Hi everyone! Welcome back to another video from Propulsion Swimming. This week
we're going to be taking a look at the plank.
So the plank is probably one of, if not the most performed core exercise that a
swimmers going to be doing. But that does mean it can get a little repetitive and
some may get bored of doing it week in week out. So in this video we're going to
look at variations of the plank that not only make it more engaging for swimmers,
but also make it a little bit harder for them. Be sure to stay tuned for the last
two variations which are especially challenging.
So the first variation of the plank you can do is a stomping plank. This is the
most similar variation to the regular plank you perform, but that doesn't
necessarily mean it's the easiest. To do it, assume the regular plank position and
instead of keeping your entire body as still as possible, raise your feet
alternatively off the ground. This will make maintaining your balance
a lot harder to do which therefore will require more core strength to be able to
hold your body alignment straight. You only need to raise your feet
slightly off the ground as you want to try and replicate the freestyle kicking
action as best as possible. But remember to perform the stomping slowly and
steady so you're engaging your glute muscles as well as your core.
The second variation involves both a regular plank and a press up position. You've got to try
and change between both of them while keeping your body alignment straight. Not
only does this variation work the core but it also works your chest and
shoulders too. If you continually lift up into the press up position with the same
arm or your strong arm, it may get a little easy so try to remember to change
arms every time you raise your body up to equal the workload on each arm.
This exercise can easily be rushed and shouldn't be. Be sure to take your time
between each movement and keep your core engaged throughout.
The third plank variation you can perform is rotating your hips to the floor when in the plank
position. The focus is to get one hip to touch the floor while the other one is
up in the air and keep alternating so the rotation is continuous. This exercise
best replicates a freestyle body rotation. So as well as working your
abdominals, it's also going to work your obliques. Remember to keep your head
still during this exercise as you're wanting to replicate the freestyle
technique as best as you can.
With this exercise it's important to get somebody to watch you. You always need to
keep your body alignment strong and this is something that is likely to
deteriorate the longer you go on performing this movement. So it's time
for the last two variations. Like I said before, these are really tough and you're
doing really well if you're performing these correctly.
The first of these tougher plank variations is all about getting your
elbow to touch your opposite knee by tucking them in towards your stomach. This
requires a huge amount of core stability and balance. With balance being the main
issue, your hips may want to go higher to make this exercise just that little bit
easier. Your aim is to try and keep your hips level with the rest of your body
throughout and try to avoid wobbling as much as possible. There are two ways that
you can do this. You can either be in the normal plank position with elbows on the
floor or in the press up position. Although this motion doesn't fully
replicate any particular swimming movement, it does engage every core
muscle in your body.
The last variation we have for you is the superman plank. I would say this is
the hardest one out of all five variations. Movement consists of raising
one arm up in time with the opposite leg so you look like Superman, hence the name.
When you raise your arm and leg, try to raise them up level with the rest of
your body. The further your limbs are from your
core the harder the exercise will be. This is a great plank variation for
swimming, especially freestyle, as it stretches out your abdominals and your
limbs in a similar motion. To make this exercise even harder why not combine it
with variation number four to make your abdominals in a world of pain. I'm not
even going to attempt it you can at home. As with any plank exercise, the goal is
to do it for at least one minute. But if you can do it for longer, great! Just make
sure you keep that form strong throughout. It's only ever going to
increase the benefits for you. I hope you've enjoyed this video and I hope you
try these new exercises at home. If you've enjoyed it, please SUBSCRIBE to
the Propulsion Swimming channel and I'll catch you on the next one.