How to do Plank

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Difficulty: Easy

Impact Level: Normal

Target Body Parts: abs, lower back, shoulders, glutes

Instructions

Start off in a crawling position on your hands and knees. Pick up one hand, bend it at the elbow and place your elbow on the floor directly underneath your shoulder. Repeat for the other hand so that you are resting your upper body on your elbows. Then walk your knees back out behind you, tuck your toes and pick your knees up off the floor into Plank position.

Make your body as rigid as you can from your feet to your head to keep it in a straight “plank-like” shape side on. Do this by tensing your quads to lift your knee caps up your thighs, squeezing your glutes together, bracing your core and drawing your belly button up away from the floor, whilst at the same time pressing down into the floor with your elbows.

Keep your neck in a neutral position, aligned with the rest of your spine, by looking at the floor just in front of your hands.

Common faults with Plank are to have your hips up too high or too low, to drop your head so you are looking back towards your toes, or to not have enough tension in the upper body such that your chest slumps down in between your shoulders.

How to make Plank easier

Make Plank easier by practicing it with your knees on the floor but still keeping a straight line through your body from your knees up to the crown of your head.

How to make Plank more challenging

Try out our Side Plank, Plank Side Walk and Plank with Arm Lift exercises to progress to the next level.

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