Latest news with #corestability
Yahoo
26-07-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
I've been teaching weightlifting for years — and I still prefer this gymnastics plank to build core strength without weights
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Of all the best plank variations I've tried over the years, the gymnastics plank is top dollar for building core stability, endurance, and strength. It doesn't just strengthen your core; it hits muscles all over the body, including your shoulders, arms, wrists, quads, and glutes. I love exercising with weights, and I've been teaching weightlifting for years, but it's a common misconception that you can't achieve an effective workout without lifting heavy. Don't get me wrong, I love picking up a heavy weight, but for my core? Bodyweight blasts can still be top-tier. How to do the gymnastics plank You don't need an exercise mat, but if you want to support your wrists better, some of the best yoga mats are great for comfort. Start in a high plank position with your shoulders stacked over your hands, hips aligned with your shoulders, and a straight line from heels to head Brace your core, glutes, and quads Push through your hands to broaden your upper back and create a soft hollow through your torso. Suck your belly button in toward your spine Roll onto the tops of your feet and send your weight forward over your hands. Your shoulders should pass in front of your fingertips Keep pressing through your hands and the tops of your feet to avoid dropping your hips Hold. This is an intense plank variation, so try a 20-second hold and build from there. The key is to create a little hollow through your upper body, which means tucking your hips and pushing through your upper back, while engaging your core muscles. You'll feel your forearms and wrists working a lot harder; gymnastic planks also test your ability to keep your hips up and maintain your stature. What are the benefits? Gymnastic planks, like other gymnastics moves (the hollow hold, tuck crunch hold, or hollow rock, for example), are functional, core-strengthening exercises that build endurance and stability in your body. Like a regular plank, the exercise works multiple muscles using isometric contraction; your muscles won't move through any range of motion like flexion or extension, but they will hold tension while you maintain a static position. Where will you feel this exercise? Your shoulders, arms, forearms, wrists, core, hips, lower back, glutes, and quads work during the gymnastics plank, and the angle places a whole lot more emphasis on the upper body, namely the shoulders, arms, and wrists. Placing your weight in the tips of your toes and the tops of your feet will activate more of your front body, like the hips and quads, rather than the glutes and hamstrings. In other words, a full-body burn. If you suffer from wrist pain, simply drop onto your elbows and perform the same steps above using a forearm plank variation. Does planking give you abs? No, planking might help strengthen your core muscles, namely the rectus abdominis (the six-pack), transverse abdominis (a deeper belt of core muscles), and the obliques; the exercise alone doesn't sculpt definition in these muscles. Lean muscle definition comes from a combination of low fat percentage and muscle that has been built over time, so while adding a plank to your exercise routine can contribute, it won't spot-reduce fat. I also recommend lifting weights to strengthen your core, plus targeting the various core muscles (read abs vs core muscles), not just the abs, for a strong body. More from Tom's Guide I'm a personal trainer, and here's why I choose weightlifting before Pilates Forget crunches — a Pilates instructor shares 9 exercises to target your deep core I've run more than 1,700 miles this year — and these are the running shoes I've enjoyed most
Yahoo
03-07-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
This Overlooked Training Method Builds Real-World Strength
If your workouts aren't making you stronger in real life, what's the point? Sure, bench press and biceps curls can make your arms look great, but can they help you hoist a toddler onto your shoulders, haul luggage through a crowded airport, or wrangle an oversized couch through the front door without throwing out your back? For that kind of strength, you need offset training. This unbalanced, asymmetrical style of lifting forces your body to stabilize under pressure, lighting up muscles you didn't even know you had (especially in your core, hips, and shoulders). It challenges your balance, corrects muscle imbalances, and builds power that translates to real life. Here's everything you need to know about offset training, including why it works, how it stacks up against traditional lifting, and how to start incorporating it don't need to be an athlete to incorporate offset training. This way of training helps build functional strength, which is ideal for any man who wants to move better, reduce injury risk, and feel stronger in daily life. Offset training uses uneven loads. For example, you might hold a single dumbbell or load one side of a barbell, to push your body in ways it likely hasn't been challenged before. The imbalance forces your body to stabilize, activating smaller support muscles and making your core work harder to stay aligned during each rep. 