Bird dog planks

ck2d

Why can't I do these?
I can't hold the position for even 5 seconds. There's got to be something to it that I'm just not getting.

SonyaCele

is it a balance or strength issue. are you on your knee or full plank. Just do one arm or one leg until you get balance and strength built up and add both the arm and leg at the same time. they are hard.

Azdak

It's not that easy. I find that when people struggle at these, it's because they are focusing more on lifting the limbs than they are on engaging their core muscles. That's common when you are trying a new movement. If you are doing them with elbows on the ground, trying widening your foot placement.

Agree w/working on one arm/leg first.

VintageFeline

You could do them from the knees first too, to get used to the shift in centre of gravity and core muscles you need to engage to maintain balance.

ck2d

These are good tips. Thank you!

canadianlbs

ck2d wrote: »

Why can't I do these?
I can't hold the position for even 5 seconds. There's got to be something to it that I'm just not getting.

disclaimer: i still can't do them. but i'm not as unable-to-do-them as i used to be.

my experiments matched adzak's point. for as long as my mind was fixated on the 'raise' thing, i struggled. when i started thinking more in a kind of 'pinch your lowest rib on the left to your right asis' it got better.

understand i'm not saying literally 'pinch'. you don't curl inwards to make it happen. but that's the mental cue i was using to make it more about creating a 'shelf' with my core for the moving joints to move 'from'. most of what i pay actual attention to in lifting seems to be about figuring out where the 'floor' of a movement belongs and then creating it as a stabilization before lift or raise anything.