Plank Exercise - Intermediate

To Perform the Intermediate Plank Exercise:

1. Begin by lying on your stomach with your forearms and elbows resting on the floor directly underneath your shoulders and your ankles positioned so that the bottom of your toes are in contact with the ground (Figure 1).
   
   
2. Lift your hips off the ground so that your upper and lower body form a straight line. As you do this you should feel your abdominal muscles contracting, and you may also feel some contraction in the hips and shoulders. This is normal, but this exercise should not cause back or shoulder pain (Figure 2).
   
   
3. It is important to hold the back perfectly straight to ensure proper form. Do not allow your lower back to arch towards the floor, and do not to allow the hips to rise too high into the air (Figure 3). Many athletes find it helpful to pull their pelvis up towards their sternum by performing a posterior pelvic tilt during this exercise.
   
   
4. Begin by holding the Intermediate Plank Position for 10 seconds. Return to the starting position and rest for 5-10 seconds, then lift up once again. Repeat this process up to six times for a total contraction time of 60 seconds.
   
   
5. When this becomes too easy, you can make the exercise more challenging by holding the Intermediate Plank for 20 seconds and repeating three times, and finally, by performing the exercise for a full 60 seconds.