This core-shredding "sliding" pilates workout can be done in under 30 minutes

Home workouts can get pretty samey. If you're bored of burpees, sick of squats and you've cycled through the rest of our list of the best exercises for weight loss, you might want to check out this slider workout from the team at Karve, a new transformer pilates studio now open in London. 

The workouts use innovative sliders which strap onto your feet, mimicking the movement and stress of a pilates machine. Designed to develop a strong core, all-over muscle tone and enhanced flexibility, pilates is one of the most effective stretching exercises you can do. Check out the full workout below, by Karve trainer and founder Yulia Pashevkina.

If you've got a hard floor, you could do this workout in a pinch with your feet on pillowcases, old t-shirts or even just slippery socks. However, Karve's on-demand service can supply you with sliders and one of the best resistance bands, and you can pick up third-party sliders on Amazon here. 

Why do this workout?

Pashevkina says: "Sliders are the most universal and lightweight fitness accessories that strengthen the body and hardly occupy any space, so you can easily pop them in your suitcase when training on the road. 

Combining body weight with slow movements, they’re a brilliant piece of equipment that creates resistance to target slow-twitch muscle fibres, leading to increased endurance and faster metabolism."

This targeting muscle fibres is the reason the sliders work so well with pilates, a form of exercise promoting strength and flexibility. The sliding motion can mimic the effect of a professional cabled pilates machine, and can be even more beneficial than yoga when it comes to functional movement, according to a study published in the Journal of Exercise Rehabilitation. 

For more dynamic core strength exercises, you can always slide on over to our upper and lower abs workout page, containing core workouts for every fitness level.