Front plank
Category: Strength
Level: 1
Work up to 30-second hold
Carla van den Berg
- Straight line from head to ankles
- Shoulders engaged; flat t-shirt sitting across the shoulder blades
- Elbows directly under shoulders
- Hands can be clasped together in the centre, set straight in front of elbows
- Chin tucked so that neck is in line with the rest of the spine
- Hips too high ('tenting' shape)
- Cue "Lower hips so they are closer to the ground"
- Hips too low ('sagging')
- Cue "Raise hips slightly towards the ceiling"
- Rounded lower back ('sagging')
- Cue "Pull belly-button up towards ribs"
- Cue "Squeeze glutes"
- Rounded shoulders
- Cue "Pinch shoulders back towards spine"
- Elbows tucked too far back towards hips
- Cue "Move hands forward"
- Head hanging down
- Cue "Long, strong neck"
- Cue "Look up through the eyebrows"
- Activates trunk muscles
- Trunk stability
- Activates shoulder muscles