When we last left our discussion of the abs v. core debate we were discussing planks. That was for the sagittal plane. Next up: frontal plane. This includes muscles involved in side bending of the torso, aka lumbar lateral flexion.
For the frontal plane we would work primarily the quadratus lumborum and the erector spinae. The latissmus dorsi and oblique abdominal muscles play a part, but more for stabilization. The hip muscles also play a supporting role, primarily the gluteus medius, gluteus minimus and tensor fascia lata. But enough with the fancy latin, and on to the exercises.
When looking at the muscles functionally, they also primarily stabilize the torso and pelvis. Think of these as working together as a "lateral chain". But aside from getting in and out of bed, there are not many movements that we do throughout the day that uses these muscles as the primary mover. Therefore exercising them as stabilizers would be more advantageous. So where does that take us? You guessed it - side planks!
You can do any of these above as a holding exercises- hold for 30 to 60 sec. Or perhaps you can only do a few seconds. In which case hold for say 5 seconds, then lower your hips and rest, then repeat. Lifting the top leg is a great way to work the "lateral chain" of muscles and incorporate the hip abductors.
Next post: torso rotation aka the transverse plane.
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