Core Development through the Use of Sled Training

The core-focused sled training exercises highlighted below are designed to train the “crisscross” design of the body at the torso, which has been named the serape effect (4). According to Juan Carlos Santana, the function of the serape effect is to provide the muscles of the core with optimal length-tension environmental efficiency for force production, which maximizes the interaction of the rhomboids, the serratus anterior, external obliques, and internal obliques (4). There is a wide variety of effective core exercises that utilize the serape effect using medicine balls, stability balls, bands, and pulleys. The following are sled training exercises that can be implemented to target the core musculature utilizing the serape effect.

This article originally appeared in Personal Training Quarterly (PTQ)—a quarterly publication for NSCA Members designed specifically for the personal trainer. Discover easy-to-read, research-based articles that take your training knowledge further with Nutrition, Programming, and Personal Business Development columns in each quarterly, electronic issue. Read more articles from PTQ »