Why your plank is hurting you!

The plank is a basic exercise… And you are doing it wrong!

The plank, if done correctly can be very beneficial to your strength, posture, pelvic position, and core. But…any exercise done incorrectly has the potential to hurt you.
​The plank (one of the simplest exercises) is being performed and taught incorrectly and being allowed to be performed incorrectly by the vast majority of health and fitness professionals (just search your social media account).

Why this is happening, IT'S confusing to me?

This month I have failed to see anyone perform a plank 80% correctly let alone perfectly. In the great words of Vince Lombardi “practice doesn't make perfect. Perfect practice makes perfect.”
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These are the most common mistakes I find… and yes I often see multiple of them, and the stresses it places on your body.

​​You have large low back curve (also known as lumbar lordosis or lumbar hyperextension)

• Having a large lumbar curve, sway back or hyperextension inhibits the core from working.
• It also places the core on stretch which places it at a biomechanical disadvantage for muscle contraction. 

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Your upper back is rounded (also known as Thoracic Kyphosis or Thoracic flexion)

• This places your pec minor, pec major and anterior deltoid into a shortened state.
• It places your Thoracic erector spinae muscles into a biomechanically disadvantaged state.
• Often this occurs with a rib cage compression or depression, limiting your breathing and your ability to turn your core on. 

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Your hips are anteriorly or posteriorly shifted

• Having your hips in the wrong position will load the spine in that position.
• In my rant about posture retraining we know the body adapts to mechanical forces that cause stress to be placed on the body.
• If this stress is placed incorrectly the wrong type of adaptation will occur.

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Your hips are anteriorly tilted (the top of your hips are forward)

• This places your transverse abdominus (TA or TVA) into a lengthened state and basically turns off your core!
• If the core is not working this places an increased or abnormal stress on the joints in in the back of your spine (facet joints or Zygoapopheseal joints) and can cause a mechanical stress which leads to early onset osteoarthritis.
• This places your hip flexor complex into a shortened position which can affect your pelvic position.
• Read more about this in my post about “why your hamstrings aren’t tight"

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Your shoulders are protracted or tilted

• This uses your upper shoulder muscles, predominantly the upper trapezius and levator scapular instead of the core and helps to increase your stooped or desk posture. This places your chest muscles (primarily the Pectoralis minor and major) into a shortened position where adaptation can occur.

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Your shoulder blades are winging

• Allowing your shoulder blades to wing places increased pressure on your glenohumeral joint (shoulder)  AC (acromio Clavicular joint), Sternoclavicular joint and rib cage.
• It also decreases serratus anterior and subscapularis activity.

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Your neck is flexed or extended

• Placing you neck into an incorrect position not only lengthens one side of your neck muscles but also give a greater chance of recruiting other muscles,  the most common being the upper trapezius to help.

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• Your transverse abdominus (TA or TVA) is not held on.
• This is generally a by-product of incorrect positioning.
• This can also be not active in a percentage of people who have suffered low back pain or have had damage during pregnancy.
• If you are unsure please seek a professionals opinion.

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• What should I do If I can't perform this exercise correctly?
• Try dropping to your knees like the picture or
• if you are unable to perform this you may need to seek an expert such as a physiotherapist.

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I often have clients who also report that when they do their plank they add weight on their back to make it harder.

YES THIS HAPPENS!

This is the first image I found on google when searching "plank with weight".

It is featured on multiple sites including plus.google.com, pinterest.com, sportsscience.com, wiki-fitness.com, topme.com, bodybuildingadvisor.com, 

Why are we listening to people who are not actually experts!

Now if you remember from my post on why your hamstrings aren’t tight an injury occurs when you place a normal force on an abnormal structure or an abnormal force onto a normal structure, by performing any exercise incorrectly then adding weight you are placing an abnormal force onto an abnormal structure which increases the risk of injury.  This exercise can be performed (if done correctly) but the negatives outweigh the positives if the foundation of the exercise is being performed incorrectly to start with. This will take you down the road to inury which you may not recover from. 

After reading this article please take a look through any picture on your Facebook and Instagram accounts where someone is TRYING to perform a plank correctly and try to find one that doesn’t have one, if not multiple of these errors. If you want help with your plank or you know someone that does please don’t hesitate to post on facebook, instagram or contact me at the practice.

Exercise shouldn’t hurt or cause injury - if it is you are doing it wrong!
 
Sean Yates | Physiotherapist | Doctor of Physiotherapy | Bachelor of Exercise Science |
ASCA level 1 | AWF Level 1 coach | Functional Patterns Level 1, 2, 3 | Human Biomechanics Specialist | Dry Needling | Clinical Pilates Level 1, 2, 3 | APA sports Level 1 | Watson Headache Level 1 | IASTM - Smart Tools Instructor |