I hate and love the plank drill.
I hate it, well, hate is a strong word, but extreme dislike is ok, because no matter how long I've practiced, it just never seems to get any easier. I've been working on the plank for at least 8 months and can now hold the position for two minutes. And even though I've made great progress, I started at less than 30 seconds, I still struggle all the way to two minutes.
I love the plank because I understand the good it does for me. The plank drill is a spine friendly endurance training drill for the back, neck, and shoulders. It carries low levels of disc pressure yet high levels of muscle contraction.
Now that I can hold the plank for two minutes, I'm looking for a little variety and I came across this modification in a book called, "Framework".
- From the plank position, take the right arm off the floor and place it next to the body so that the hand is next to the hip and then hold the position for as long as possible.
- Once you have mastered this position, try lifting the opposite leg off the floor (in this example the left leg). You'll then be holing the plank position with only the left forearm on the floor and the right foot.
When you move one arm down next to your body, you'll need to shift your body toward the weight bearing arm or you'll have too much torque on the shoulder to withstand the position.
Plank is good. Variations are better.
