{"id":1942,"date":"2025-02-25T11:06:32","date_gmt":"2025-02-25T11:06:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/movewithnicole.com.au\/blog\/mastering-the-superman-plank-technique.html"},"modified":"2025-02-25T11:06:32","modified_gmt":"2025-02-25T11:06:32","slug":"mastering-the-superman-plank-technique","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ozhelp.org.au\/blog\/health\/mastering-the-superman-plank-technique.html","title":{"rendered":"Mastering the Superman Plank Technique"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>A strong core is essential for any kind of movement, so building it up with a variety of\u00a0ab-focused exercises\u00a0can target not just your six-pack, but all of the other\u00a0core muscles\u00a0as well.<\/p>\n<p>For a bodyweight move that fires up your core and challenges your balance at the same time, you\u2019ve got to meet Superman.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSuperman planks give you the benefit of a classic plank move while strengthening your posterior core muscles,\u201d says Trevor Thieme, C.S.C.S. \u201cThat can help reduce muscle imbalances, lower your risk of back pain, and even improve your posture.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2>Superman Plank: Step-by-Step Instructions<\/h2>\n<p><iframe src=\"https:\/\/players.brightcove.net\/1634697872\/default_default\/index.html?videoId=6090163856001\" width=\"600\" height=\"335\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Begin in a high plank, with arms straight, wrists lined up under shoulders, legs at shoulder distance apart or slightly wider for better balance.<\/li>\n<li>Keep your back completely flat, and engage your core to keep your lower back from dipping down.<\/li>\n<li>Extend your right arm forward while lifting your left leg back. Hold for two to five seconds, then bring your arm and leg back down.<\/li>\n<li>Switch sides to extend your left arm forward and lifting your right leg up and back. Hold again, then switch.<\/li>\n<li>Be sure to keep your active arm and leg parallel to the floor. Trying to raise them higher than parallel often results in the hips dipping downward, which puts stress on the lower back.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>How to Make Superman Planks Easier<\/h2>\n<p>If you\u2019re finding it challenging to hold a Superman for more than a few seconds, there are a few strategies for building up to that longer hold:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Try the\u00a0bird dog exercise: Instead of starting the move from your toes, start on your knees and then extend your opposite arms and legs from that position. When you can build up to more than five seconds of hold on that, lift the knees while still keeping the legs bent.<\/li>\n<li>If you\u2019re comfortable holding a plank, modify the Superman move by lifting your arm or leg one at a time, not simultaneously.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>How to Make Superman Planks Harder<\/h2>\n<p>If you can hold Superman planks for more than five seconds, try these variations to kick it up a notch:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Hold for longer while still maintaining your form.<\/li>\n<li>Add a cross body crunch by bringing your floating arm to meet your floating knee.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>What Muscles Do Superman Planks Work?<\/h2>\n<p><img fetchpriority=\"high\" fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-147786\" src=\"https:\/\/bod-blog-assets.prod.cd.beachbodyondemand.com\/bod-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/17094837\/plank-jack-600-ab-muscles.png\" alt=\"ab muscle anatomy | plank jack\" width=\"600\" height=\"400\" title=\"\"><\/p>\n<p>Because you start in a standard high plank posture, you\u2019re already activating your core muscles \u2014 your body is working to keep you properly aligned.<\/p>\n<p>So, as you move through the sequence, all of your core muscles are firing:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Obliques<\/li>\n<li>Transverse abdominus (the deep abs that help to stabilize the spine)<\/li>\n<li>Rectus abdominus (your six pack)<\/li>\n<li>Erector spinae (long muscles along your spine)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A strong core is essential for any kind of movement, so building it up with a variety of\u00a0ab-focused exercises\u00a0can target not just your six-pack, but all of the other\u00a0core muscles\u00a0as well. For a bodyweight move that fires up your core and challenges your balance at the same time, you\u2019ve got to meet Superman. \u201cSuperman planks [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1943,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1942","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health"],"blocksy_meta":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ozhelp.org.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1942","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ozhelp.org.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ozhelp.org.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ozhelp.org.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ozhelp.org.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1942"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/ozhelp.org.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1942\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ozhelp.org.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1943"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ozhelp.org.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1942"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ozhelp.org.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1942"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ozhelp.org.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1942"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}