Perfecting your Plank
Planks feature heavily in most mat classes so find a variation that works for your body.
Initially there’s so much to think about, but once you learn to support and engage your body fully, you will learn to love the power of planks too.
Visualise
The word plank suggests a straight line and in principle the posture is too – provided you are switching on all the right muscles. Let’s iron out any kinks in that imaginary line by understanding the sensation we want to achieve to get the most out of our planks.
Push away
Place your hands under shoulders for proper support. Fan your ten fingers and connect with the mat as much as you can to support your wrists. Imagine a candle positioned between your hands on the mat, pull your chest up and away to save from getting burned. Feel your shoulder blades pulling apart rather than drawing into your spine. That will keep your chest from dipping. Now soften your elbows to avoid locking your joints.
Firm up
While a plank primarily targets the core, it is a full body exercise. Depending on what your instructor is trying to help you achieve, you might be asked to squeeze legs together or take a wide stance with your feet. Either way, straighten your knees and feel length through your legs, squeeze your glutes so everything is tight. Imagine you are pushing your heels to a wall behind you.
Tuck in
A common mistake is to hike the hips too high or let them sag in which case you won’t engage your abdominal muscles. Avoid a avoid floppy belly by tucking your tail bone under ever so slightly – feel your ribs sliding towards your hip bones. Feeling the shakes? Bravo, you’re getting there!
Lengthen
Okay now that we’ve got that right – a straight, neutral spine includes the head and neck. Fix your gaze just above your hands on the mat and draw the back of your neck upwards to prevent your chin from dropping to your chest.
Mix it up
There are many variations to a plank but their effectiveness rests on the same thing – good alignment. Firming up through the midsection is key.
Achy wrists or elbows? Drop down to forearms and turn your gaze towards your elbows rather than your hands so not to strain the back of your neck. Weak shoulders or lower back pain? Relieve the pressure by resting your knees on the ground.
At Studio Form&Flow, we love planks and we hope you will learn to love them too!
More questions? Drop us an email at connect@studioformandflow.com, we’ll be happy to chat with you.