Request Appointment
New Patient - Priority Scheduling
Please fill out the form below, including all the required fields, and receive priority new patient scheduling.
Today, we are focusing on the plank, the beginner’s version on our knees. The plank is a fantastic exercise to help strengthen and stabilize your core muscles in a very safe way.
To start with, we start on our elbows. I go on my elbows with my elbows roughly underneath my shoulders, at approximately 90 degrees. I do it on my elbows because that takes some of the stress off the shoulders, which with some people are problematic. So I’m on my elbows, I’m putting my legs out. I’m not on my toes, but I’m staying on my knees.
I try to keep everything through here relatively straight. So from my knees up my legs, through my torso, into my head, I want that area straight. I am actively contracting my glutes, my butt muscles, and my core at the same time, squeezing my abdominals, my core.
I hold this for as long as I comfortably can. So whether that’s 5, 10, 20, or 30 seconds, that’s fine. The main thing is to maintain an active contraction with your glutes and your core the entire time.
After I’ve held this for whatever I’m comfortable with, I take a break. I’m going to roll onto my side, and rest for 10 or 15 seconds. Then I go back into it again, and again I’m on my elbows, I’m on my knees and trying to keep everything through her nice and tight.
I am squeezing my glutes and my core at the same time, and I hold this again for whatever I’m comfortable with. From five seconds up to 30, 45 seconds, that’s fine. Once I’m done with that, I’m going to go and rest again.
With the beginner plank exercise, this should not be painful. If it is painful, please stop. Let us know. We can find another modified plank for you. It is more important to maintain proper form and do it for less time than to push through with improper form, potentially causing injury. So again, we want to try to do about three repetitions, about three sets, and we’re holding it for anywhere from five, 10 up to 30 seconds.
Any questions about any of this, please ask.
The beginner plank exercise on knees is a modification of a traditional plank. This is a beginner version of the exercise, and a great option for someone just starting core exercises, or someone with a history of lower back pain, as a first step to starting planks.
Begin on your stomach, face down. Bring yourself up onto your elbows, which should be at roughly 90 degrees, and directly under your shoulders. Have your arms/hands facing in front of you.
Once on your elbows, keep your knees on the ground, and try to be as straight as possible from your head, through your torso and hips, into your knees.
Try to keep your head neutral, neither dropping down or going back into extension.
Hold this position, keeping a contraction the entire time in your abdominal area. You may feel a bit shaky with this, this is fine, a sign of your muscles working.
Hold this position for as long as you are comfortable, be it 10 seconds, 20 seconds, up to one minute.
Once done, lower yourself gently down onto your side, on your elbow, rest for 10-15 seconds, then repeat the beginner plank on knees exercise.
Aim to do 2-3 repetitions of the exercise, ideally 1-2 times per day.
This should not be painful. If it is, please stop, and we can look at modifying the movement for you.
For a more challenging version of the plank, refer to the more advanced Plank Exercise video.
To further strengthen your core, refer to the Beginner Side Plank exercise video.
In this video you will learn how to do a modified plank on knees for beginners, a great variation for beginners or for anyone with a history of low back pain. The beginner plank focuses on core activation and core strengthening, while at the same time decreasing the stress on the low back, making it a fantastic low back pain exercise.
For how to do the modified plank on knees, begin face down on the ground, then slowly rise up so that you’re touching the ground on your knees. This position takes stress off your low back area. Then go onto your forearms, bent to roughly 90 degrees, and try to keep as straight as possible from your neck, through your torso, into your legs. Contract your core during this, and hold this position for as long as you can, from 5 seconds to one minute. Try to repeat from 2-3 repetitions.
This beginner plank should not be painful. Some muscle tightness is normal, but acute pain is not. If it is painful, please stop, as there are other modified versions which may be better.
If you find this exercise too easy over time, consider progressing to the plank exercise on feet as a next variation.
Any questions about the beginner plank, please ask.
For further low back exercises, low back stretches, and core exercises, refer to our back pain Toronto condition page here:
© 2024 Transform Chiropractic. All Rights Reserved.
Please fill out the form below, including all the required fields, and receive priority new patient scheduling.