Alternatives for the Prone Jackknife
berzyx
Posts: 2
I've seen this question pop up every now and then, and I thought I'd offer some ideas. More often than not, I see other core exercises, such as plank and reverse crunches, suggested as alternatives. However, even though I disagree with Lou & Alwyn for including such an advanced variation in what should be an entry-level program, I feel they have a reason for choosing this particular movement, namely the hip hinge. Let's just make it a tad easier, shall we?
So, what's the most challenging aspect of this exercise? Instability in the form of a swiss ball. If we take that out, we're left with a movement that starts in a plank position and ends in a pike. With that in mind, here are some variations:
1) Start in a plank position and, keeping your legs and torso nice and tight, bend at the hip and lift your butt in the air (Plank to Down-Dog).
2) If your wrists can't handle going from a plank to a down-dog, place your forearms on the floor - keep your elbows under the shoulders and clasp your hands together - and perform the same movement (Arrowhead Plank to Dolphin). This is a more intense variation for the abs and especially the shoulders - the arms are forced into external rotation due to the position of the forearms, which will stretch the shoulders and lats more. If it's too intense a shoulder stretch or you feel a pinch in the joint, place your elbows further apart; you can either keep your hands joined, in which case your arms will not be externally rotated in such an intense fashion, or release them to maintain a wide base of support as well as better shoulder stability (I'd suggest you work towards achieving this stable externally rotated position).
3) The book itself actually contains another alternative, but it seems people tend to overlook it: try the inchworm from the Warm-up section instead of the Jackknife!
4) An AbWheel or pair of ValSlides (or simply a towel if your floor is smooth) will help you do the movement almost exactly as prescribed, allowing you to go to a full pike, instead of simply a half-pike as in Down-Dog. If you're using ValSlides or a towel, you can move your hands away from your feet (as you would when using an AbWheel), but you can also try moving your feet away from your hands (as you would when using a swiss ball); try it and see if it feels any different.
5) If you have access to a BOSU ball, stability disc or similar tool, you can add an element of instability to any of the above variations by placing either your hands or feet on it. I think this would still be an easier variation, since you don't have to worry about rolling off a 75cm-tall ball.
Here are some additional alternatives that could work equally well, although I don't like them half as much as the variations mentioned above:
- Supine Leg Raise: Lie down on the floor, keep your core tight and bring your legs from the floor to a vertical position over your hips and back down again. Having something to grip (such as a partner's calves or the legs of a heavy table) should help stabilize your core. You can make it easier by bending the knees by up to 90 degrees or by not lowering the legs as much.
- Ab/Dip Station Leg Raises: If you have access to such equipment (most gyms have one), you can use it for leg raises. Same as before, bend the knees or don't go all the way down to make it easier. Make sure you keep your shoulders tight (don't let them sag!).
- Pull-up Bar Leg Raises: A significantly harder variation both due to the limitations imposed by your grip strength and the fact that you'll need to refrain from using momentum to complete your reps (no swinging!). Again, bent knees and a smaller movement arc will make it easier, but try not to do this right before/after other exercises that tax your grip (e.g. pull-ups, rows, deadlifts).
Unless you've done some form of intense core work, such as Pilates, consistently before starting NROLFW, I'd suggest you avoid the straight-leg raise variations as they require a good amount of core stabilization to protect the lower back. You could still do bent-leg raises, but I think you'll get more out of the plank-to-pike variations.
I hope this will serve as a good starting point for anyone who finds the Prone Jackknife way too challenging. If you have any suggestions for core exercises along the same lines that could be used as alternatives, please feel free to post them below.
So, what's the most challenging aspect of this exercise? Instability in the form of a swiss ball. If we take that out, we're left with a movement that starts in a plank position and ends in a pike. With that in mind, here are some variations:
1) Start in a plank position and, keeping your legs and torso nice and tight, bend at the hip and lift your butt in the air (Plank to Down-Dog).
