I was with them until they mentioned planks. What a shit-tier exercise that is. Zero range of motion.
I instinctively want to argue, but I’m aware enough of certain influencers that I understand it’s possible you’re making fun of them.
I don’t know if you’re kidding or not, but the point of the plank is to strengthen your abdominal muscles’ ability to resist motion and hyperextension of the back, not to generate it. But if you have any specific concerns about the exercise, I’d be happy to hear them and pass them along to my physio. Then I can come back and tell you what they said.
It’s right there in my comment. Isometric exercises are shit-tier for developing core strength. They have a poor effort to result ratio. Lots of effort for poor results.
What would you recommend instead?
Edit: At the earlier stages it’s a strength exercise, but later, as your capacity improves, it becomes an endurance exercise. Again, the main purpose is to teach the body to resist forces that might cause you to hyperextend your lower back. Planks help prevent an anterior-posterior chain imbalance.
Cable crunch is a massive improvement from planks. You get a good stretch, there’s more than zero range of motion, and you can adjust weight for progressive overload.
Roman chair knee or leg raises are good too. Russian twist or cable twist for obliques.
Planks have no range of motion, no stretch, no progressive overload. It is an absolutely shit exercise IMO.
Well, range of motion and stretch aren’t really valid criticisms for plank IMO. It’s intended to train your core to resist extension forces and train proper neutral posture under load in your lower back. Cable crunch doesn’t do that, and in the context of lower back pain, crunches could be detrimental. With the plank, there is progressive overload, if you do more than one set and you progress the exercise. This might look like an appeal to authority, but the trainers and physiotherapists I learned from state that.
You’re free to believe it’s a shit exercise, but I have personally benefited from it, and so have my clients.
Does lemmy/Piefed have a good active fitness community yet?
