{"id":2496,"date":"2018-05-21T05:58:04","date_gmt":"2018-05-21T05:58:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pilateswithpriya.co.uk\/?p=2496"},"modified":"2018-06-13T21:25:59","modified_gmt":"2018-06-13T21:25:59","slug":"prepare-to-plank","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pilateswithpriya.co.uk\/?p=2496","title":{"rendered":"Prepare to Plank"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\"><strong>Let&#8217;s talk planks.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p>An amazing exercise for building core strength, for working the whole of your body and there is so much you can layer and add into a plank.<\/p>\n<p>Also one of the exercises that therefore needs great technique or a lot can go wrong. All too often people are encouraged to dive head on into a full plank without knowing the hows, why&#8217;s and why nots. I love a challenge, but I don&#8217;t like the planking challenges. Personally I do not see the benefit to being able to hold a static plank. I have a body that rarely stays that still and so far more useful is a moving plank with levers and motion.<\/p>\n<p>Many people are just not strong enough to launch into planks. These are not beginner exercises. Done incorrectly the intra-abdominal pressure will build up and it has to go somewhere, so if you have weak abdominals these may sag and bulge or the same with your pelvic floor. I remember attending a mums and babies fitness class with mums there 6 weeks after having baby &#8211; all being told to plank for 1 minute. If your core is not ready, do not do a full plank, if you have recently had a baby and you are rebuilding your strength, do not plank, if you have a weak pelvic floor, do not plank. Now that may sound harsh and rather black and white&#8230; so here is the softer version. There is a version of a plank that everyone can do, it is just finding your level and knowing which muscles to use plus ensuring you breath.<\/p>\n<p>So what about if you really want to plank or if you are in a class with planks and you need a variation? Here are some plank progressions for you, including a standing version that I use with my pregnant and postnatal ladies.<\/p>\n<div class=\"jetpack-video-wrapper\"><span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"738\" height=\"416\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/zGF5d_aMyj4?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en-US&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox\"><\/iframe><\/span><\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>I&#8217;d love to hear how you find these. For more videos and tips do follow me on<a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/the_pilates_dietitian\/\"> Instagram<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UCVMS_CqFPW3DrJR5g9RRd7g\">Youtube.<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Let&#8217;s talk planks. An amazing exercise for building core strength, for working the whole of your body and there is &hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2537,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_eb_attr":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,4,964,1351,6,965,9,837],"tags":[1477,1478,1469,923,1476,1472,287,1473,175,440,1466,312,153,802,118,1470,1479,1468,1465,1474,537,1475,296,165,1467,223,1471],"class_list":["post-2496","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-antenatal","category-back-pain-2","category-core","category-diastasis-recti","category-exercises","category-pelvic-floor","category-postnatal","category-videos","tag-diastase-recti-exercise","tag-diastasis-recti-safe-exercises","tag-how-to-plank","tag-pelvic-floor-exercise","tag-pelvic-floor-safe-exercise","tag-pilate-studio-hampshire","tag-pilates-bitterne-park","tag-pilates-exercise-plank","tag-pilates-hampshire","tag-pilates-plank","tag-pilates-planks","tag-pilates-postnatal","tag-pilates-southampton","tag-pilates-studio-southampton","tag-pilates-with-priya","tag-plank-challenge","tag-plank-progressions","tag-plank-variations","tag-planks","tag-planks-in-pregnancy","tag-postnatal-exercise","tag-postnatal-exercises","tag-postnatal-pilates","tag-pregnancy-pilates","tag-prepare-to-plank","tag-priya-tew","tag-the-pilates-plank"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.pilateswithpriya.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/planking.jpg?fit=1200%2C637&ssl=1","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p3FIsx-Eg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":2371,"url":"https:\/\/www.pilateswithpriya.co.uk\/?p=2371","url_meta":{"origin":2496,"position":0},"title":"Hypopressives are coming to Southampton","author":"Priya Tew","date":"27 November, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"The Hypopressive exercise, is a relatively new technique developed to help with pelvic floor rehabilitation and postnatal recovery of the abdominals. It is a form of breathing and intense posture work that involves creating a vacuum with your breath. This activate the involuntary fibres of the pelvic floor and abdominals,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Alignment&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Alignment","link":"https:\/\/www.pilateswithpriya.co.uk\/?cat=616"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":2066,"url":"https:\/\/www.pilateswithpriya.co.uk\/?p=2066","url_meta":{"origin":2496,"position":1},"title":"What postnatal pilates can do for you.","author":"Priya Tew","date":"9 January, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"When you are pregnant there is a lot of focus on keeping your body healthy, looking after yourself and putting you first. There is a lot more time to focus on exercising well, cooking good meals and thinking in general. The midwife and friends\/family are asking how your body feels,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Bump to Birth&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Bump to Birth","link":"https:\/\/www.pilateswithpriya.co.uk\/?cat=259"},"img":{"alt_text":"Postnatal Pilates: why all mums need it","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.pilateswithpriya.