The Problem:

Forward head and head tilt posture have likely caused some weaknesses in the shoulder blade stabilizers on the side of your tilt. Traditional planks are one of the best ways to strengthen the muscles that keep your upper back stacked. But they will never address a left or right-side weakness. That is why side planks must be included in any longevity fitness program.

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The Solution:

Adding side planks to your neutral spine based functional fitness program ensures you restore symmetrical conditioning through your shoulders.  Side planks are a whole-body functional conditioning exercise. They primarily strengthen the scapular stabilizer’s ability to keep the shoulder blade in its neutral position on the rib cage. They are also a great core and glute medius strengthening exercise.

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A good side plank program should have 6 levels of progression minimally to allow your musculoskeletal system sufficient time to condition itself for healthy plank strengthening.

This is a healthy side plank from neutral spine. Don’t focus on how long you can plank, learn variations of planks that remove points of stability or add coordination. This is how you strengthen the muscles that stabilize the scapulae on the rib cage functionally.

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Summary:

Adding side planks to your functional fitness workouts will ensure symmetrical conditioning through your shoulders and allow you to progress your shoulder strengthening program with less risk of injury.

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We developed the Healthy Posture System to provide you with all the video resources to safely restore your ability to function from neutral spine alignment. There are many strategies you will learn as you progress through the program to help you keep your upper back stacked throughout the day. At level 4 of the program, you will be asked to add online coaching to your subscription to ensure you learn the more difficult exercises without faulty loading.

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