Plank - Is it really the world's Best Ab

Exercise?
Till many years ago physios would do ‘The Plank Challenge’ as part of pre-gym prehab routine.
Basically, the players would have to hold the plank for as long as they could.

Those who could hold for 3+ minutes were considered Spartans, between 2-3 minutes and they were
considered worthy of Spartan status but needing some work, between 1-2 mins and they were
peasants sent back to the remedial abdominal class, and below 1 min, well they didn’t really last that
long. And in all honesty, the ones with the best ab’s and no back pain are the ones who could generally
hold the plank for 3mins+ without losing pelvic position. Losing pelvic position incidentally was the
criteria for being booted out of the challenge.

So does this mean that the plank is the best abdominal strength exercise? Well, If you weigh
120kg and do nothing but collect stamps and play chess all day then it will represent possibly the
worst abdominal exercise you could embark on. If you are an elite level Rugby player, then it may be
more representative of a high level abdominal challenge.

So what does the plank actually do? It is what Stuart McGill, the Canadian back pain super trainer
refers to as a ‘super stiffness exercise’. It generates stiffness
in all the abdominal wall muscles to create a rigid core between
the rib cage and the pelvis. "It generates stiffness in
all the abdominal wall
muscles to create a rigid
In doing so the spine is supported by muscle stiffness with
core between the rib
minimal damaging compressive forces associated with sit ups and
cage and the pelvis. ."
hanging leg raises.

The biomechanics of the exercise are quite obvious. Without some ‘stiffness’ in the muscles at the
front of the body (as in abdominals) the body would sag under its own weight between the pivot and
support points, being the elbows and the feet. It thus requires a considerable degree of holding
capacity in these muscles to generate the stiffness to prevent the spine arching into extension. But is
that all it trains?

Many other muscles are also trained in this exercise and as a result, many other muscles can ‘cheat’
and compensate for weaker abdominals. If this occurs, then you are simply training your muscles with
ability and neglecting the dysfunctional weak muscles. Before describing how other muscles work in
this exercise (especially in cheating), let’s firstly describe the “ Perfect Plank Exercise” .

Perfect Plank Exercise: The elbows are placed directly under the shoulders and the ankles are
kept at a 90 degree bend. You can draw a straight line from the shoulders, through the hips, through
the knees and through the ankles. This line will clearly slope downwards considering that the ankles
are lower than the shoulders. But there shouldn't be any ‘breaks’ in this straight line. The most
important pre-requisite however is that the pelvis is kept in ‘neutral tilt’. This means that the natural
curve of the lumbar spine is maintained. It neither over-arches or as commonly seen, is not overly flat
or even rounded (flexed or posterior tilt of the pelvis).

Cheat Number 1: Push the wrists into the ground and really dig your toes in and push with your
calves. This creates an artificial ‘stiffness’ scenario. The triceps contract to try and extend the elbow, in
doing so the body is pushed towards the feet. At the same time the calves contract to plantar flex the
ankles, or to put it another way, push the body away from the feet. The two forces meet in the middle
and less work is needed by the abdominals as the body has already artificially compressed itself.
Solution. Do this on a timber floor with a tea towel under the elbows and under the feet. If you push
too much with the arms or feet, they will slide due to that force.

Cheat Number 2: Resting the head on top of the hands whilst pushing with the feet. This does the
same as above however now the head forms a block to movement. Push with the feet (as in calves)
and the body wants to move upwards, but the head stops the movement. Result? Again artificial
compression is generated. Solution: Head must be in line with the shoulders.

Cheat Number 3: Spine sagging and associated anterior pelvic tilting. This happens as the
abdominals fatigue. You will see it in someone because their butt starts to stick out more and the arch
becomes exaggerated in the spine. The reason this happens is that the hip flexors and the abdominals
are trying to find a new physiological length-tension advantage. The anterior hip flexors will force the
pelvis to anterior tilt and as a result the abdominals become slightly stretched, a more favorable
position to continue to produce holding force. What can also happen is that the psoas major muscle
will also start to kick in to support the spine from the front. What you will feel is a low back ache as the
facet joints are compressed under the load of muscle contraction whilst locked into spine extension.
Solution: Don’t lose neutral spine or neutral pelvis.

Cheat Number 4: Knees bend. Again as fatigue sets in, the body will look for ways to cheat. We are
born to cheat so the body will look for the most economical way to maintain a task with minimal effort.
By allowing the knees to bend, the long rectus femoris muscle uses its physiological length-tension
advantage. Because it also crosses the front of the hip, it is another muscle which is used to help ‘hold’
the hip in neutral so it does not sag into extension.

So what are the other muscles that can be trained in a ‘plank’ exercise? The list includes but is not
limited to; triceps, anterior deltoid, clavicular head of pec, serratus anterior, TFL, rectus femoris,
anterior adductors, soleus and gastrocnemius.

If performed incorrectly, then the ‘plank’ may possibly recruit as many muscles as the deadlift. The
only difference is that the deadlift is a good rehab exercise whereas a poorly performed plank is not a
good rehab exercise.

Dr. Adnan Badr.

BPT, MIAP, MIASM, MMTFI, CMT
(Physiotherapist).
Mumbai.
Cell : 9769 26 3306.