asana: plank

yoga book / asanas / plank

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Last update: 30 December 2018
Name: Plank
Level: A

classification

Classic: Strengthening posture on the floor

Contraindication

Problems with the wrists can make it difficult to perform the exercise with your hands on the floor.

Various disorders of the shoulder joint may cause pain, especially when performing the exercise with the forearms resting on the floor. Depending on the type of disorder, performing the exercise may also be contraindicated.

effects

Preparation

Towards dorsiflexion, wrists with limited mobility often require preparation..

Depending on your physique and level of training, your wrists may be a weak point. This also depends on the chosen position of your wrists in relation to the perpendicular point of your shoulder, see details. The position of the wrists can be adjusted accordingly. Transitions that alternate between different angles of dorsiflexion in the wrist are particularly suitable as preparation, such as the transition between downward dog and downward dog a24>llung with head up.

metatarsophalangeal joints

The dog position with head up is a simple preliminary exercise to prepare for and improve dorsiflexion in the ankle joint.

follow-up

Derived asanas:

Similar asanas:

Diagnostics (No.)

(885) knee joint:

This posture may reveal knee problems associated with stretching under load. However, this should be significantly more moderate than in the dog position with head up, where the bending moment in the knee joint must be overcome, with the ventral pull of the iliopsoas on the femur playing the most significant role. First and foremost, this is the plica syndrome, but traumatic or degenerative meniscus damage also plays a secondary role. A chondropathia patellae, Sinding-Larsen-Johansson disease, Osgood-Schlatter disease, or their adult equivalents, patellar tip syndrome (jumper’s knee) would only be noticeable with high contraction force of the quadriceps, which is not necessary here, as in contrast to the dog position with head up does not require working against the flexural moment caused by the pull of the iliopsoas on the femur in the ventral direction.

(246) (276) Shoulder, endorotated retroversion:

Depending on the mobility of the shoulder joint in the direction of frontal abduction and external rotation, it can be difficult to place the forearms parallel to the floor. Although the extent of frontal abduction is only around 90°, which is not very large, the requirement to keep the forearms parallel poses a significant challenge for some people, as the endorotating adductors of the shoulder joint, such as the latissimus dorsi and pectoralis major, are already under considerable tension. This force must be applied by the frontal abductors of the shoulder joint.

Depending on the strength in the front abductors of the shoulder joint, a lack of strength may be felt when the elbows are placed behind the perpendicular point of the shoulder. The further towards the feet they are placed, the greater the force required to maintain a stable posture. Regardless of this, as in the bar, the body should be pushed backwards at every distance between the elbows and the feet so that the ankle joints go into maximum dorsiflexion.

(971) metatarsophalangeal joints:

Dorsiflexion of the metatarsophalangeal joints:

In the case of disorders of the metatarsophalangeal joints such as hallux valgus, hallux limitus, hallux ridigus and metatarsalgia, pain may occur in the metatarsophalangeal joints, which should be avoided. In this case, the exercise must be modified so that no pain occurs. To do this, the feet can be placed flat on the floor with the instep on the floor. If this is uncomfortable, soft materials such as blankets can be placed under the feet. Another option is to place the tibia on both sides on a support that is high enough so that the foot extends beyond this support without any weight being placed on it:

(913) Sole of the foot: cramp or strain

In this position, the intrinsic toe flexors are stretched by the flexion of the metatarsophalangeal joints. This can lead to an intense stretching sensation if these muscles are under high tone; only very rarely does the sensation feel like a cramp.

Variants:

with arms outstretched

with arms stretched out and one leg raised (eka pada)

with forearms resting on the table

with forearms resting on the floor and one leg raised (eka pada)

instructions

  1. Get down on all fours.
  2. Depending on the desired variation, place your hands flat on the floor or rest your forearms parallel to the floor.
  3. Put enough weight on your hands or forearms so that you can lift your knees off the floor and straighten your knee joints and hip joints to get into the plank position. Maintain the extension of the hip joints with strength from the hip extensors. Keep the hip joints as close as possible to the line connecting the shoulder joints and ankle joints.
  4. If necessary, adjust the distance between your feet and your hands or forearms so that your hands or elbows are not in front of the perpendicular point of your shoulders, but behind it, as far as your strength allows.
  5. Grasp your right foot with your left hand and place it on your left thigh as close to your pelvis as possible, bending your right knee as much as possible.

