4 Ways to Get The Most Out of The Front Plank
When I was younger the worst part about going to junior hockey tryouts was the fitness testing. You are probably thinking that would be the part I enjoyed the most given my profession now. But I have to be completely honest with you, I used to hate everything about exercise. Looking back, it was because I was barely in shape. I couldn’t do push-ups or run more than a few hundred meters without getting tired. When hockey tryouts came and we had to do all the fitness testing I wasn’t good at it. The worst exercise they would test was the front plank. (If you don’t know what I am talking about, click here). The coaches used to make us do this exercise as long as we could. And the longer you could perform the front plank the stronger your core was. There are two things I remember from this test; the first was my back would absolutely be killing me after and the second was I sucked and could only do it for a few minutes. Hopefully, times have changed and coaches no longer test the front plank in this manner.
I don’t want you to think that I am saying that the front plank is a bad exercise and we shouldn’t do it. That couldn’t be any farther from the truth. The front plank or any variation of the plank is a great core stabilizing exercise and should almost be incorporated into every workout. But having said that, please remember that there is a correct and incorrect way to perform this exercise (like all exercises). To get all the benefits the front plank has to offer, you need to perform it properly. Otherwise, you will be putting too much stress on the wrong parts of the body like your lower back. I am going to share with you 4 ways you can get more out of the front plank. Implement these changes and you will actually start to increase your core strength.
1 – Engage the Glutes
In order to remove the dip in your lower back, you must align the pelvis into neutral position. The easiest and most effective way to do this is by squeezing your butt. Having the pelvis in a neutral position allows the musculature of the trunk to stabilize the spine. When performing the front plank, the goal is to increase the strength and endurance of your trunk muscles (external abdominal oblique, internal abdominal oblique, rectus abdominis, transverse abdominis).
2 – Three Contact Points (head, upper back, and butt/low back)
To achieve perfect form in the front plank it is imperative to have the back of the head, upper back, and butt/low back aligned. Looking at the photo, you can see the athlete has these 3 contact points aligned. This posture helps the development of the core muscles and increases their strength and endurance. When trying to get your head into proper alignment think about getting your ears in line with your shoulders and tucking your chin into your chest. To help with the chin tuck, take a tennis ball and hold it against your chest with your chin. Most people stick their upper back way up when they perform the front plank. You actually want to drop the chest down and to achieve this try to lightly touch your shoulder blades together while bringing your shoulder blades down towards your hip. Next time you are at the gym get a friend to place a stick on your back and make sure you have the 3 contact points aligned. You should be able to notice a difference in the exercise and how having the proper alignment increases the difficulty. Don’t worry, you get more out of the exercise this way!
3 – Quality over Quantity
As with all exercises, the old saying stands true, it’s about “quality over quantity”. There is no point in doing a 60-second front plank if you are only holding proper form for the first 30 seconds. Once your form starts to suffer, you should take a rest, recover and repeat for desired repetitions to build up your endurance. You are better off holding the plank for only 30 seconds but in perfect form, than 60 seconds in mediocre form. This approach will give you the best results.
4 – Alignment of the Limbs
Your shoulders and elbows should be at 90 degrees and your forearms parallel with each other. Keeping your feet hip width or less apart will make it easier to engage the glutes.
Why The Front Plank is So Important
When you squat, deadlift, and overhead press it takes an incredible amount of motor control to keep the spine stable. The more stable the spine is the more weight you can lift. Using proper form during the front plank teaches the muscles that surround the spine how to brace properly. If your spine does not brace properly you will leak too much power when lifting.
I hope you can now see how the front plank is an important piece of the foundation for all of your other lifts.
Next time you decide to do the front plank (which should be today!) here is a checklist you can quickly run through to make sure you are getting the most out of this exercise.
- Feet hip width apart
- Glutes engaged (squeeze your butt)
- Shoulders and elbows at 90 degrees, forearms parallel with each other
- Chin tucked in
- 3 contact points aligned (head, upper back, butt/low back)
- Quality over quantity (use proper form)