Plank Crunch

plank crunch video

3-POINT SET-UP:

1. Hands on the (front platform / carriage facing the back)

2. Toes on the (carriage / platform)

3. Hips up in line with your shoulders

Body Part • Direction • Action Verb:

• CRUNCH both knees to your chest [insert tempo count]

• PUSH your carriage back [insert tempo count]

Range of Motion:

• Stop when your knees are underneath your hips or at 90 degrees

• Don’t bring your knees so far in that your spine begins to round

 Kinetic Checkpoints:

HEAD:
Same as PLANK

SHOULDERS:
❌ Rocking your shoulders back as you bring your knees in
❌ Shifting bodyweight into your shoulders at any time during the movement

✅ Keep your shoulders above your wrists
✅ Keep your bodyweight EVENLY distributed throughout the movement

HIPS:

❌ Moving your hips up OR down
❌ Tucking your hips under as your knees bend in

✅ Keep your hips frozen in neutral position and level throughout the movement

KNEES:
❌ Bringing your knees too close to your chest (this will cause your spine to round)

✅ Stop under your hips, at 90 degrees, or when you can no longer keep your hips neutral

HANDS/FEET:
❌ Allowing your heels to drop as you bring your knees in
❌ Shifting bodyweight back as you bring your knees in

✅ Keep your heels lifted
✅ Keep your bodyweight EVENLY distributed throughout the entire movement

Talking Points:

• This exercise is confusing because the word “CRUNCH” is in the name, but it is NOT a crunch 🤣 it is a plank!

• The goal of this exercise is to maintain your perfect plank while you bend your knees in and out

• This is a great example of using your core strength to maintain your body position while you add movement at your extremities

• This exercise targets your deep intrinsic core stabilizers - they have to work really hard to maintain neutral spine and neutral pelvis while your legs move in and out

• Your upper body is working ISOMETRICALLY the entire time! This exercise is not just working your “abs” - it is an excellent upper body exercise!