The Elbow Plank VS Top-of-Pushup-Position Plank

ANSWER: The high plank, also known as the “top-of-pushup position,” is identical to the typical elbow plank, except for the fact that your arms [...]]]> QUESTION: John, what is your recommendation and/or can you explain the different benefits of the high plank vs. the plank while on elbows?

The Elbow Plank VS Top-of-Pushup-Position Plank

ANSWER: The high plank, also known as the “top-of-pushup position,” is identical to the typical elbow plank, except for the fact that your arms are extended and fully locked out. This accomplishes two things:

1) It decreases the leverage disadvantage, thereby making the pose slightly easier to hold. This is because the closer to vertical/standing that you get, the easier the plank position becomes. For instance, doing a plank with your hands/arms placed on a counter-top or against a wall is much easier than doing a plank on the floor simply because of the angle of your body in relation to gravity. On the flip side, if you elevate your feet in relation to your arms, then the angle will get more challenging as more of your bodyweight becomes distributed onto your arms.

2) The top-of-pushup-position plank also places the bulk of your weight distribution on the palms, instead of beneath the elbows. This usually means that the tricep muscles get some relief, but that the larger muscles surrounding the shoulders have to work a little harder to stabilize the position (as a side note: most top-level plank performers that I’ve talked to have considered the shoulders the weakest link in this exercise).

So, in essence, the top-of-pushup position plank is performed at an easier angle and uses larger muscle groups – making it a more efficient exercise. That’s just a fancy way of saying that it’s easier. Obviously, this could be good or bad depending on your training goals. If the positions themselves are irrelevant to your training goals (ie you don’t have incredibly specific athletic or vocational needs that merit the use of one pose over the other), then the decision of which to use comes down to whether you want your arms or shoulders to be the weakest link. Personally, I think the difference is negligible, and I’d actually recommend using both equally.

This is why I often recommend using a variety of plank positions in your training program – even cycling through them in a circuit fashion, as opposed to doing one long plank in one pose (example here). Of course, there are mental training benefits to be had from just holding one static plank for time. This is also considered much more physically challenging than cycling through a bunch of positions. However, from a physical development standpoint, training your core strength with a variety of positions is going to be vastly superior than specializing in just one position, which comes with the risk of over-use injuries and over-training in general. This is the same reason why I recommend switching up your grip when doing sets of pullups, and including odd object lifting in your program once in awhile.

All that said, if I had to choose one, I’d still prefer the top-of-pushup-position plank because I think this is a more practical posture to strengthen for day-to-day activities, but that’s just my personal preference. Your mileage may vary, and ultimately, I’d recommend using the one that you like doing the most.

Related Posts:

The 5 Minute Plank Challenge For Core Strength, Stability, and Rock-Hard Abs

The Right Way to do the Plank Exercise

How to do the Side Plank Exercise

Beginner Level Core Strengthening Exercises

Sophisticated Ab Crunches – better than regular old crunches and reverse crunches

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“I would like to share your core strength video with my patients….many of whom would be quite challenged simply by 15 seconds in plank. Do you have any standing core exercises to recommend?”

I filmed a quick response for Dr. Goodman this morning.

Beginner [...]]]> Dr. Dean Goodman, a practicing chiropractor (website here), asked me:

“I would like to share your core strength video with my patients….many of whom would be quite challenged simply by 15 seconds in plank. Do you have any standing core exercises to recommend?”

I filmed a quick response for Dr. Goodman this morning.

Beginner Core Strengthening Exercises


Every exercise and movement is made up of individual components. You can always make an exercise easier or more challenging by making very minor changes. Isometric planks are an obvious example of how easy it is to adjust the difficulty level.

The beginner level FlowFit exercises that I demonstrated are all very basic variations of exercises that become more sophisticated in the FlowFit program. With each of the four levels, the exercise sophisticates and becomes more challenging. (Here is an example of some level 3 and 4 exercises from the FlowFit program, click here for video).

Ultimately, we all want to perform sophisticated movements with strength and finesse. And the good news is that you can, one step at a time as you deepen your daily personal practice. Each exercise is built from an easier, simpler version, and if we practice the basics diligently our movement will naturally adapt with each and every practice session. There will come a point when you can pick up new skills rapidly, and apply them with strength, finesse, and ease.

The FlowFit program is an excellent all-in-one exercise DVD. I highly recommend it!

To your health and success,

Fitness Professional and Strength Coach

Today’s core strengthening exercise video is all about training rotational movements. The first thing that may come to mind is the oblique and the serratus anterior muscles (the little finger-like muscles on the [...]]]> Last week, I posted the first video in our core strengthening exercises series. If you missed it, check it out here.

Today’s core strengthening exercise video is all about training rotational movements. The first thing that may come to mind is the oblique and the serratus anterior muscles (the little finger-like muscles on the sides of your ribs) – but practicing rotation involves a host of muscle groups. Each exercise I teach in this video is full-body in nature, and that’s how I recommend you approach core strengthening exercises. Train all of the body, all the time.

Here is a video with three different core strengthening exercises.

Rotational Core Strengthening Exercises by John Sifferman


Tips:
You’ll want to go easy with the spinal rotation exercises at first, especially if you exercise in the morning (while your spinal column is still releasing fluids stored during sleep). Don’t try to force extra rotation of the spine, and only allow your body to go into ranges of motion that will not risk injury. Use your intuition and know your limits. Think of these exercises not only as core strengtheners, but also as a means of improving your mobility and relieving residual muscle tension.

Your Question of the Day is: What have you done this week to ensure you stay on track with your training goals?

To your health and success,

P.S. Stay tuned for the next core strengthening exercises video article where I discuss a better alternative to abdominal crunches.

P.P.S. You can learn some of these exercises in more depth from Scott Sonnon’s FlowFit DVD program.