Forearm Plank
Anti-extension, bodyweight, abdominals
The forearm plank is a hold: you rest on the forearms and toes and keep the body straight. It trains the abdominals, with the obliques and the muscles around the hips and shoulders holding you steady. It suits nearly everyone as a way to learn to brace the trunk.
Setting up
- Kneel on a mat and place the forearms on the floor, elbows straight under the shoulders.
- Step the feet back one at a time until the body is straight from the head to the heels, feet about hip width apart.
- Make loose fists or lay the hands flat, whichever feels steadier.
- Start with short holds that end while the position is still good, and make them longer as it gets easier.
How to do a forearm plank
- Squeeze the glutes and tighten the belly as if bracing for a light poke.
- Push the forearms into the floor so the chest does not sink between the shoulder blades.
- Keep the head in line with the body, eyes on the floor.
- Hold the position while breathing steadily.
- Lower the knees to the floor to finish, rather than letting the hips sag first.
- If the elbows drifted out, set them back under the shoulders before the next hold.
Breathing. Breathe slowly and steadily through the whole hold.
Muscles worked
- Mainly
- Abdominals
- Also
- Obliques
Common mistakes
- Hips sagging so the lower back arches. It shifts the load onto the lower back, so squeeze the glutes and tuck the pelvis slightly until the body is straight.
- Hips piked up high. Then the belly barely works and the shoulders take the weight, so lower the hips until the body is one line from the shoulders to the heels.
- Looking up so the neck bends back. It strains the neck for nothing, so look at the floor just in front of the hands.
- Holding the breath. It makes the hold harder than it needs to be, so breathe in and out slowly while keeping the belly tight.
Easier and harder
- Easier
- Plank Pose
- Harder
- Plank with Leg Lift, Plank Shoulder Taps
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