The Plank or static abdominal contraction is an extremely important exercise to perform but only when ready. Remember always be evaluated by a fitness professional before performing an exercise program.
Primary Focus:
Abdominals- the truth is you use all of them- for all of you who don't know what that means- you have several different abdominal muscles and all are activated throughout the fatigue stages of this exercise
- Be sure to have your hands flat on the floor- place the palms down. (This will provide more surface area for balance in the event you need it)
- Focus on keeping the hips up in a straight line with the spine and suck the belly button in.
- More times that not I see weak cervical extensors in the major of clients I see. So lets focus on keeping that head up and looking forward
- Squeeze those cheeks together! This will help in keeping the hips elevated.
- Make sure your shoulders are up and the humerus- radial (elbow) is at a 90degree. If there is any pain in the shoulder you may be retracting at the shoulder.
- Feet should be evenly spaced and on your toes.
- If you can only hold this position for a couple of seconds due to lower back pain or you find your hips sinking you may need to perform other exercises such as hip bridges, 2 pt tables, or super mans to build strength in these areas.
Progression: Feet closer together, fully extend the arms, or lift one limb up at a time while keeping hips and pelvis still
Regression: Perform exercise with the knees on the floor or with one knee down and the other leg extended.
Picture: Good House Keeping Magazine
- Load times are up to 50 seconds between games. Not a big deal but lets remember people want to get in and start killing right away
