Single Arm Side Plank

The side plank is another commonly prescribed exercise for teaching bracing strategies and also to get the client to work their lateral chain of muscles (shoulder, obliques and lateral leg muscles).

There are many different ways for an individual to add a side plank to their exercise routine, starting at its simplest form either leaning against the wall standing with the elbow/hand or progressing this to the floor at elbow/hand from knee position.  This can then be progressed to feet and even further again.

In the image below we see osteopath Heath Williams of Principle Four Osteopathy demonstrate a single arm side plank.   This exercise requires him to stabilize through his supporting grounded shoulder (you can see that the hand is beneath the shoulder for optimal stability) and he has also created a straight line through his trunk.  His non supporting arm and leg are also away from the body to challenge him even further.

What you cannot see from this image is a that he is also aiming to avoid rotation through the trunk and that everything is nicely stacked on top of each other.  The other key thing that we cannot review or assess from this image is breathing patterns. In this image it looks like he is holding his breathe as part of his strategy to maintain stability and control. If I was assessing and reviewing myself in this exercise I would ask myself to try and relax and breathe normally.  If at any stage that I lose my technique in this exercise as a result of adopting a normal breathing pattern and rate, then I would look to regress the exercise to a point where I can perform the exercise successfully without compromising my breathing pattern.  Once this has been mastered, then I would look to progress the exercise again.

This blog was written by Osteopath Heath Williams of Principle Four Osteopathy.

 

Principle Four Osteopathy

Principle Four Osteopathy is one of Melbourne City CBD leading Osteopathy clinics. At the clinic we treat a wide range of clients, ranging from the office worker, exercise enthusiast to athlete. We have 3 experienced osteopaths working across both of the clinics.

The Melbourne City CBD clinic is located at 29 Somerset Place (basement), close to the corner of Elizabeth St and Little Bourke in the Melbourne City CBD. Our premises adjoin the Jon Weller Personal Training Studio, a fully-equipped training space which allows clients to combine their osteopathy treatment with exercise tutorials or specific training programs and rehabilitation.

The Docklands clinic is located at 717 Bourke St (Ground Floor), beneath the Channel 9 building near the walkway from Southern Cross Train Station to Etihad Stadium. Our premises adjoin Pilates on Bourke, a fully-equipped pilates and yoga training space which allows clients to combine their osteopathy treatment with exercise tutorials, pilates or specific training programs and rehabilitation.

To speak to an Osteopath or book an appointment at Principle Four Osteopathy, please book online or call 03 9670 9290.