Happy New Year 2016! Here’s to your perfect plank.
I want to start with evaluating the perfect plank for the beginning of 2016. I chose the plank because you rely mostly on the foundation of your body to execute. The exercise itself is considered foundational.
I am an Integrative Corrective Exercise Specialists for Baby Boomer/Seniors, as well as a fitness professional for 3 decades, you can imagine why safety and form is a priority for me to expand upon.
I have witnessed many formats of exercises, some stay, some go quickly. The plank has been around, well, as long as me. 🙂
The plank is used as a core exercise in many fitness formats, yoga, pilates, HIIT and now even Crossfit.
The plank, done correctly can improve posture, build abdominal strength, improve stability in your overall trunk. Practiced over time, the plank can improve upper back strength and neck posture. Contrary to popular belief, the plank can aid in keeping the wrist supple and the shoulders strong, which can alleviate some back issues. It is a bodyweight exercise so you are essentially building bone density.
There are many varieties of the plank. You have forearm plank, straightarm plank, and side plank.
For the sake of this blog not being too wordy, let’s stick with the straightarm plank.
Here is the breakdown on how to execute the perfect plank:
1)Start in Quadruped position (all four) make sure your shoulders are over your wrists and the the width of your arms are a bit wider than your shoulders.
2)Evenly distribute the weight on your palms, spread your fingers out .
3)Keep your spine in neutral and your head in line with your spine. That means when performing a plank, you should avoid looking up or anywhere that compromises your spine and your stability.
4)Step one leg back and then the other and make sure you are in a straightline from crown of head to heels.
5) Widen your thoracic part of the back, that means do not let your shoulder blades come together and engage the core.
I am going to touch on a little Quantum Physics here:
We are all made up of energy and therefore all our movements should be energetic and deliberate.
Feel the energy through your heels up to the crown of the head while your core is engaged. Keep the plank strong and stable by not moving the body.
Start by holding a strong plank for 20 seconds and continue to increase time increments.
Once you have mastered the plank, you will notice increased core strength and stability which is the foundation of staying injury free and strong.
Play around with all the versions of planks in 2016, but safety first.
Know how to stack the body, execute safely and energetically in which ever plank you would like to master.
I hope this blog post was informative. If there are any other topics you would like me to cover or expand upon, please let me know
In health,
Maria