Plank Progression

You guys know how important core strength is to being a healthy and functional human being. In the past I have posted about planks, plank variations and various plank progressions. Today I performed a variation I honestly have never tried before and found it to be extremely challenging. Given that I do a lot of core work within my regular routine, regular planks just don't cut it anymore and are relatively easy. The variation pictured below is me holding the push up position, my hips and shoulders even to ensure proper core activation and my feet are up on a 55cm exercise ball. This position is challenging because you must stabilize your feet on the ball keeping it from rolling forward, back and also side to side. This technique results in TONS of stabilization as you try to keep a round ball from rolling in all directions. Trainer Brandon Reina and I did this exercise for one minute holds and upped the ante on the last set and alternated between one footed planks every 15 seconds for a minute. This routine isn't about being totally bad ass...it's about building incredible core stability!