Perfect Your Plank With These 5 Tips!
Lauren Neal with Leslie Clarke
The plank is a popular exercise which helps to strengthen
your core. We want you to perfect the basics! Once you’ve mastered them, there
are an endless number of ways to make this seemingly simple exercise more
challenging. Our Personal Training Director, Leslie, weighs in on these tips!
1.) Shoulders Down & Back
Keeping your shoulders down and back can help you set up
your plank properly. “Sometimes we’ll see rounding of the shoulders”, says
Leslie, “this could indicate that more of their weight is being placed on the
upper body area rather than evenly distributed between the upper and lower body
“she adds. Think about pushing your elbows towards your toes to help anchor
your shoulder blades down.
2.) Keep A Neutral Spine
Keeping a nice neutral spine is essential for the plank. In
the first picture, Leslie demonstrates someone who lets hyperextension get the
best of her. The purpose of a plank is to develop anterior core strength by
fighting hyperextension of the lumbar spine, and this doesn’t work if the spine
starts to dip. To ensure you are keeping a neutral spine, think about bringing the
bottom of your ribs down towards your pelvis and squeezing through your glutes.
An easy form fix is using a dowel as a straight line to connect the back of
your head, between the shoulder blades, and your lower back. If the dowel
doesn't touch these 3 spots you know you need to fix your form!
3.) No Downward Dogs
Let’s keep those downward dogs in yoga class! While there
are benefits to a downward dog, the focus is different in the plank. In the
second picture, Leslie demonstrates what a ‘plank-downward dog’ mix looks like.
Keeping your butt down and that spine in neutral will help to target your core
a lot more than if your butt is in the air.
4.) Your Head Is Important Too
When keeping a neutral spine, don’t forget about your head!
Don’t drop your head down. When you drop the head, you can place unneeded
pressure between the cervical discs in the neck and this can also lead to
protracted shoulder blades stressing the muscles of the rotator cuff. Think about looking down at the ground keeping
a straight line, as much as possible, from the top of your head, all the way
down to your tailbone. Note: In the last picture Leslie’s neck could be lowered
slightly to promote a more neutral neck position.
5.) Don’t Hold That Breath
Sometimes when the body is under stress, we end up holding
our breath. When you’re in the plank, think about taking nice steady breaths.
Use your inhale to lengthen the body and use your exhale to activate the
muscles involved. This will help you receive maximal results from your total
body contraction!
Keep in mind, it is better to preform a proper plank for a
short bouts rather than holding improper form! Start off holding a 10-15 sec
plank and repeat this multiple times. Once you have perfect form, increase the
time from there!
Now get your plank on! If you have any questions, feel free to ask one of our trainers at The Pulse!
