Planks are a great exercise and can be one of the best ways to build core strength. And we know that training for a strong core can be an essential piece in surfing well.
But like all exercises, you have to do planks correctly if you want to reap the benefits. The reality is that I see most people doing them wrong. The most common mistake I see is a sagging butt, which makes the lower back take on most of the workload. This is not good. Planks shouldn’t cause pain in your lower back. So you might be making this mistake if you’ve noticed this symptom.
It looks something like this:
Another common mistake is just the opposite, keeping your butt way to high. This will stretch out the hamstrings a bit but does little to actually build core strength.
It looks like this:
Hardstyle Plank
The best overall variation of this exercise is a hardstyle plank. It’s performed with a neutral spine and maximum tension throughout the whole body. Your butt should be rock solid. Your quads should be firing. Every muscle in your body should be engaged. And if you’re doing all this, you shouldn’t be able to hold a hardstyle plank for more than 10-20 seconds at a time.
It looks like this:
My favorite way to include planks into my workouts is to do a plank finisher. It simply means ending your workout with a three minute blast of plank work. Here’s what you do:
- Hold the hardstyle plank for 10 seconds
- Rest on your knees for 10 seconds
- Repeat nine more times for a total of 10 rounds
If planks don’t challenge you much and you’re looking for something more difficult, here’s a great way to make your planks harder. And if you really want to try a difficult workout, here’s a great full body circuit that uses a very challenging variation of the plank.
Remember, surfing well requires both core stability and core strength. You need to train both in order put yourself in the best possible position to surf well.
Editor’s Note: The author will be launching a FREE exercise challenge at the start of the year, showing you the best exercises to train your core properly and help you get leaner and stronger for surfing. You can sign up here.
