How to do a Plank
Leah ZahnerDescription
Planks are a great way to strengthen your core. Contrary to popular belief, your core is made up of more than just your abs. Your core encompasses your entire torso, everything but your arms and legs.
Step 1
Come down to your forearms on a mat or the floor. Set yourself up with your elbows under your shoulders.
Step 2
Curl your toes under and lift yourself up. This creates a long line from the tip of your head to your heels.
Common mistakes when doing a plank
Arching your back when you are learning to do the plank exercise is a common mistake. You’ll be able to identify this right away because you will feel it in your lower back more so than in your core.
You can fix this by thinking about pulling up away from the floor and rolling your pelvis forward. Once you’re in the proper position, you’ll notice that the pressure is out of your lower back and your core is engaged.
Planks are considered to be one of the best ways you can strengthen your core.
Crunches are a great exercise, but they do not target the entire core as planks do. Crunches can also agitate the lower back over an extended period of time.
Some benefits of a solid core are:
- Improved posture
- Increased flexibility
- Increased stability
- Decrease the chance of injury
- Improves sports performance
The core is responsible for bending, lifting and twisting. A stronger core will alleviate the majority of aches and pains bowlers feel from the repetitive motion of bowling.
Check out more bowling exercises that will improve your physical game from National Bowling Academy.
One of the most effective exercises to strengthen your core is the plank exercise. It's a very simple position, but it's very difficult. It requires a lot of full body-muscle connection, and your core will be really challenged in a plank position. You'll simply need a little bit of room on the floor, and then you'll come down to your forearms. You wanna set yourself up so your elbows are underneath your shoulders, curl your toes under, and lift yourself up, creating a big long line from the tip of your head all the way to your heels behind you.
You'll notice right away that your core needs to be strong to stay lifted in position. One of the most common things that will start to happen as you fatigue, or maybe right away, is that your back will arch a little bit. That's gonna put a lot of pressure on your low back, and release a lot of the engagement in your core muscles, so you almost wanna think about pulling up away from the floor, and then rolling your pelvis forward. Once you've got that nice position, you'll notice that the pressure comes out of your low back. It might be a little more challenging for your core muscles, but it will feel a lot better overall, and make you feel pretty strong in your plank position.
It's amazing how effortlessly she speaks while in that position. Many people would be grunting through the exercise! Thanks for these exercise videos.