I’m going to keep it short and sweet today with a quick exercise video. We’re talking planks, one of the best ways to train your core.

But like all exercises, you have to do them right. And the reality is that most people I see are doing them wrong. The most common mistake I see is a sagging butt which makes the lower back take most of the workload. This is not good. Planks shouldn’t cause pain in your lower back and if they do, you might be making this mistake.

It looks something like this:

Screen Shot 2015-07-29 at 12.11.23 PM

The other mistake is keeping your butt way to high. This will stretch out the hamstrings a bit, but wont do much to build core strength.

It looks like this:

Screen Shot 2015-07-29 at 12.11.39 PM

Hardstyle Plank

The best variation is a hardstyle plank. This is a plank performed with a neutral spine and maximum tension throughout the whole body. Your butt should be rock solid. Your quads should be firing. Every muscle in your body should be engaged. You shouldn’t be able to hold a hardstyle plank for more than 10-20 seconds at a time.

It looks like this:

Screen Shot 2015-07-29 at 12.11.55 PM

Check out today’s video in which I show you how to do the plank correctly. 

 My favorite routine is to do 10 seconds on with 5 seconds off. Start with 6 rounds and work up to 10 for a killer core blast.

Give this one a try and let me know how it goes!

Nick

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