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/PN-Pilates-quote--300x300.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":2305,"url":"https:\/\/www.pilateswithpriya.co.uk\/?p=2305","url_meta":{"origin":2496,"position":2},"title":"The 3 top benefits of postnatal pilates.","author":"Priya Tew","date":"17 September, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"It strengthens your core and fixes your body. This is HUGE NEWS. Mums are lifting, bending, rotating, reaching, rocking, pushing and feeding babies. A whole lot of work and strain on the body. The core is made up of the abdominal muscles, the back muscles and the pelvic floor. This\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;AnteNatal&quot;","block_context":{"text":"AnteNatal","link":"https:\/\/www.pilateswithpriya.co.uk\/?cat=3"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.pilateswithpriya.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/Breathe_titled-300x300.gif?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":2839,"url":"https:\/\/www.pilateswithpriya.co.uk\/?p=2839","url_meta":{"origin":2496,"position":3},"title":"Do I have Diastasis Recti?","author":"Priya Tew","date":"7 January, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Diastasis Recti is also known as abdominal separation. Sounds pretty scary but it is actually very common and some research suggests it happens in all pregnancies, but for some ladies it may heal up before it is noticed. Why does it happen? The rectus abdominals are the tummy muscles that\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Bump to Birth&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Bump to Birth","link":"https:\/\/www.pilateswithpriya.co.uk\/?cat=259"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.pilateswithpriya.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/Diastasis-Recti-1.jpg?fit=620%2C395&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.pilateswithpriya.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/Diastasis-Recti-1.jpg?fit=620%2C395&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.pilateswithpriya.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/Diastasis-Recti-1.jpg?fit=620%2C395&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1726,"url":"https:\/\/www.pilateswithpriya.co.uk\/?p=1726","url_meta":{"origin":2496,"position":4},"title":"3 Moves to think about with Diastasis","author":"Priya Tew","date":"23 November, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"\u00a0If you have abdominal separation, or are pregnant, here are 3 moves to stay clear of... 1. Sitting up from Lying It's such a simple everyday move but sitting up in bed is something to modify. Why? It puts pressure on your rectus abdominus or \"six-pack\" muscles. These muscles you\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Alignment&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Alignment","link":"https:\/\/www.pilateswithpriya.co.uk\/?cat=616"},"img":{"alt_text":"Diastasis Recti","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.pilateswithpriya.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/diastasis-recti-in-men-and-women.-300x197.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1249,"url":"https:\/\/www.pilateswithpriya.co.uk\/?p=1249","url_meta":{"origin":2496,"position":5},"title":"Beyond Your Bump: Postnatal Pilates DVD","author":"Priya Tew","date":"10 May, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Having a new born baby is hard work. Amongst the nappy changes, feeds, lack of sleep and recovering from the birth itself, there can be little time to think about exercise! The demands of pregnancy and then the energies of labour put \u00a0a great stress on your body and it\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Bump to Birth&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Bump to Birth","link":"https:\/\/www.pilateswithpriya.co.uk\/?cat=259"},"img":{"alt_text":"Postnatal Pilates DVD \"Beyond your bump\"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.pilateswithpriya.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/DVD-Beyond-your-bump-208x300.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pilateswithpriya.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2496","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pilateswithpriya.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pilateswithpriya.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pilateswithpriya.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pilateswithpriya.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2496"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.pilateswithpriya.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2496\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2501,"href":"https:\/\/www.pilateswithpriya.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2496\/revisions\/2501"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pilateswithpriya.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/2537"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pilateswithpriya.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2496"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pilateswithpriya.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2496"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pilateswithpriya.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2496"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}