Planking, how often, how long?

[mattikake]

goldblum said:

mattikake said:

Leg raises primarily work the Hip Flexors.

Quite true.

However if you pre-exhaust them and/or concentrate on the correct technique lower abs are recruited more can be worked extremely thoroughly. Not techniques for beginners though.

mattikake said:

Lower abs/any part of abs, are barely touched.

Hmm..

Yep. First sentance hence the second, comparatively speaking. So how would you pre-exhaust your HFs without exhausting your lower Rec Abs, without somesort of leg raise? Reverse crunches? That's still a form of hip flexion, using HFs.

Hoofy said:

mattikake said:

Planks are a great finisher to a routine and it's possible to get ripped and solid abs doing nothing but planks, especially if you add weight, use dynamic planks, increase the biomechanical lever, vary the angle of the anchor points, vary the length of the plank etc. Variation. Muscle confusion. etc.

What I would be interested in is how to add weight and dynamic planks. Please tell me more.

Easy. Invent stuff. I used to add weight to planks by filling a rucksack with DB plates and putting it on. Adding weight to an Oblique plank is easy - balance a DB on your hip and hold it with the free hand.

You can get someone to sit/lay on your back. (looks bro-cool in a gym )

Lately I've been using a chain and adding weights that you'd normally use for dips or pull-ups, setting out two dining room chairs and planking between them (so the plates can dangle off the chain without touching the floor). NB: NOT for beginners as it puts accute pressure on your spine, wherever the chain sits.

Hoofy said:

Edit: Like this? http://www.menshealth.com/powertraining/cms/publis...
Yes, I can see that could be useful.

That's one. Do it with your feet on a Swiss Ball for more difficulty. Do it with an ab roller or loose DB for even more difficulty. Do it with a heavy loose DB for more difficulty still. For yet more difficulty, do it with a loose heavy DB on a soft surface like grass. And for max difficulty, do it with a loose heavy DB on a soft surface like grass, on a decline/hill... You get the idea.

Use your knowledge of exercise, gravity, biomechanics and invent.

IMO the best way of making planks hard is to move your elbows further away from your body, but the more you do this, the more your Hip Flexors are going to really pull on your Lumbar spine, so it can get pretty uncomfortable. Again, not for beginners. Then add Ab rollers, loose DBs, Swiss Ball for more difficulty. etc.

^ According to various feedback, this is class PT'ing from stuff few PT's seem to know.

[Hoofy]

I like the advanced stuff but then that's going away from the "plank" and changing it into something that activates the abdominal area in different ways - and seems to make more sense than a stationary plank for 20 hours. For example, doing the dynamic movement with a downward force on your hips. It seems more like a "crunch" using your own weight (or greater) for resistance rather than just the weight of your upper body IYSWIM.

[goldblum]

mattikake said:

goldblum said:

mattikake said:

Leg raises primarily work the Hip Flexors.

Quite true.

However if you pre-exhaust them and/or concentrate on the correct technique lower abs are recruited more can be worked extremely thoroughly. Not techniques for beginners though.

mattikake said:

Lower abs/any part of abs, are barely touched.

Hmm..

Yep. First sentance hence the second, comparatively speaking. So how would you pre-exhaust your HFs without exhausting your lower Rec Abs, without somesort of leg raise? Reverse crunches? That's still a form of hip flexion, using HFs.

'Primarily' means firstly,.. Mainly...It doesn't mean the secondary element is 'barely touched.' Leg raises with weights will target the lower abs. With back flat and legs straight the HFs cannot perform this action for reps without recruiting the abs. The difficulty is making sure you isolate lower from upper, as there are a number of leg raise exercises that will target the upper abs if you let them.

Pre exhaust your HFs doing a set of weighted situps with feet held by bar/pad or partner.. this will *cough* barely touch your lower rec abs.

[Hoofy]

Jeez. Just do 100 ( ) leg raises and you'll see whether your abs get a look in or not. I won't be dropping my leg raises or front levers any time soon and advise anyone to do leg raises if they want to work the core, whether the theory says leg raises work or otherwise.

[goldblum]

It's quite possible I'm a little bit anal about abs exercises. They guy who first took me through flags, levers, roll outs etc 30 years ago is an ex weightlifter and gymnast, now in his late fifties and fit as the proverbial..

My thoughts on the Plank: It's an exercise in upper body/core tension, done on the floor. The front lever is an exercise in upper body/core tension done in the air. Everyone can do a plank. Very, very few can do a front lever. I'll take a front lever please.

[didelydoo]

Rollouts are the king of ab exercises IME. (though they make you hurt for days after....)

[Hoofy]

goldblum said:

It's quite possible I'm a little bit anal about abs exercises. They guy who first took me through flags, levers, roll outs etc 30 years ago is an ex weightlifter and gymnast, now in his late fifties and fit as the proverbial..

My thoughts on the Plank: It's an exercise in upper body/core tension, done on the floor. The front lever is an exercise in upper body/core tension done in the air. Everyone can do a plank. Very, very few can do a front lever. I'll take a front lever please.

Lucky that you had access to such a teacher. I'm all self-taught wrt gym work.