Forearm plank position is a great workout for your abdominals. You can make it even better by flipping your palms over so they face up… and when I say ‘better’, I mean harder. Fully commit to increasing your ab strength by adding in this one small modification to forearm plank – turn your forearms so your palms face up – and you’ll get results.
Why You Should Try the Palms Up Forearm Plank Position
We perform many daily activities with our palms face down, most notably typing on a keyboard. When you’re in a forearm plank with palms down, you use that strength to push down through your forearms and help your abs to maintain a good plank. That’s okay. But palms up forces your abs to take more of the load AND puts your shoulders in a better position.
Palms up puts your shoulders in a more externally rotated position and opens up the chest. This allows you to more easily:
- Retract your shoulder blades (pull them back towards each other).
- Downwardly rotate your shoulder blades (pull them toward your low back).
- ‘Open up’ your chest and breathe deeper.
There’s nothing wrong with doing a forearm plank with your palms down or even with your hands clasped together. Each of these positions helps you to get stronger. It’s similar to moving from your knees to your toes in plank or any of the other modifications covered in this post. Think of your forearm position as one more way to work on increasing or decreasing the intensity.
Beginning Forearm Plank Position
Hands clasped together gives you the most stability. You’re using your biceps and pecs to help you get through your one-minute plank.
If you’re in this position, make sure you really focus on pulling your shoulders down and back though because this position can lead you to:
- Round out your shoulders and throw off spinal alignment.
- Cave in your chest.
- Pull the scapulae (shoulder blades) outward.
Intermediate Forearm Plank Position
Palms down allows you to use your forearm strength to help your abdominals.
As a progression from the hands clasped together, it’s a step towards the benefits of palms up.
Advanced Forearm Plank Position
This video walks you through a one-minute forearm plank with your palms up:
As you plank, think about increasing the challenge by unclasping your hands and then flipping your palms up. It doesn’t need to be for the entire time. Try ten seconds at a time. See if you can feel the subtle differences.
Then, on the days when you’re just not that into it, be a rebel – clasp your hands together and get it done. Even on your less-than-stellar days, you can still get stronger.
Keep planking and stay fit!
