Shay Mitchell's latest core workout requires serious oblique and shoulder strength

Shay Mitchell's latest core workout requires serious oblique and shoulder strength

Shay Mitchell recently shared a look at a typical weekend on Instagram, and it included a glamorous event, a messy kid's playroom and a tough workout session.

In slide six of an Instagram carousel post, Mitchell does a dynamic core exercise with a few props while wearing an all-black outfit. She places her palms wider than shoulder-width apart on a mat and her toes rest on a unique abdominal roll. Unlike typical casters that only move forward and backward, this platform can move in any direction on swivel wheels.

Mitchell moves the roller in a large circle around a small weight plate on the floor while keeping her upper body as still as possible. She pulls her knees toward her chest before pushing them back out to the side and over to maneuver the ab roller behind the weight plate and back up the other side.

"Body position immediately targets the anterior chain of the body, so your chest, core, and legs are just working to maintain that position," Susane Pata, a NASM-certified personal trainer who saw Mitchell's Instagram post, tells Shape. "It's truly a total-body exercise when all the parts come together," she says, adding that the circular motion of the lower body works the obliques and challenges shoulder stability.

Working on stabilization is the main benefit of this exercise, according to Pata. The move "uses more muscles for coordination and control and can challenge the shoulders and core in unique ways," she explains, comparing it to traditional mountain climbers who don't use this circular motion or have to constantly keep both feet off the ground. (Check it out: 5 Mountain Climbing Variations That Work for Every Fitness Level and Goal)

Mitchell tagged trainer Kollins Ezekh from training studio Members Only in her latest workout clip. However, Mitchell has also shared many sweat sessions with her longtime trainer Kira Stokes on social media over the years.

Watch Shay Mitchell perform a strength-building pregnancy workout

Most recently, she shared with Vogue a look at a workout session with Stokes that included an unexpected way to use a treadmill. Instead of running on the cardio machine, Mitchell did a bear crawl variation with her feet on the belt and her hands on a short plyo box in front of the treadmill.

Last fall, Stokes also revealed the Dollface actress's three-move lower body finisher. It consists of squats, lunges and side jumps for a final burn to complete a workout or as a quick workout on its own.

We hope Mitchell continues to share her innovative exercises with her followers on social media.