1. Sit with your legs straight out; hands positioned behind the body, under your shoulders.
2. Inhale to prepare, exhale as you lift your pelvis up, reaching the soles of your feet towards the floor until only your hands and heels are in contact with the floor.
3. Inhale in this position, exhale as you push all your weight through your right heel and hands, sending your left leg towards the ceiling.
4. Inhale in position, exhale as you lower your leg to the floor and repeat with right leg. Continue for 10-12 repetitions.
TIPS:
- Maintain connection through the trunk during this exercise to prevent collapsing through your arms and hanging on your ligaments. Your arms should not be straining to keep you up, rather, your trunk working hard to maintain your position.
- If needed, you can change the angle of your hands to accommodate any wrist problems
- Remember to keep your pelvis and shoulders flat as your leg comes up.
Make it easier:
- Start on your elbows and work your way up to your open palms
- Begin without lifting your leg, just staying static in the plank position
- Bridge
Make it more challenging:
- Lift your leg higher in the air without losing your neutral trunk position.
- Place your hands on a higher surface.
- Place your hands on a dynamic surface such as a dynadisc.
ENJOY!
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4 comments:
The reverse plank - there's one I've never done (and the regular plank is so much fun!!)... Okay, I'm game, I'll give it a shot...
Thanks so much for this demo and all- I'd never heard of it before! Am excited to try it.
"Place your hands on a higher surface."
Idea! I regularly add this into my Sun Salutation but I don't do nearly that many reps because my wrists and shoulder are not happy. If I placed my elbows on a higher surface, it would rest my wrists while still giving my core and legs the work they expect. Will try that this morning.
Mary Anne in Kentucky
Reporting back: thank you, thank you! I got a plastic box almost the height of my forearm and rested my elbows on it. (It's just barely wide enough--must find something else.) I could stay up longer and do more leg lifts--nearly twice as long as the time my wrists usually start yelling at me. I got a real workout in the muscles that are supposed to be working. I've tried doing it on my elbows on the floor, but there's not enough angle to challenge my core.
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