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The caption called it a “hanging core challenge” and asked participants to get a good grip on the bar, go as fast as possible for 20 seconds and, importantly, avoid letting the lower body swing back and forth.

Fitness experts explain what exactly happens to your body when you try a move like this.

Your abs aren’t the only thing working

 

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Sudeeksha Mukherjee, Alpha Coach, tells indianexpress.com that the actor is performing an advanced hanging flutter-kick variation.

Mukherjee said Sanon is maintaining an overhead grip on the bar while rapidly alternating her legs in a flutter-kick pattern, with the Swiss ball adding a target and coordination challenge.

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“Because her body is suspended, she also has to keep her core braced, shoulders stable, and control excessive swinging while continuing the fast leg movement,” the fitness expert said.

Yash Vardhan Swami, Founder and Transformation Coach, TrainedByYVS, echoes this and explains that Sanon’s workout “mainly works the core, while also engaging the grip, shoulders and hip flexors.”

“You’re not just moving your legs; you are also working to keep your body stable throughout the movement. It’s a good combination of core strength, grip strength and body control,” Swami adds.

Experts said there is a reason the instruction about not swinging matters. If your entire body starts moving back and forth, you can end up relying more on momentum than control, they added.

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Why is there a Swiss ball?

The exercise ball turns an already challenging movement into a coordination game.

Sanon has to time her kicks, judge where the ball is, and keep her torso and pelvis controlled while her legs move quickly.

Mukherjee said the ball adds a challenge to coordination, timing and body awareness. “The real benefit comes from being able to maintain trunk and pelvic control while the limbs are moving quickly, not simply from kicking faster,” Mukherjee added.

In other words, experts said, being faster does not automatically mean you are better. If your legs are flying but your body is swinging all over the place, you are missing an important part of the exercise, they added.

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Swami also sees value in this kind of functional core training rather than relying only on crunches. But there is a catch. “It’s not something I’d recommend beginners jump into immediately,” he said.

Building core and grip strength with simpler exercises first, then progressing to more demanding movements, is a better approach. “Good form and control should always come before making an exercise more advanced,” he added.

So, while Sanon makes hanging from a bar and kicking a giant ball look like child’s play, the exercise actually asks several muscle groups to work together at once. And that smile? Your core may not be smiling quite as much.