Exercise Library
Side Plank External Rotation
Hold yourself in a side plank with the abs and glutes tight with a dumbbell, small plate or band in the up hand. Keeping the elbow bent to 90 degrees and the upper arm against your side, perform external rotations at a controlled tempo without allowing your body to move.
Purpose
Combining two useful exercises is a way to train more efficiently, but also improves the effect of each exercise in this case. Moving a weight while holding the plank requires more stability to resist motion in the body (as well as adding a bit of load), and being forced to maintain stability of the body helps prevent extraneous motion from contributing to the external rotation and forces the proper muscles to do the work.
Programming
This exercise can be done as part of your preparatory work following a warm-up, or along with other post-workout accessories. Use 3-4 sets of 10-15 reps, and never exceed the weight that allows strict reps with a controlled tempo through the entire range of motion.
Purpose
Combining two useful exercises is a way to train more efficiently, but also improves the effect of each exercise in this case. Moving a weight while holding the plank requires more stability to resist motion in the body (as well as adding a bit of load), and being forced to maintain stability of the body helps prevent extraneous motion from contributing to the external rotation and forces the proper muscles to do the work.
Programming
This exercise can be done as part of your preparatory work following a warm-up, or along with other post-workout accessories. Use 3-4 sets of 10-15 reps, and never exceed the weight that allows strict reps with a controlled tempo through the entire range of motion.
