Plank is an isometric exercise that uses your own weight to tighten the muscles and keep them in a stationary position. It is very simple, but effective.
You just have to keep your body rigid as a board and you achieve a focused work on shoulders, arms and, of course, abdomen.
Although it seems like a simple exercise, not everyone knows how to do it correctly, with the risk of not doing it well for the back or other areas of the body.
The key to doing a correct plank is to find the balance and the exact point where the abdomen works without damaging other areas of the body, such as the back, neck or shoulders.
COMMON ERRORS WHEN PRACTICING ISOMETRIC PLANK
- Losing body consciousness
- Lack of control in the shoulder girdle and therefore the shoulders
- Semi-flexed elbows without activating the arms
- Lack of control and stability in the pelvic girdle
- Loss of alignment of the cervical area with respect to the rest of the spine: drooping neck or extension of it
- Placement of hands in front of the shoulder line
TIPS FOR THE PERFECT ISOMETRIC PLANK
- Hands just below the shoulders
- Push towards the ground: this way you activate and contract your triceps and improve the positioning of your shoulders
- Squeeze your glutes to stabilize your hips and prevent bowing in your lower back
- Activate the quadriceps to support the hips
- Connect the transversus abdominis and the entire abdominal girdle
- Keep the cervical area neutral avoiding lifting the neck to look up.
The only way to do a plank properly is to align your shoulders and elbows, keep your gaze straight ahead and your body as straight as possible, without allowing your hips to rise or fall too much.
Drawing a straight line with the body is the challenge. Everything else is not an plank.
Once we master this basic variation and have control of our body, we can move on to variations that retain stability. Thus giving this new variant of greater intensity.