Why You Should Plank Before Squats or Deadlifts
We’ve all heard the phrase “use your core” in relation to lifting weights. And your core strength is critical – we’ve written about this in the past – it’s the difference between crappy deadlifts and great ones. Or a mediocre push-up with perfect shape. Basically, if you are doing something that requires some kind of strength, then core strength is likely to benefit you.
In the case of squats or deadlifts, engaging your core usually allows you to maintain your best shape and avoid the roundness of your back – the silent killer of heavy lifts. (Your core is more than just your abs – think of the obliques or muscles that allow you to bend forward or backward at your waist, or those that connect the bones of your spine.) However, you can struggle with what’s on actually means to “engage” a part of your body; Abdominal flexion may come to mind, but it’s a little more difficult.
In case you didn’t know, the plank is, in particular, killer core exercises and is easy to perform even for very uncoordinated people (like me). Here’s our take on the ideal plank , although there are at least 20 different options, such as side planks or wide grip planks. Usually after a day of exercise, I supplement my workouts with three to four sets.
However, thanks to a recent Reddit thread, I started using the bar as a warm-up for squats and deadlifts. Why? Well, this is a good signal to engage your core muscles during the lift. If you haven’t done a plank before, do it now – we’ll wait. Everything you just felt during the planking was your core, fascinating.
By doing the plank before squatting, it may be easier to mimic the same feeling while lifting in the middle of the exercise. There is a scientific rationale for this too, according to Greg Nachols of Stronger by Science :
“When your nervous system senses that you can safely traverse a certain range of motion and create strength in that range of motion, it will allow you to do so,” he writes. “Otherwise, it will try to keep your muscles from extending further, preventing you from reaching a range of motion that you cannot adequately control … Doing planks and side planks before squats or deadlifts will strengthen your core muscles. shooting like they should, which tells your nervous system to allow your main movers to contract harder and allow your hips to have a wider range of motion. ”
His conclusion? It worked wonders for his squat and hip mobility – though not a magic bullet. In other words, the plank can and does help, but you are not going to lift more weight in one session. However, my squats feel better and much easier to me .
And it doesn’t have to be a crazy workout. I could just do a couple of sets of thirty-second planks and move on to squats; others on Reddit offer longer boards or more sets, but that’s up to you. Find what works best and adapt it to your needs.