The current “go-to” abdominal exercise in the gym these days is the plank. Feet on the floor, forearms on the floor, tight middle with hopefully no saggy back and away we go. Hold it longer, hold it lower than others and you’re assured of a rock-hard middle section and good abdominals…or are you?
Not so long ago sit-ups or crunches were the go-to exercise for abdominal conditioning. We soon worked out that encouraging people to repetitively, forcefully pull themselves into a banana position wasn’t good for people who were already sitting over a desk in a similar banana posture all day. We also now know that crunch-type movements primarily work only on certain abdominal muscles and can cause imbalances and dysfunction in other abdominal muscles. Fast forward a decade or so and now we have the plank taking up the reins from the abdominal crunch.
There are several problems with using the plank exercise too much, too often which I see at the Kaizen Centre regularly. Firstly, the abdominal muscles are very complex and can do a wide range of movements such as rotation and side bending. If you’re just planking you’re missing out on the smorgasbord of movements that the abdominals provide. Secondly, bracing (tightening your abdominals in a plank position) for long periods can change the way your pelvic floor functions, leading to incontinence, and can also reinforce breathing patterns that aren’t ideal. If you have back pain and your lower back is stiff, planking can make your back stiffer and could actually make the problem worse.
The important role of the abdominals to support your back, and organs, and in movement is quite clear cut. What is far less obvious is how best to condition these muscles. There are many options to effectively condition your abdominal muscles. See our Facebook page for ideas on how to effectively condition your abdominals–we’ll put some posts demonstrating some of the exercises we use at the Kaizen Centre to follow up this article.
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