Fast Fitness - Strengthen by Changing Your Plank
Friday, November 16, 2007
Jolie Bookspan, M.Ed, PhD, FAWM
A sagging inward curve to the lower back is not the normal curve, it is too much curve - pictured at the start of the MPEG movie below. Holding a plank with a sagging (overarched, hyperlordotic) lower spine "hammocks" body weight onto your spine joints called facets, adding to lower back pain, and does not use your core muscles. It is counterproductive as an exercise. Instead:
- Hold a pushup position
- Change sagging lower back to neutral by tucking the hip. Head up, neck as straight as standing.
- Don't flop all weight on wrists. Press with hand and fingers, and use forearm muscles to reduce wrist compression and shift weight to surrounding muscles - see Stronger Pain-Free Wrists When Biking for ideas.
Reader David D. from Belgium sent this excellent movie. He pushes up into plank. You can also can start on hands and feet without pushing up. He first demonstrates badly overarched lower back, then changes to neutral spine in seconds 8-11 of the movie, then holds. When you do this you will immediately feel the effort shift to your abs. Use this instead of crunches for functional core training. If you push up from the floor, hold tucked neutral spine, not lifting upper body first.
(The exercise is not to do overarching and change to neutral - it is to hold neutral throughout.)
Related Fitness Fixer:
- Add concentration with - Fast Fitness - Can You Do Plank Chess?
- Add more strength with - Fast Fitness - High Core Strength For The New Year
- Add balance and arms with - Fast Fitness - Core Hip & Body, Posture Strength & Balance
- High strength if you work and don't whine - Air Pushups
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Labels: abdominal muscles, facet joints, fast fitness, fix pain, lordosis, lower back, neutral spine, posture, strength, video/movie, wrist, yoga
10 Comments:
At Wednesday, May 07, 2008 5:58:00 PM,
Anonymous said…
Good article on T-nations, says you should be able to put a dowel on your back and it should be in contact with the back of your head, your scapular region and your tailbone.... that is alignment.
At Thursday, May 08, 2008 10:35:00 AM,
Jolie Bookspan, M.Ed, PhD, FAWM said…
Just make sure that even with the stick (dowel) touching head, scapulae, and "tailbone" that there is not a large space between the lumbar spine and stick. Get the concept of moving the lumbar spine.
At Wednesday, June 17, 2009 11:30:00 AM,
MICHAEL said…
THIS OIS QUITE HELPFUL TO ESTABLISH NEUTRAL SPINE IN THE PRONE POSITION BEFORE COMMENCING YOUR FIRST PUSHUP AND MAINTAINING NEUTRAL SPINE THROUGHOUT THE TOTAL ROUTINE.
At Friday, August 14, 2009 4:16:00 PM,
Anonymous said…
I was curious to see the video. The video doesn't play.
At Saturday, August 15, 2009 3:42:00 PM,
Jolie Bookspan, M.Ed, PhD, FAWM said…
Ms. Shankari, thank you for letting me know. I am getting an alternate link for you for the movie while we speak. The video plays just fine on some computers. An alternate link to this video will help others. Check back soon.
At Sunday, August 16, 2009 8:42:00 PM,
Jolie Bookspan, M.Ed, PhD, FAWM said…
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
At Monday, August 17, 2009 2:26:00 PM,
Jolie Bookspan, M.Ed, PhD, FAWM said…
Hello again - I uploaded the video to my Flickr, and provided the alternate link in the post. Thank you for wanting to see the information we work to provide :-)
At Tuesday, October 13, 2009 1:04:00 PM,
Popsie said…
Hi Jolie, your website is really helpful. I've a double scoliosis of my spine which is getting worse as I am lazy about excercising. I have recently had a suspected compression of my lower back, with a band of pain around my SI area, and slight loss of bladder control. I realise now that I have to do something to reverse or stop this gradual regression into paralysis that I am heading for. I have done a bit of yoga, but never practised at home (lazy). I would like to try the plank, but can I start with a slightly easier excercise to strengthen my wrists first? I am also overweight, needless to say, so I find chaturanga almost impossible, even downward dog is very hard. Is downward dog OK to do or is there too much pushing of the lower back downwards in that? I am a bit confused, having read all your stuff on neutral spine. Please help!
At Thursday, October 22, 2009 1:53:00 AM,
Jolie Bookspan, M.Ed, PhD, FAWM said…
To RealMother, Good questions.
- Have your medical providers established that the "slight loss of bladder control" is from spine compression, or unrelated to spine and needing the different approach of urinary muscle control training?
- Before starting yoga, see Getting the Right Yoga Medicine.
- For wrists, click Fast Fitness - Prevent Wrist Pain During Pushups and Cooking and Fast Fitness - Strengthen Hand and Wrist.
- In a good downward dog, hands and feet are far apart so that much weight is on your arms. Discs and spine should not be pushed or loaded. It does not conflict with neutral spine. No need to overly arch back or bend the lower spine forward with downward dog.
- Use neutral spine for walking, running, pushups, and other times to prevent slouching.
- For positive mindset about exercise try Secret To Get Better and Fitter.
Glad you have had good results here already. Stay smart and safe while getting better.
At Monday, December 28, 2009 8:08:00 PM,
Jolie Bookspan, M.Ed, PhD, FAWM said…
To All Readers, in addition to my reply to the first reader comment stating to put a dowel to test alignment, notice that in the video portion showing unhealthful inward sagging of lower spine, you could put that dowel or draw a line from "the back of your head, your scapular region and your tailbone" and it would be a straight line, but would not be alignment. You can line up head, shoulder, and hip and still badly overarch the lower spine. This is one of the most commonly missed bad postures, and missed reason for ongoing back pain.
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