25-Minute Core and Coordination Follow-Along Workout

You won’t find a single crunch in this fun routine that gets your brain and body in sync. Play the video below and follow along!

Some workouts are about how hard or fast you can go. This isn’t one of them.

Instead, this 25-minute core and coordination follow-along workout focuses on how well your brain and body work together, and how your core supports safe movement. A strong core helps you stay steady on your feet, rotate your torso, reach with your arms, and avoid falls or other injuries.

“When we coordinate our movements with our brain and body, our core has to come along,” says SilverSneakers fitness expert David Jack. “The purpose of the core is to help us move—and help us prevent movement that we don’t want.”

As with all our follow-along workouts, you’re in charge. “At any time, if you feel like you need to stop and recover, you can do that,” Jack says. You can hit play again when you’re ready.

Feeling good? If you’re able to do the patterns properly and confidently, you can pick up the pace or increase your range of motion. No matter your pace, continue to breathe as you move.

How the 25-Minute Core and Coordination Follow-Along Workout Works

All you need is some open floor space, and water and a towel if you want it. This workout includes balance exercises, so you may also want to use a wall, counter, or chair for support.

The best way to do this workout is to press play and follow along with the video, which includes interactive segments. You can also see exercise pointers below.

As always, safety is key. The exercises here may be different or more advanced than those you’ll experience in a SilverSneakers class. If you have a chronic condition, an injury, or balance issues, talk to your doctor about how you can exercise safely.

1. Warmup: Reaches

Take a comfortable stance with your knees slightly bent. Reach across your body with one arm, pivoting your feet as you move.

If that feels good, reach toward the ceiling and gaze up with your eyes, continuing to pivot your feet as you move.

2. Warmup: Shoulder Rolls

Take a comfortable stance. Roll your shoulders backward and then forward.

3. March Patterns

Start with a regular march. Make it easier by going slow and keeping your knees low. Make it harder by going faster, bringing those knees high, or gently swinging your arms. Keep your shoulders back and your hands relaxed.

When that feels comfortable, march to one side and then the other side, and march forward and then backward.

4. Athletic Stance

Find your athletic stance, which you’ll use a few times during this workout. Take a comfortable stance, and bend your hips and knees a little bit. You should feel equal weight through your feet.

Sit into your hips a little bit, but keep your eyes and chest up. Don’t let your upper body collapse forward.

You should feel safe, balanced, and strong.

5. Lean and Step

Take a narrow stance. Lean slightly and step to your left, landing softly in an athletic stance. Repeat on the opposite side.

6. Fall and Stop

Take an athletic stance. Lean to your right as if you were falling toward a wall, and land to your left in an athletic stance. Repeat on the opposite side, “falling” to your left and landing to your right.

Use a wall, counter, or chair for support as needed, and adjust your range of motion as needed. Small movements done with good, safe form are better than large movements with poor, unsafe form.

As you move, do you notice one side feels weaker or less steady than the other side? You may want to give this side extra attention during workouts.

7. Active Step and Plant

Take an athletic stance. Move your feet quickly as if the floor is hot, and plant your foot to one side. Repeat on the opposite side.

8. Reach 4 Ways

Take a split stance with your left foot forward and right foot back. Make it easier by widening your base.

With your right hand, reach up and out to your left. Reach again, up and across to your left. Reach again, up and more to your left. Finally, with your left hand, reach up and behind to your left. As you reach, turn through your core, let your back foot pivot, and gaze in the direction you are moving, if it’s comfortable for you.

Repeat the sequence at midline. With your right hand, reach from shoulder level and out to your left. Reach again, from shoulder level and across to your left. Reach again, from shoulder level and more to your left. Finally, with your left hand, reach from shoulder level and behind to your left.

Switch sides, and repeat both sequences.

9. Opposite Side Taps

Take a narrow stance with your arms out in a T shape and palms down. As you step out with one foot, lower your opposite arm, tapping your leg gently. So, step out with your right foot, lower your left arm. Or step out with your left foot, lower your right arm.

10. Same Side Taps

Take a wide stance with your arms out in a T shape and palms down. As you step in with one foot, lower your arm on the same side, tapping your leg gently. So, step in with your right foot, lower your right arm. Or step in with your left foot, lower your left arm.

11. Hip Taps

Take a wide stance with your arms out in a T shape and palms down. As you step in with one foot, reach across with your opposite hand to tap your hip. So, step in with your right foot, reach across with your left hand to tap your right hip. Or step in with your left foot, reach across with your right hand to tap your left hip.

12. Thigh Taps

Take a narrow stance with your arms out in a T shape and palms down. As you step out with one foot, bend that knee, and reach across with your opposite hand to tap that thigh. So, step out with your right leg, and reach across with your left hand to tap your right thigh. Or step out with your left leg, and reach across with your right hand to tap your left thigh.

13. Cooldown

Take a few deep breaths to bring your heart rate down.

Reach across your body or over your head to stretch your arms.

Take a wide stance, sit your hips back, and keep one leg straight to stretch your inner thighs.

Stand with your feet together, put one heel on the floor in front of you, sit your hips back, and keep your chest up to stretch your hamstrings and calves.

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