The *what*?

From Coach Keen:

Yes, the ValSlide... no, we here at the Gold Medal Athletic Club are not taking up the mantle of celebrity body sculpting, but you have to recognize a useful product when it comes along.  http://www.valslide.com/

The ValSlide is essentially a tool to rest your foot on which turns any carpeted surface into a slide board.  Slide boards, if you were involved in the fitness industry in the late '90s, became sort of the "it thing" for a while in terms of lateral training and core training, but quickly fizzled out due to the space they take up and the price.  Enter the ValSlide... actually, don't.  While the ValSlide is high quality, and the 'hardwook floor attachment is nice' (we do own a couple pair of name-brand ValSlides), we here at GMAAC use the "Sliding Robots" for en masse athlete workouts, which you can get for $5 for an 8-pack at CVS.  [ Where does the "robot" part come in?  ]

With that out of the way, what does a boxer want with these?  Two exercises with these beauties are absolute musts for the competitive boxer, and many other athletes:
1) Single-Arm Push-Ups [  First exercise, about 15 seconds in...   ], and
2) Reverse Lunges [  Weighted reverse lunge...   ]

The single-arm push-ups are great, because so many boxers suffer so much for all their internal rotation at the shoulder joint.  Using a sliding disc to do this exercise in this manner allows the boxer to 1) get a little variety in the workout, 2) progress to a more challenging push-up variation, 3) 'open up' the shoulder joint a little bit, and 4) work glenohumeral extension strength.  What more could you want?  At least as a hurdle to put it in the 'exercise toolbox,' anyway...

The reverse lunge is also a good movement, primarily because unilateral lower body work is so underemphasized even with the likes of Mike Boyle, Alwyn Cosgrove, et al. banging that drum until everyone out here in workout land is deaf.  This movement allows the athlete to work 1) single leg strength, 2) balance, 3) stabilization, and 4) hip flexor mobility all at once.  It is not a replacement for the squat or front squat, if what you need is some seriously loaded lower body pushing, but outside of that specific need it is a pretty good bang-for-the-buck exercise, and goes great in circuits. 

And, oh by the way, these things are obviously highly portable, so they are yet another tool that helps ward off the "I was on the road / I was stuck at work / I fell asleep reading to the kids and it was too late to go to the gym, but I don't have anything at home" excuse parade. 

Enjoy!