How many reps of the slider plank knee tuck should you do when you are new to the exercise?

Start with 2 sets of 8 reps, sliding the legs out slowly enough that the eccentric takes a full two or three seconds. Add a couple of reps per set before you add a third set, since the slow slide back out is where most of the benefit lives.

What else can I use if I do not have sliders or a hard floor for towels?

Paper plates or thick socks work on hardwood or tile the same way towels do. On carpet where nothing glides well, do slow mountain climbers instead, pausing for a full count at the knees-in position to mimic the same tempo.

What does the slider plank knee tuck train, and who should pick a different move?

It is a low-impact stand-in for hanging knee raises, combining lower-ab flexion with anti-extension plank work on the way back out. It is a poor fit for anyone with wrist pain, since the whole set is spent weight-bearing on flat hands rather than fists or forearms.

Intermediate

Slider Plank Knee Tuck

The gliding feet let you flex the hips and spine against gravity while the plank fights to stay rigid on the way out, hitting the lower rectus and hip flexors hard. It is a low-impact alternative to hanging knee raises that also trains anti-extension on every extension. Move smoothly so the sliders never slam or run away from you.

Equipment: Sliders
Body part: Abs
Type: Functional, Strength
Browse by muscle: Lower Rectus Abdominals, Upper Rectus Abdominals, Abdominal External Oblique
Browse by movement: Core Brace

How to do it

1
Get into a high plank with the balls of your feet on furniture sliders.
2
Brace the core and set a straight line from head to heels.
3
Pull both knees in toward your chest, rounding the lower back slightly.
4
Extend the legs back out slowly until you return to a full plank.
5
Keep the shoulders stacked over the hands and the hips from piking up.
6
Repeat for the prescribed reps at a controlled tempo.

Tips

Resist letting the hips shoot up as the knees drive in; keep them low.
Control the slide back out; that eccentric is where the anti-extension work lives.
Use towels on a hard floor if you do not have sliders.
Tuck one knee at a time to regress the drill if both is too much.

Variations

Common mistakes

The hands creep forward on the floor as the knees drive in, shortening the plank's lever and making the tuck easier than it should be.
The shoulders drift behind the wrists instead of staying stacked above them, shifting load off the arms and onto a rounder, less stable upper back.
Snapping the legs back out fast instead of sliding them slowly skips the exact phase the exercise is built to train.
The head drops to watch the feet slide, rounding the neck forward on top of the trunk that is already rounding to bring the knees in.
Sliding both feet unevenly, with one knee arriving before the other, twists the hips slightly on every rep instead of tucking them straight in.

Frequently asked

How many reps of the slider plank knee tuck should you do when you are new to the exercise?: Start with 2 sets of 8 reps, sliding the legs out slowly enough that the eccentric takes a full two or three seconds. Add a couple of reps per set before you add a third set, since the slow slide back out is where most of the benefit lives.
What else can I use if I do not have sliders or a hard floor for towels?: Paper plates or thick socks work on hardwood or tile the same way towels do. On carpet where nothing glides well, do slow mountain climbers instead, pausing for a full count at the knees-in position to mimic the same tempo.
What does the slider plank knee tuck train, and who should pick a different move?: It is a low-impact stand-in for hanging knee raises, combining lower-ab flexion with anti-extension plank work on the way back out. It is a poor fit for anyone with wrist pain, since the whole set is spent weight-bearing on flat hands rather than fists or forearms.

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