Are Planks Dangerous?

Planks are an exercise that most people have tried. For a long time they have been labelled ‘the best thing you can do for your core and stomach muscles.’ But more recently some people and some studies have gone the other way and suggested they are not so good after all. Are planks dangerous?

These reports get in the news and leave people (and several of my clients) confused as to whether they should be doing planks or not.

Are Planks Dangerous?

Firstly planks are a staple core exercise that involve stabilising the body whilst balancing on toes and elbows or wrists. A full plank should have the tailbone tucked under navel and all core muscles firing.

All major core muscles including the rectus abdominals, internal and external obliques, serratus anterior and TVA are engaged when you do a plank. This makes it incredibly effective at building core strength.

The problem is a culture of competitive planking has emerged. Where instructors in classes are encouraging people to hold the plank for as long as they possibly can. Perhaps sometimes not taking into account someone’s fitness level, experience, core strength and technique.

If you hold the plank for too long with poor technique you are going to risk injury. But this goes for almost any exercise. If you lift weights that are too heavy for you, you risk injury. That doesn’t mean you should stop doing them. It simply means you need to build up the weights slowly over time making sure you maintain correct technique.

The plank is a strong exercise that I highly recommend anyone to use for core strength, posture and stomach definition. There is NO REASON why you should stop doing it. However, as with any exercise there are dos and don’ts that need to be adhered to. Make sure you are performing the exercise with correct technique. If you feel any back pain during or after the exercise stop doing it until you can consult a professional about your technique.

The bottom line is when anything has been built up as ‘a great exercise’ the temptation is there for people to try and knock it down. And it makes a great headline for people to read in the papers.