Strengthen Your Core With This Plank Variation
Having a strong core is an understatement when it comes to our golf game. Our core is what is going to power our swing.
We want a strong core so we can:
- Fire through the ball effectively and efficiently to hit a long ball
- Reduce Injury
- A stronger core gives us more stability which allows us to strike the ball better (hitting the ball more consistently and effectively
Most people believe our “core” is just our abs but it’s so much more. Our core includes our hips/glutes, back muscles, and abdominal muscles (and there are a lot of muscles in this area to work).
One reason the plank is such an effective exercise is it is a full body exercise and there are so many variations to it!
How to do a proper plank:
- Starting on your hands and knees…extend feet out behind you forming a straight line. Keep shoulders over your hands. You will be on your toes. Legs hip distance apart.
- Keep your body in a straight line squeezing your glutes and abdominals. Gently squeeze your shoulder blades together as well.
- Don’t let your butt sag down.
- Keep your head neutral (not looking up or down). Relax shoulders down (not up by ears).
- When you are in the proper plank, you will feel your body contract all over. Squeezing your body.
- Make sure you are breathing! Breathe as normal as possible.
- Plank for 30 seconds to 2 minutes. If you are planking correctly, you will feel your muscles start shaking quite quickly.
To add variation to the plank:
- Put feet out a little wider.
- Raise one arm out to side, hold, and lower. Do all reps on one side.
- Repeat on other side.
- You can add a light weight in your hand for added resistance.
- Not shown in the pictures: Gently rock forward and back or side to side.
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