2) If your wrists can't handle going from a plank to a down-dog, place your forearms on the floor - keep your elbows under the shoulders and clasp your hands together - and perform the same movement (Arrowhead Plank to Dolphin). This is a more intense variation for the abs and especially the shoulders - the arms are forced into external rotation due to the position of the forearms, which will stretch the shoulders and lats more. If it's too intense a shoulder stretch or you feel a pinch in the joint, place your elbows further apart; you can either keep your hands joined, in which case your arms will not be externally rotated in such an intense fashion, or release them to maintain a wide base of support as well as better shoulder stability (I'd suggest you work towards achieving this stable externally rotated position).
3) The book itself actually contains another alternative, but it seems people tend to overlook it: try the inchworm from the Warm-up section instead of the Jackknife!
4) An AbWheel or pair of ValSlides (or simply a towel if your floor is smooth) will help you do the movement almost exactly as prescribed, allowing you to go to a full pike, instead of simply a half-pike as in Down-Dog. If you're using ValSlides or a towel, you can move your hands away from your feet (as you would when using an AbWheel), but you can also try moving your feet away from your hands (as you would when using a swiss ball); try it and see if it feels any different.
5) If you have access to a BOSU ball, stability disc or similar tool, you can add an element of instability to any of the above variations by placing either your hands or feet on it. I think this would still be an easier variation, since you don't have to worry about rolling off a 75cm-tall ball.
Here are some additional alternatives that could work equally well, although I don't like them half as much as the variations mentioned above:
- Supine Leg Raise: Lie down on the floor, keep your core tight and bring your legs from the floor to a vertical position over your hips and back down again. Having something to grip (such as a partner's calves or the legs of a heavy table) should help stabilize your core. You can make it easier by bending the knees by up to 90 degrees or by not lowering the legs as much.
- Ab/Dip Station Leg Raises: If you have access to such equipment (most gyms have one), you can use it for leg raises. Same as before, bend the knees or don't go all the way down to make it easier. Make sure you keep your shoulders tight (don't let them sag!).
- Pull-up Bar Leg Raises: A significantly harder variation both due to the limitations imposed by your grip strength and the fact that you'll need to refrain from using momentum to complete your reps (no swinging!). Again, bent knees and a smaller movement arc will make it easier, but try not to do this right before/after other exercises that tax your grip (e.g. pull-ups, rows, deadlifts).
Unless you've done some form of intense core work, such as Pilates, consistently before starting NROLFW, I'd suggest you avoid the straight-leg raise variations as they require a good amount of core stabilization to protect the lower back. You could still do bent-leg raises, but I think you'll get more out of the plank-to-pike variations.
I hope this will serve as a good starting point for anyone who finds the Prone Jackknife way too challenging. If you have any suggestions for core exercises along the same lines that could be used as alternatives, please feel free to post them below.
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Replies
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I hope you don't mind me adding....but make sure you aren't like my friend and trying to do something else.
(I also did planks for the first 2-3 sessions before mastering the jackknife.)
This is the prone jackknife:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cPacmjg26Sg&list=UUy3ryFqxwnaB-Le0LGYRh8A
This is what she was trying to do:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QNjIiETmCk4&index=13&list=UUy3ryFqxwnaB-Le0LGYRh8A 0 -
Excellent point! Those are two completely different variations, with the tuck (aka jackknife as presented in the video) being the easier one.
However, notice that the jackknife as performed in NROLFW is more of a hybrid between the pike and the tuck: the legs bend towards the chest as in a tuck (the first link you posted), but the hips also rise to the ceiling as in a pike (your second link). The difference between the two - other than the angle of the knees - is that the shoulder is required to stabilize the upper body in a static manner in the tuck, but in a dynamic manner in the pike (and in the NROLFW jackknife for that matter). I chose the exercises above assuming that Alwyn's intent in picking this particular version of the exercise was to train the shoulder girdle in dynamic stabilization in addition to working the core. This is another reason why I prioritize the plank-to-pike variations over leg raises, considering the latter do not work the shoulder in the same way as the former.
In any case, if even the easiest plank-to-pike variation is too hard, then planks are always an excellent option to build core stability before moving on to building core functional strength.0
