Kierstin Elliott, Pilates Rehab Specialist Exercise: Plank Set Up: Start on all fours with the shoulders stacked on top of wrists, lats engaged, collar bones broad, and chin slightly tucked to create length through the back of the neck. Execution: Inhale to prep, exhale to extend one leg at a time back into a full plank position. Abs and glutes engage while nothing in the upper body shifts. Create a sense of length from the crown of the head through the heels. Hold anywhere from 10 seconds to a minute maintaining proper form. Focus: Three key focal points when performing a plank: 1. Be sure to not sink into the shoulders. Push away from the mat, broaden collar bones, engage lats and serratus (your side body), and keep the back of the neck lengthened. The upper back should be flat, not rounded. 2. Support the lower back. Abdominal engagement is critical in this exercise and includes knitting ribs together, drawing navel to spine, and creating a hollowed out feeling in the lower abdomen in order to achieve optimum support for the lower back. 3. Create a sense of length. Constant energy reaching through the crown of the head to the heels will give you a sense of lift making the plank feel lighter. P.S. Don’t grip the glutes, but engage them slightly for more support. Importance: Planks are a killer full body exercise. Everything has to be on, including the brain, in order to execute this exercise correctly. Planks allow you to target shoulder stability, core strength in its entirety, and mental/physical endurance. Modifications: To modify, keep knees under the hips, tuck the toes and hover knees off the mat. Focus on the same cues for full plank. To add a challenge, well… the options are endless! Try adding alternating leg lifts, mountain climbers, or walk down to forearms and back up to hands without shifting hips side to side.
Pilates with Kierstin: The Plank