'Offset training is effective in that the offset load puts you in an imbalanced position,' explains Caine Wilkes, OLY, CNC, an Olympian and certified USA weightlifting coach at BarBend. 'Not only are you pushing through the exercise, but you're also having to maintain your balance through the entire range of motion, engaging your abdominal muscles, core, and rotational strength.'In traditional bilateral lifts like barbell back squats and deadlifts, you move symmetrically through a single plane. While that approach is excellent for building raw strength, it doesn't necessarily translate to the chaos of real life, where you're rarely lifting in perfect balance. 'Offset loading stimulates your muscle groups differently, forcing your core, hips, and shoulders to work to maintain balance throughout the exercise,' Wilkes says. 'It can help build rotational control, core strength, and balance—not just raw strength.' Amanda Dvorak, a certified personal trainer, says, 'Unlike balanced lifts, where your stronger side can compensate for your non-dominant side, offset training forces the weaker side to work harder.' Offset training helps you move more efficiently and handle unexpected loads that happen during real-life situations, such as carrying groceries in one arm while unlocking the front door with the other, or holding your kid on one hip while squatting down to grab their backpack. 'People who are active outside the gym, like fathers, manual laborers, or athletes, will get a ton of benefit from incorporating offset training into their routine,' Wilkes says. Dvorak adds, 'Offset training is great for guys who sit a lot and want to improve posture and core control. It also helps lifters who've been training for a while and need something new to challenge their bodies.'Here are some expert-approved offset training exercises to add to your routine: Hold a heavy kettlebell, dumbbell, or plate in one hand, arms down by sides, palms facing in. Engage your core, maintain a straight spine, and keep shoulders square as you walk 25 yards down and back. Switch sides and continue alternating on every rep. Complete 4 x 50 yards each side with 30–60 seconds rest between sets. 'I like suitcase carries and deadlifts,' says Wilkes. 'These exercises strengthen the muscle groups, but also will engage your core to stay steady and stable throughout each movement.' Stand, feet hip-width apart, a 20- to 40-pound kettlebell in left hand. Press kettlebell so left hand is stacked over left shoulder, extending right arm to the side for balance, to start. Step left foot back and do a reverse lunge so right knee forms a 90-degree angle. Reverse to standing for 1 rep. Complete all reps with weight in left hand, then switch sides. Holding a kettlebell or dumbbell on one side torches your core while training your lower body. Lie back on a bench with a dumbbell in each hand at shoulder level. Press both weights over your chest and then lower one down to shoulder level. Press it back up, lower the other arm, and press. 'Single-arm dumbbell shoulder presses are great,' Wilkes adds. 'It's a simple way to challenge the shoulders while also engaging your core.' Start in a high plank, right hand on a yoga block close to body, left hand on floor adjacent to face. Do a set of pushups. For the following set, put yoga block on left side. Continue switching sides each set. 'Offset push-ups—where one hand is on a dumbbell or yoga block and the other on the floor—are simple, but they fire up your core and force you to stay tight and focused,' Dvorak explains. Stand with feet hip-width apart with a light kettlebell between your feet, to start. Clean the kettlebell with your right hand to shoulder height. Press the kettlebell overhead, then extend your other arm forward for counterbalance. Lower into a squat, keeping your bicep by your ear so the weight is directly overhead throughout. Drive through your heels to stand. That's 1 rep. With one kettlebell overhead, you'll feel your core and glutes work overtime to stabilize. Like any other type of strength training, going too heavy too soon is the biggest rookie mistake most guys make when starting offset training. 'The most common mistake I see is that people start off too heavy, too fast,' Wilkes says. 'That can get them out of proper position, making the exercise less efficient and increasing the risk of injury. Offset training is less about big numbers and more about control, form, and time under tension.'The best way to get started is to keep it simple and not overthink it. If it feels awkward at first, that's the point. The imbalance is what builds stability and strength that transfers into everything you do. 'Start by adding one offset move to the end of your normal workout. Keep the reps low and the weight manageable. Focus on control and how your body feels,' Dvorak advises. Offset training won't replace your big lifts, but it just might be the secret ingredient your training has been missing. It's simple, scalable, and incredibly effective at building real-world strength from the ground up. So next time you hit the gym, skip the symmetry. Go uneven, unbalanced, and a little uncomfortable. Your core will burn, your muscles will adapt, and you'll leave feeling stronger and more capable than ever. This Overlooked Training Method Builds Real-World Strength first appeared on Men's Journal on Jul 2, 2025
