Front Plank on Elbows
Isometric forearm hold that keeps a straight line from head to heels while the trunk resists extension.
How to do it
- Lie face down on a mat with your elbows directly under your shoulders and your palms flat on the floor.
- Tuck your toes under and set your feet about hip width apart.
- Brace your abdominals and squeeze your glutes so the trunk becomes one rigid segment.
- Push through the forearms and toes to lift your hips and knees clear of the floor.
- Hold the straight head-to-heel line while breathing steadily, keeping the neck long and the ribs down.
- Lower your knees and hips back to the mat under control to finish the set.
Key technique cue
Ribs down, glutes tight — hips neither sag nor pike.
Common mistakes
- ✕ Letting the hips sag toward the floor, which loads the lumbar spine instead of the abdominals.
- ✕ Piking the hips up into an inverted V, which shortens the lever and removes the anti-extension demand.
- ✕ Drifting the elbows forward of the shoulders, which shifts load onto the shoulder joint and shortens the hold.
- ✕ Holding your breath to stay rigid, which raises intrathoracic pressure and ends the set early.
Benefits
- ✓ Builds isometric trunk endurance without loading the spine into flexion.
- ✓ Trains the glutes and quadriceps to hold a neutral pelvis under fatigue.
- ✓ Needs no equipment, so it scales to home, hotel and rehab settings.
Progression: from easier to harder
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Step 1 You are here - Front Plank on Elbows
- Hand Plank
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Step 2
About the exercise
The front plank on elbows is an anti-extension hold rather than a crunch. You carry your bodyweight on the forearms and toes with the elbows stacked under the shoulders, and the rectus abdominis, obliques and spinal erectors work isometrically to stop the pelvis dropping into the floor. Extending the legs and pulling the toes toward the shins keeps the whole chain stiff, and the serratus anterior and shoulder stabilizers provide the secondary support.
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