coming soon]

See more exercise guides in The Bodyweight Exercise Collection.

For this intense ab exercise, you will need an ab wheel. If you don’t have one, I highly suggest you get one – they only cost about $8 and they make for a killer full-body workout!

Step 1: Start on knees, holding ab wheel in front of you.

Step 2: Extend out, stop just before your torso touches the floor, and come back to the starting position.

Keep your body stiff, with abs pulled in tight.

I usually breathe in as I roll out, then breathe out when I roll back.

Ab Roll Out video:

[video coming soon]

See more exercise guides in The Bodyweight Exercise Collection.