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By Jim Smith, CSCS
Author
of
"Combat Core - Advanced Training Secrets for Explosive Strength
and Power"
When you think about the most basic
abdominal exercise, the first one that pops into your head is probably
planks.
Planks are where a person lays out
into a push-up position but instead of being on their outstretched
hands, they rest on their forearms. In this position, the athlete
or lifter will remain for a specific length of time. If the time
exceeds one and a half minutes that is considered pretty good.
The benefits of planks include rehabilitating
a back injury, glute activation, developing proficiency for bracing
the torso with intra-abdominal pressure and an isometric contraction
of the abdominals and developing muscular endurance of the muscles
that stabilize, support and engage movements of the torso.
But in accordance with the Principle
of Overload and the Laws of Chaos, there is a progression for all
resistance training means. Progression of an exercise will increase
the difficulty, which increases the demand and work capacity of
the lifter and in turn, provides more adaptation and benefits.
So what is the next training progression
for planks? Here are some of the most common modifications:
- Raising one foot off the ground
(ensure the lifter doesn’t shift to the side to compensate
by forcibly firing the glutes and bracing harder
- Add a weighted vest or back pack
Further unique adaptations can be
obtained if we are relentless in our pursuit of our ultimate goal
– real world strength. It is this real world strength that
is developed not only with fixed, patterned strength training movements,
but with random, rapidly adjusted reactive means. This is truer
to real life and everyday movements.Here is the modification that
will produce the results we want. The lifter will setup in a conventional
plank but with their feet on an elevated box and their forearms
on a mini-trampoline.
This is a plank x 10!
This variation is much more difficult
to stabilize because as the lifter adjusts, so does the base of
support (the trampoline) they are resting on! We can of course increase
the difficulty by externally loading the lifter or having them lift
one leg, but we want to make this exercise really difficult. By
having the lifter raise up onto their hands, more vibration can
be achieved.
Now hit a plyometric push-up with
the goal of restabilizing and restoring a static posture as quickly
as possible. This creates a full body tremor that improves the integrity
of the elbows, shoulders and hips.
Now, let's perform a one arm plank
on this setup. This requires a greater glute and opposite oblique
contraction to counterbalance the movement. The goal is to minimize
the hips shifting and remain rigid. This movement can be held for
time and increased in difficulty by a partner-assisted agitation.
For a more advanced movement a plyometric
push-up can once again be engaged, but this time we will land on
one arm.
Not only does this have amazing implications
in a rehabilitative setting, but decelerative properties for the
torso, back and shoulders as well. Sports that require ballistic
upper body expressions (which is essentially all sports) or sports
with high incidences of shoulder or hip injuries can benefit from
this vibrational environment. The more vibration we can introduce,
the more rapid the contractions, primary and antagonistic, of the
engaged muscular and the greater stability of the kinetic chain.
This creates a balance and teaches the athlete how to stabilize
in opposition to random stimuli.
About
The Author
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Jim Smith is a Certified Strength
& Conditioning Specialist and an expert trainer who writes
for Men's Fitness and the Elite Q/A Staff. Jim has been involved
in strength training as a performance enhancement specialist
for over 8 years and has worked with athletes from various
sports who compete at various levels. He has published articles
about his unique training style and innovative methods for
many prominent strength and fitness related sites. He is also
the authored of three renowned strength manuals.
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CLICK
HERE to learn more about Jim's book "Combat
Core - Advanced Training Secrets for Explosive Strength
and Power" |
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