My book, Strengthen Your Core, is the complement to this online course. I highly recommend you purchase it because you will use it to access all of the exercises and main principles.

The book is available on Amazon in print and Kindle formats.

Strengthen Your Core provides detailed descriptions of the recommended planks and side plank exercise for the four exercise levels: beginner, active, athletic and elite.

Core Strengthening Exercises

Core strength goes beyond abdominals.

Core strength incorporates the diaphragm, pelvic floor, spinal, hips and shoulder musculature. The Plank and Side Plank poses are the perfect prescription to build core strength.

The Plank and Side Plank poses are beneficial for all types of individuals — from patients in rehabilitation to elite athletes in training. Both of these poses improve posture and strengthen the muscles of the core and of the upper and lower body.

When the correct pose is chosen and well executed, the benefits are numerous.

The challenge for a health or fitness professional is prescribing exercises for core strengthening (such as the Plank or Side Plank core exercise) for your client or patient that is appropriate for their skill and strength level. The challenge for the individual is choosing a Plank or Side Plank that is effective and executing the exercise with good form.

In Ultimate Back Fitness and Performance by Dr. Stuart McGill, the Side Plank exercise is referred to as the side bridge. Here is what Dr. McGill has to say about the Side Plank:

“The (Side Plank) side bridge is a wonderfully designed exercise. … Stabilizing patterns are ensured as long as the bridge posture is maintained … All three layers of the abdominal wall are activated, together with rectus, to optimize performance. Important stabilizers such as the quadratus lumborum are also trained. The abdominal spring is tuned with the torso in a neutral position.”

In his book Low Back Disorders, Dr. McGill states:

“[The] optimum technique to maximize activation but minimize the load on the spine appears to be the (Side Plank) side bridge. Abdominal bracing is emphasized in all forms of this exercise. Maintaining the bridge ensures constant muscle activation. It is almost impossible for the spine to become unstable while performing a side bridge (Side Plank) with a neutral spine.”

He goes on to say:

“Many special patient cases deserve consideration, but are out of the scope of this book.”

The special patient cases Dr. McGill refers to are the focus of this book.

Although I provide multiple progressions of the Plank and Side Plank poses, they do not replace the fine tuning and prescription that might otherwise be given by a trained professional — but it comes pretty close. I strongly encourage you to use a mirror if you are working alone.

Building a Stronger Core will allow you to build a stronger core. Health and fitness professional, will learn how to effectively use the Plank and Side Plank poses with  clients.

The video content includes lectures that cover the important theory associated with these poses and video demonstrations of a wide variety of clients receiving instruction on the Plank and Side Plank poses.

Estimated times to review each video are given. The online course gives you the time you need to explore, learn and absorb the material at your pace. Happy learning!