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The Next Level of Core Training - Dynamic Planks |
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By: Jim Smith, CSCS
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Friday, 11 April 2008 |
When you think about the most basic abdominal exercise, the first one that pops into your head is probably planks.
Planks are where a person lays out into a push-up position but instead
of being on their outstretched hands, they rest on their forearms. In
this position, the athlete or lifter will remain for a specific length
of time. If the time exceeds one and a half minutes that is considered
pretty good.
The benefits of planks include rehabilitating a back injury, glute
activation, developing proficiency for bracing the torso with
intra-abdominal pressure and an isometric contraction of the abdominals
and developing muscular endurance of the muscles that stabilize,
support and engage movements of the torso.
But in accordance with the Principle of Overload and the Laws of Chaos,
there is a progression for all resistance training means. Progression
of an exercise will increase the difficulty, which increases the demand
and work capacity of the lifter and in turn, provides more adaptation
and benefits.
So what is the next training progression for planks? Here are some of the most common modifications :
- Raising one foot off the ground (ensure the lifter doesn’t shift to
the side to compensate by forcibly firing the glutes and bracing harder
- Add a weighted vest or back pack
Further unique adaptations can be obtained if we are relentless in our
pursuit of our ultimate goal – real world strength. It is this real
world strength that is developed not only with fixed, patterned
strength training movements, but with random, rapidly adjusted reactive
means. This is truer to real life and everyday movements.
Here is the modification that will produce the results we want. The
lifter will setup in a conventional plank but with their feet on an
elevated box and their forearms on a mini-trampoline.
This is a plank x 10!
This variation is much more difficult to stabilize because as the
lifter adjusts, so does the base of support (the trampoline) they are
resting on!
We can of course increase the difficulty by externally loading the
lifter or having them lift one leg, but we want to make this exercise
really difficult. By having the lifter raise up onto their hands, more
vibration can be achieved.
Now hit a plyometric push-up with the goal of restabilizing and
restoring a static posture as quickly as possible. This creates a full
body tremor that improves the integrity of the elbows, shoulders and
hips.
Now, let's perform a one arm plank on this setup. This requires a
greater glute and opposite oblique contraction to counterbalance the
movement. The goal is to minimize the hips shifting and remain rigid.
This movement can be held for time and increased in difficulty by a
partner-assisted agitation.
For a more advanced movement a plyometric push-up can once again be engaged, but this time we will land on one arm.
Not only does this have amazing implications in a rehabilitative
setting, but decelerative properties for the torso, back and shoulders
as well. Sports that require ballistic upper body expressions (which is
essentially all sports) or sports with high incidences of shoulder or
hip injuries can benefit from this vibrational environment. The more
vibration we can introduce, the more rapid the contractions, primary
and antagonistic, of the engaged muscular and the greater stability of
the kinetic chain. This creates a balance and teaches the athlete how
to stabilize in opposition to random stimuli.
About the Author
Jim Smith is a Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist and
an expert trainer who writes for Men's Fitness and the Elite Q/A Staff.
Jim has been involved in strength training as a performance enhancement
specialist for over 8 years and has worked with athletes from various
sports who compete at various levels. He has published articles about
his unique training style and innovative methods for many prominent
strength and fitness related sites. He is also the authored of three
renowned strength manuals. For more innovative training solutions,
visit www.CombatCoreStrength.com.
For real core strength, check out:
www.CombatCoreStrength.co
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