Details

  1. Push your body backwards towards your feet in all variations of the plank. This works the frontal abductors of the shoulder joint, strengthening them. The exact point at which the wrist is positioned when the hands are placed on the floor, or the elbow when the forearms are placed on the floor, is an important parameter of posture. The further forward (away from the feet) it is, the less need there is to use the strength of the frontal abductors of the shoulder joint to push the body backwards; the further back (towards the feet) this point is, the greater the need and the resulting strengthening.
  2. If the wrists are positioned significantly behind the plumb line of the shoulders, discomfort may occur on the dorsal or palmar side of the wrists. If the discomfort is dorsal, it may be a hypertonic sensation of the extensors of the wrist or the fingers  (finger extensors) or joint discomfort in the dorsal joint space, which should be avoided. If the sensation is in the palmar forearm, it is usually an intense feeling of stretching or strain in the palmar flexors or finger flexors. This can be allowed to take effect in a well-measured manner.
  3. The position of the pelvis is important for this posture. The hip joints should be extended, placing them in line with the heels and shoulder joints. As an alternative movement, the pelvis is often raised under flexion in the hip joints. This results in a shift in mass, which relieves the upper extremities, not least by reducing the lever arms. Especially in the variant with straight arms, the pelvis can also sink too low, resulting in extension in the hip joints if mobility is good. In the extreme case, this would be the downward dog pose with head up. However, with reduced mobility, this often only results in an uncomfortable hollow back.
  4. From the position with arms stretched out, you can easily transition into the stick position, but you must ensure that the hip joints remain extended and the muscles required for this (especially the gluteus maximus) remain engaged. Care should also be taken to continuously push the body backwards.
  5. For most people, the variant with the forearms resting on the surface is more interesting, as the upper body is in a flat position, namely horizontal. In the variant with the hands resting on the surface, on the other hand, it is at an angle in the room, which means that the effect of gravity in the area of the upper extremities is noticeably lower.
  6. The variations of the plank also serve to strengthen the core muscles, the autochthonous back muscles, but even more so the abdominal muscles.
  7. In both variants, one leg can be raised. In the variation with the forearms resting on the floor, this proves to be more difficult because the gravitational force of the leg is greater. When the leg is lifted, the stretched position of the hip joints is often lost, as they become noticeably bent and the pelvis is raised. At the same time, a hollow back is often seen, as the flexion in the hip joint of the supporting leg is greater than that required to simply lift the pelvis. The position achieved by the raised leg is therefore partly due to the tilting of the pelvis relative to the upper body and supporting leg. A slight rotational movement of the pelvis around its vertical axis is also not uncommon, such that the hip of the raised leg is higher than the other.
  8. With every upward movement of the pelvis and the associated flexion in the hip joint, the person performing the exercise tends to push backwards with less force. However, the causality is reversed: in order to relieve the upper extremities, especially the deltoids, less force is applied backwards and, in addition, the lever arm, for example of the head to the main point of support (elbow or wrist), is reduced. a6> of, for example, the head to the main point of support (elbow or wrist) is reduced.
  9. The shoulder blades are in a neutral position in all variations: neither protracted nor explicitly retracted. This posture can be used to switch between a protracted and a retracted position, also known as a scapula push-up.
  10. In all variants, the head is an extension of the thoracic spine.
  11. Many practitioners have limited mobility in the hip flexors, which makes it difficult to stretch the hip joints even though in this posture, unlike in purvottanasana, this is done with rather than against gravity. Until further notice, restrictions of the hip flexors always outweigh the effect of gravity. In order to achieve the extended angle in the hip joints, a significant amount of force from the gluteus maximus is therefore often necessary. However, this is an exorotator of the hip joint, which means that the heels move inwards relative to the toes. This effect is further enhanced when the movement is performed under significant tension of the iliopsoas, i.e. close to the limit of its mobility, as its pull on the lesser trochanter is also an exorotatory action, which is why the movement of the heels inwards towards the toes is not possible. a37>, i.e. close to the limit of its mobility, as its pull on the trochanter minor also generates an exorotational moment in the hip joint.
  12. For additional strengthening, in the variation with the forearms resting on the floor, the elbows can be pushed outwards, which works the deltoid muscle more intensively and, above all, the supraspinatus muscle much more intensively. This is interesting in that this muscle is increasingly affected by lesions of its tendon attachment with age (see rotator cuff lesion) and this lateral abduction provides a stimulus for maintenance and strengthening. Dog elbow stand, elbow stand and right-angled elbow stand on the other hand, do not belong to the category of exercises that have a preventive effect here, as the elbows diverge as a result of endorotational evasive moments in the shoulder joint and not from the work of the supraspinatus.
    Depending on the force exerted, this can lead to uncomfortable pulling on the skin, but this should be more moderate than in the dog elbow stand or right-angled elbow stand. Here, too, the combination of a belt around the forearms close to the elbows and a blanket under the forearms can help to alleviate unpleasant pressure and uncomfortable pulling on the skin. The variant with the forearms resting on the ground is much better suited to this type of work, as with the hands resting on the ground, varus stress in the elbow joint would occur, which must be absorbed by the lateral collateral ligament.
    Another possibility would be to press the elbows towards each other, which strengthens the pectoralis major considerably more and also the deltoid, pars clavicularis more. In contrast to the dog elbow stand and the right-angled elbow stand, less force is required here to perceive a noticeable movement of the bone structure within the surrounding skin at the elbow, as the shoulder joint is not in maximum frontal abduction and thus the endorotating moments in the shoulder joint are significantly lower.
  13. If flexibility in the shoulder joint is significantly restricted in the direction of frontal abduction, it may not be possible to position the forearms parallel to the ground; in this case, they must be placed in a converging position.
  14. The plank variation with hands on the floor differs from the upward-facing dog pose primarily in the hip extension in the upward-facing dog pose. Many other parameters are identical. With significantly shortened hip flexors, the upward dog pose can also degenerate into a plank.
  15. The head should be kept in line with the thoracic spine until further notice. If it is tilted back (reclined), this can cause unpleasant tension in the neck.

variants

with arms outstretched

instructions

  1. Get into the all-fours position as described above.
  2. Put a lot of weight on your hands.
  3. Lift your knees off the floor and straighten them, bringing your pelvis exactly between your heels and shoulders.

