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Other/Mixed Plank, its importance

Other strength modalities (e.g., Clubs), mixed strength modalities (e.g., combined kettlebell and barbell), other goals (flexibility)
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Abdul-Rasheed

Abdul-Rasheed

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A thought that occurred to me today during my KB C&P, with all the tensing up of the whole body and breathing tight, while we lift weight, Can we say:
1. that plank is an important component of most (if not all) exercises?
2. and that then, all such BB/KB exercises are nothing but 'plank, loaded with weight'?
3. and that, one has to be strong in pure body weight plank first (among other things such as mobility) before lifting any weights?
 
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Without much overthinking,
Question one: Yes
Question two: Yes, to some degree
Question three: Yes
The hardstyle plank is, in my opinion the ability to be able to tense each and every muscle, all at once, with high internal force. Some kind of "mind-muscle connection"
 
@Harald Motz I do find it hard to tighten muscles like that and more over to stay tight too. Is it possible that, my plank is poor right now, and the lift works only because the weight is light (16kg or 20kg)? In any case, I think I need to work on it. But I get the idea, I can visualize it. I have seen videos of some of you including Pavel. I guess I just need to practice it more.
 
Dragon Flag - love those!

Plank - it's going to be different in different exercise, the point is to practice high tension everywhere so that you can apply it as needed in your other lifts. See if you can find something to read about "dominanta" by Pavel - the concept is relevant here.

-S-
 
@Abdul Rasheed : to tense muscles is definitely something that can be learned and practiced. I now and then do this at work, sometimes a kind of standing plank, or just tensing just one leg, or the glutes, or squeezing a tennis ball under my armpits, or just preteding to bend one of Irontamers nails.
MAXSICK was an oldtime strongman, who build very impressive strength through lots of practice of muscle tensing + heavy lifting.
I would imagine that the progressive relaxation method by Jacobson is some kind of softstyle in this regard.
 
Good blog by Brett... Thanks for sharing, Steve. i liked this quote.
As much tension as possible without shifting focus from the lift.
As skill improves you will learn to "dial in" the right tension to maximize the lift.
Click to expand...
 
Hello,

@Abdul Rasheed
Yes indeed. It is a B. Lee exercise. From my experience, and from the different abs exercises I did until now, I really think it is one of the most efficient.

With that, you have both a static and dynamic exercise, with a whole body tension. I succeeded it thanks to a very progressive way. Nevertheless, in the end, it helps a lot to build a strong core.

Kind regards,

Pet'
 
Abdul Rasheed said:
Looks like a Russian word, google did not help. I saw two references to this word in in this forum. Perhaps it is mentioned in Hard Style Abs.
Click to expand...

Karen Smith said:
This is akin to an approach we teach at the SFB called dominanta. Dominanta is having one main focus. In this case, once you master the required tension for each skill, you can steer all your energy into focusing on the movement, versus splitting your focus between getting tight and completing the skill.
Click to expand...

An Expert Approach to Mastering Bodyweight Training - StrongFirst
 
i found that my ability to brace under load improved dramatically with practice throughout the day under no load and also, and perhaps more telling, when i started in on double kettlebell work and practiced timed intervals in the rack position and started incorporating dbl kb front squats (which Geoff Neupert refers to as a "moving rack"). bracing throughout the day helped me become more conscious of the skill. time in the rack under load, both standing still and squatting, put the skill under pressure and forced greater attention to the tension.
 
Front squats of all shapes and sizes are great for "core" strength, IMHO. In my missive on the goblet squat posted elsewhere on this forum, one of the things I mention is that, once we are sure you have a good squat pattern while using a counterbalance, you can work on both lighter and heavier - the double kettlebell front squat is a great way to go heavier.

We often hear question about standards - front squatting a pair of bells that come closest to your bodyweight without going over it - that's a good goal, basically our SFG-II press weight but one in each hand. To be completely clear, this weight as a standard doesn't mean - paraphrasing Pavel here - that you're strong, but you may say you're not weak.

JMO.

-S-
 
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