Balance Trainer Up and Down Planks
The Balance Trainer Up and Down Plank is a dynamic core exercise that challenges stability by transitioning between a forearm plank and an extended-arm plank on an unstable surface. This movement strengthens the abdominals, shoulders, and triceps while improving anti-rotational control.
Because this exercise demands high neural drive for stability, the AI analyzes your HRV and sleep data to determine if your central nervous system is sufficiently recovered to maintain proper form on the unstable surface. By tracking your rep speed and consistency, the app learns your fatigue threshold to prevent the hip swaying that indicates a loss of core tension. If you have logged previous wrist or shoulder discomfort, the system can automatically recommend stable floor-based regressions to protect your joints while still targeting your core.
Form Cues
- Brace your core tightly to minimize hip movement
- Place your hand directly where your elbow was when pushing up
- Keep your feet shoulder-width apart for a stable base
- Alternate which arm leads the push on every repetition
- Maintain a neutral spine from head to heels
- Don't let your hips rock side-to-side during the transition
- Don't allow your lower back to sag toward the floor
- Don't place your hands too far forward relative to your shoulders
- Don't rush the movement at the expense of stability
- Don't drop your head or crane your neck upward
Common Mistakes
- Excessive hip rotation or wiggling
- Hyperextending or sagging the lower back
- Always leading with the dominant arm
- holding breath during the exertion
- Placing hands on the slippery edges of the dome
Muscles Worked
This exercise primarily targets the entire core complex, specifically the transverse abdominis and obliques, by forcing the trunk to resist rotation and extension while the limbs move. Secondarily, the instability of the balance trainer heavily recruits the anterior deltoids and triceps lateral head to stabilize the shoulder girdle throughout the vertical transition.
Primary
Secondary
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