Details

  1. This variation is the simplest of all planks.
  2. If the position of the wrists is set too far back (towards the feet), this can easily lead to discomfort in the wrist area. In addition to pressure in the carpal bones, which can usually be easily remedied with soft materials such as a blanket, in practice, dorsal discomfort in the area of the radiocarpal joint occurs, which becomes more pronounced the smaller the distance between the hands and feet. The smaller distance also means a greater angle of dorsiflexion, which can lead to feelings of compression. In addition, cramp-like sensations may occur in the finger extensors or wrist dorsiflexors. On the palmar side of the wrist, a14>, especially when the distance between the feet and hands is small, there may be a feeling of stretching and exertion in the wrist palmar flexors and finger flexors.
    The further towards the feet the wrists are placed, the less gravity pushes the body backwards, as would be the case if the wrists. Instead, it proportionally pulls it further away from the feet. This requires increasingly more work in the frontal abductors of the shoulder joint and offers an excellent opportunity for strengthening, especially because the angle of the frontal abductors is still less than 90°. It should be noted that with smaller distances, the tendency to hold the pelvis too high or too low may increase.
  3. Push yourself powerfully backwards using the strength of the frontal abductors of the shoulder joint and the wrist palmar flexors, even beyond the extent necessary to maintain your posture. A golfer’s elbow contraindicates the vigorous use of the force of the frontal abductors of the shoulder joint and the wrist palmar flexors backwards, even beyond the extent necessary to maintain posture. a12> and the wrist palmar flexors backwards, even beyond the extent necessary to maintain posture. Golfer’s elbow contraindicates the vigorous use of the wrist palmar flexors, and there may also be contraindications for working the shoulder joints, which the treating orthopaedic surgeon will then communicate in the event of shoulder problems.
  4. The hip joints should have and maintain exactly 0° flexion. The gluteus maximus and other hip extensors should actively maintain this angle.

with arms stretched out and one leg raised (eka pada)

instructions

  1. Adopt the position with your arms stretched out as described above.
  2. Lift one leg as far as possible without lifting or tilting your pelvis. Instead, keep it in the same position as before you lifted your leg.

Details

  1. The variations with the leg raised tend to lift the pelvis, causing the hip joint of the supporting leg to flex. Often, the hip joint flexes excessively, resulting in a hollow back. It is common to see that the gluteus maximus of the supporting leg is inactive. So let it continue to work to keep the hip joint of the supporting leg stretched, so that the pelvis does not lift.
  2. Lifting the leg also means losing support from the lower extremity, so that the core muscles are forced to work harder.

on forearms

instructions

  1. From a quadrupedal position, place your forearms on the floor as if performing a dog elbow stand.
  2. Put a lot of weight on your forearms to lift and straighten your knees.
  3. Bring your pelvis between your heels and shoulders.
  4. Push yourself back forcefully.

Details

  1. In the variation with forearms resting on the floor, the position of the elbows is very important. If they are in front of the vertical point of the shoulders, part of the body weight pushes the body backwards, and there is no need to push it backwards using the strength of the frontal abductors of the shoulder joint such as the deltoid, coracobrachialis and biceps. The upper extremity then becomes very passive and the potential for strengthening it remains completely untapped. As a starting position with only moderate strength in the shoulders or if this cannot be assessed.
  2. This variation strengthens the core muscles less intensively than the one with hands on the floor, because the effect of gravity on the body is greater due to the slanted position in the room.
  3. To further strengthen the lateral abductors of the shoulder joint, it is helpful to push your elbows away from each other. This provides a good strengthening stimulus for the supraspinatus as the initial lateral abductor of the shoulder joint.

on forearms and one raised leg (eka pada)

instructions

  1. Perform the variation with your forearms resting on the floor as described above.
  2. Lift one leg as far as possible without lifting or tilting your pelvis.

Details

  1. Typically, the pelvis tilts towards the back plane at a dorsal angle of less than 180°. Instead, leave it exactly as it was before lifting the leg. As already described in the variant with supporting hands and one leg raised, there is a strong tendency to hip joint of the supporting leg and to stop the activity of the relevant hip extensors so that the leg can be raised further in a visible and noticeable way. On the other hand, the movement of the leg should be performed purely from the extension in the hip joint, as long as this is available and the work of the gluteus maximus is maintained continuously and with sufficient strength.
  2. In addition to tilting the pelvis around its transverse axis, i.e. flexion in the hip joint of the supporting leg, the pelvis is often also raised on the side of the raised leg and together with it.
  3. Due to the effort involved, the backward pressure and dorsiflexion of the ankle joints are often lost, so that it is not uncommon for the heels to be positioned in front of the balls of the feet.