I often find that the plank is the go-to exercise for group fitness instructors who have run out of things to do.
More often than not I see the plank exercise completely butchered. Lower backs caving in, shoulders blades sagging and necks jammed up into extension.
Don’t be like Polly Poor Plank. Learn to do your planks right!!
The plank (performed correctly) is actually an incredibly good exercise. I see the plank as a drill to improve a skill.
The planks purpose is to teach ‘full-body tension’
Tension means contracting the muscles, and one of the lesser known skills of the world’s strongest people is their ability to contract ALL the muscles in unison to boost and supercharge their ability to lift heavy objects. It’s kinda like getting your whole body to cheer on your target muscle as you move weight.
Unlike the group fitness instructor method of trying to hold a plank for 1-2 minutes, I recommend you only hold the plank for 10-20 seconds. The caveat, however, is that your plank will be done using what we call ‘’Hard-style’’ This hard-style plank will have you contracting every muscle as hard as you can in your body from your shoulders to your feet.
This maximal contraction will leave you sweating like you’re doing burpees in the Sahara desert.
That’s not a pretty burpee
Once you have mastered the ‘Hard-style’ plank you might notice that this plank position is the foundation of all functional exercises.
Push up – that’s just a plank with shoulders and elbows moving
Deadlift – that’s just a plank but with your hips hinging
Squat – a plank with hips and knees bending
Shoulder press – a plank with shoulders and elbows moving
Hopefully you get the idea. The plank is the drill to improve the skill.
The other cool thing about the ‘hard-style’ plank or your ability to create midline tension/brace is that it’s the thing that protects and bulletproofs your spine. Dr Stuart McGill is considered the world’s leading expert of spinal health and he happens to be a big fan of the hard-style plank as it teaches proper spinal bracing mechanics. Think of bracing like a corset around your spine. This corset makes your spine strong, rigid and stable, preventing injuries.
How to Hard-style plank
- Get into the plank position
- Brace/contract your abs like you’re prepping for a punch to the stomach
- Squeeze your butt cheeks together like someone put $50 in between them and if it flies away you lose it. Forever
- While keeping your shoulders and hips at the same height, actively pull your elbows down towards your feet while you pull your feet up towards your elbows
- Breathe through your nose and stay relaxed in the face
- Hold for 10-20 seconds
That’s it!
Getting this simple drill dialled in will increase your strength 10 fold
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