Core Movement: Plank Video

There are three versions of the plank exercise designed to work the body's core. Learn how to improve core movement by performing plank exercises properly from a certified trainer in this workout video.

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Push up position
Keep 1 foot off floor
Hold position for effect
Use different techniques

About this Author

Keith Irace has been a certified trainer for 16 years. He is currently the regional group fitness manager for Equinox Fitness Clubs in southern California and a trainer for iTRAIN.com is your own "Hollywood personal trainer right in your pocket." Each audio and video workout consists of an elite Hollywood Trainer or World Champion Athlete mixed with original music to satisfy your workout needs. iTRAIN provides more than 275 workouts in its library ranging from treadmill to elliptical, cycling, strength training, and many more.

Hi. My name is Keith Irace and welcome to Core Training. Today's move is a plank and I'm going to see you three versions of plank. So let's set up our first version. It's going to look like the top of a pushup. I want you to make sure that your wrist, elbows, and shoulders are stacked up and you push up to the top of a pushup. Now what happens here is that your upper body pushup muscles want to do the work for you. But I want you to pull the navel into the spine and really engage your transverse abdominal, your deepest core muscles. Now here is your version two from my advanced exercises. You lift one foot off the floor and you hold your plank here. Now that's an option, you choose what works for you today. I want you to make sure you're continuing to breathe and pull the navel up to the spine and keep the length in your spine. Good. For my advanced exercisers, let's switch that leg, other leg comes up, navel still pulls to spine and hold. So we're holding everything but our breath. Hang on four and three and two and one. Excellent. The foot comes down and we all come down to rest on our knees, I want you to drop down onto one side. You're resting on your forearm, your elbow again is under your shoulders. Now you stack your feet out at the end of your mat, and using your core muscles you lift up. Now, you can see I gave myself a little boost there, right. That's going to help you find the position but if you can hand goes to the waist. Good. Hold it there for my advanced exercisers, arm comes up. So, you feel like you're opening up to the ceiling. Hold eight, breathe, six, hang on too on four, use the waist, lift, lift, three, two, one. Gentle release to the floor. Good. We're going to flip it around to the other side, real easy here. Again, you make sure that your elbow is under the shoulder, you stack your feet and you lift it up, power comes from here, here, or arm comes up. Good. Hold it there. Breathe. Give me a little lift, breathe into it, beautiful, hang on to it five more seconds. You can do this, and four, three, two, and one. Beautiful, release down, let's swing it around so we can get a quick stretch here, weave your hands together, pull the shoulder blades back. You can drop into a little bit of a back bend. Come right back to that beautiful posture, give me a shrug. Let all the tension melt out of your fingertips. That was the plank guys and you did a great job. Thank you for joining me today for Core Training. I'm Keith Irace. I'll see you next time.

Core Movement: Plank Video

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