Thread: Gege

Benefits of the Plank Push-Up
Plank push-ups offer all the benefits of both push-ups and planks:

more muscle and strength in the chest (pectorals), shoulders (deltoids), and the backs of your arms (triceps),
a stronger anterior core (rectus abdominis)
a stronger transverse abdominis
an enhanced ability to stabilize your spine during active movement
• They show you where you’re weak. “This exercise can quickly show you where your body is lacking strength depending on what area of the body you notice movement compensations,” says Braun. If your hips sag, your transverse muscles and anterior core (your six-pack muscles) need work. If you struggle to push yourself out of the bottom position, it’s your chest and shoulders that are lacking. And if your hips poke upward, your glutes and hips likely need attention.

• They add complexity. Planks are a static exercise: You assume a stationary posture, stabilize the core, and hold it till it hurts. But life isn’t static. We’re constantly reaching, bending, stepping, running, and moving, and if you can’t stabilize your torso while you do all that, you’ll fall down — or pull something — pretty quickly. Plank push-ups force you to stabilize your spine while you move — a key life skill, and a key function of the core musculature.

• They teach you how to twist. The plank push-up teaches rotary stability in the core. The standard plank forces your core to resist overextension — or overarching — in the lower back. Add the one-arm-at-a-time up-and-down component of the plank push-up, and your core has to create rotation, and resist over-rotation, much the way it does when you walk, sprint, or perform dynamic sports movements like swinging a tennis racquet or throwing a punch. Work the move and you’ll reduce the likelihood of injury during all manner of athletic movements.