Plank with forward arm lift exercise analysis

1. Plank with
Forward Arm Lift
Alex Woods, Erik Buckmiller, Glenna
Henderson, Mitch Parkinson
(Spring 2018)

2. Correct Form

3. Correct form
• Elbows under shoulder
• Shoulder @ 90 degrees
• Hips, knees, neck, ear, and heels all in line
• Look @ ground
• Lift arm parallel with body
• Keep are straight during lift
• DO NOT rotate hips
• Keep Core tight

4. Begin: Plank phase
Joints
• No joint movement
Muscle groups
• All muscle groups
should be contracting at
this time as they
support the body in
plank position.

5. Plank phase
Isometric Muscle
Contraction of:
• Shoulders
• Knees
• Arms
• Neck
• Hips
• Core
• Back

6. Isometric Muscle Contractions
• Core (Target Muscle group of exercise)
– Abs and oblique muscles
• Back and Neck
- Trapezius
• Legs
– Quads, hamstring, and calf muscles
• Hips
– Hip flexor and gluteus muscles
• Shoulders
– Deltoid and pectoral muscles
• Arms
– Biceps and triceps

7. Shoulder Alignment

8. Middle: Forward Arm raise phase
Joints
• Shoulder
– Movement from 90° of
flexion to 170°-180° of
flexion
• Elbow
– Movement from 90° of
flexion to 0° (neutral)
Muscle Groups
• Shoulder Flexors
• Elbow Extenders

9. Arm raise

10. Shoulder muscles
Shoulder Flexion
Concentric Contraction
(shorten)
• Direct Movers
– Deltoid
– Pectoralis Major
– Biceps
Eccentric Contraction
(lengthen)
• Counteractive Muscles
– Deltoid
– Lower back
– Pectoralis Major
– triceps

11. Elbow Muscles
Elbow Extension
Concentric Contraction
(shorten)
• Agonists Muscles
– Triceps
Eccentric Contraction
(lengthen)
• Antagonist Muscles
– Biceps
– Forearm Flexors
– Pronator muscles

12. Shoulder Alignment

13. Arm Raise

14. Trunk Rotation
Keep rotation to a minimum

15. End: Return to
plank phase
Joints
• shoulder
– Movement from 170°-
180° of flexion to 90° of
flexion
• Elbow
– Movement from 0°
(neutral) to 90° of flexion
Muscle Groups
• Shoulder Extenders
• Elbow Flexors

16. End: Return to
plank phase

17. Shoulder muscles
Shoulder Extension
Concentric Contraction
(shorten)
• Direct Movers
– Deltoid
– Lower back
– Pectoralis Major
– Triceps
Eccentric Contraction
(lengthen)
• Counteractive Muscles
– Deltoid
– Pectoralis Major
– Biceps

18. Elbow Muscles
Elbow Flexion
Concentric Contraction
(shorten)
• Direct Movers
– Biceps
– Forearm Flexors
– Pronator muscles
Eccentric Contraction
(lengthen)
• Counteractive Muscles
– Triceps

19. Incorrect technique

20. Arching the back

21. Arching the back
• Caused by Abdominal muscles not being
activated.
• Arms will get tired due to taking most of the
bodyweight
• Could lead to injury

22. Arching the back
• How to Fix:
– Engage abdominal muscles by:
• Putting shoulders and arms in a broader stance

23. Lowering the hips

24. Lowering the hips
• Caused by fatigue of the abdominal muscles
and arms
• Makes move less challenging and effective
• Could also lead to injury in the spine

25. Lowering the hips
• How to Fix:
– Keep butt tucked in; focus on squeezing the
Gluteus Muscles.
– Widen stance of the feet

26. Looking up/forward

27. Looking up/forward
• Causes incorrect alignment of spine during
exercise
• Could cause strain in the neck

28. Looking up/forward
• How to Fix:
– Focus on keeping the head and neck aligned with
the body looking straight down at the ground.

29. Over Rotation
Keep rotation to a minimum

30. Over Rotation
• Keep rotation to a minimum
• How to fix:
– Increase distance between feet to minimize hip
and trunk over rotation

31. references
• Floyd, R. T., & Thompson, C. W. (2018).
Manual of structural kinesiology (19th ed.).
New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Education.
• Biel, A. (2014). Trail guide to the body (5th
Ed.). Boulder, Colorado: Books of Discovery.