If you’ve never heard of towel exercises before, you may be curious to learn more about them. All you need to get started is a towel and your body weight. You heard that right! A towel can be used for resistance exercises, stretching movements, shoulder mobility work, and more.
We spoke with Marshall Weber, a certified personal trainer and founder of Functional Idaho Gym with an educational background in Exercise Science and Psychology, who shares four towel exercises that can help strengthen your core as part of a well-rounded fitness routine.
“The towel gives you a little resistance without needing a bunch of equipment, and you can adjust how hard you’re working pretty easily. I’d rather have someone doing controlled reps they can actually manage than trying to make a simple exercise harder just for the sake of it,” Weber tells us.
The only caveat to keep in mind? Spot-reduction is a myth, meaning you can’t pick and choose where your body loses fat by exercising one particular area.
“What you can do is build some muscle and get stronger, which can change how the area looks over time,” Weber adds.
So grab a towel and let’s get started with the movements below!
Towel Dead Bug
- Lie flat on your back on a workout mat with your knees bent and feet lifted off the ground.
- Hold a towel with both hands and position it over your chest.
- Pull outward on the towel to establish tension.
- From there, slowly extend one leg while lowering your arms—with the towel—behind your head.
- Keep your core braced throughout the movement.
- Return to the start position.
- Repeat on the other side, and continue to alternate legs.
RELATED: 8 Bodyweight Moves That Burn Belly Fat Faster Than HIIT After 45
Towel-Assisted Plank
- Start by kneeling on a workout mat with a towel placed on the floor in front of you.
- Place your forearms on the towel and extend your legs behind you, assuming a plank position.
- Keep your core tight as you hold the plank for the prescribed time.
RELATED: 5 Core Moves That Burn Belly Fat Faster Than Crunches
Seated Towel Rows
- Begin sitting tall on a workout mat.
- Hold one end of a towel in each hand and extend your legs forward, positioning the middle of the towel around the soles of your feet.
- Keep your shoulders relaxed and back straight.
- Pull the ends of the towel toward your torso while pressing your feet forward to create resistance.
- Squeeze your shoulder blades as you pull your elbows back.
- Hold for the prescribed time.
- Gradually extend your arms to return to the start position.
RELATED: 5 Body-Sculpting Moves To Build a Lean Waistline
Towel Pull-Aparts
- Begin standing tall.
- Hold the ends of the towel in each hand in front of you, arms fully extended.
- Pull outward as hard as you can without letting go of the towel.
- Use control to return to the start position.
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