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trunk stability

Home Exercises Part 4: Low Planks

Esther Gokhale
November, 2021

This is our fourth blog post in the series where we put popular exercises under scrutiny to examine how they stack up—or not—against the principles of healthy posture. Here we are looking at “low plank,” a whole-body exercise that particularly develops abdominal strength and trunk stability.

Our model for the photographs is Eric Fernandez, our Gokhale Exercise teacher who teaches the Gokhale Method in the Philadelphia area. Read more

Tags: 
plank
low plank
baby plank
trunk stability
spinal discs
spinal nerves
inner corset
abdominal muscles
rectus abdominis
longus colli
neck tension
cervical spine
swaying
horizontal position

What’s the Best Exercise to Strengthen Your Back? Part 1: Bird Dog

Esther Gokhale
April, 2024

Have you been taught cobra pose or locust pose to strengthen your back? It is a common practice to try to strengthen the back with back bends, focusing on the long back extensors on either side of the spine. This approach is used by the McKenzie Method, many yoga teachers, and physical therapists.
In the Gokhale Method® we prefer to strengthen the back by working with the muscles which collectively stabilize the trunk. Our focus is on maintaining a healthy J-spine baseline rather than backbending. Read more

Tags: 
Back exercises
cobra pose
locust pose
McKenzie Method
J-Spine
bird dog
table top
trunk stability
flexion
extension
lumbar lordosis
thoracic kyphosis
swayed back
tucked pelvis
isometric
reps
sets