5 Reasons Your Plank Sucks

Brace yourself (literally) for better movement by avoiding these plank mishaps.

- Chris Doherty, C.S.C.S.

There is hardly a core exercise more notorious than the plank. And when performed “actively”— meaning, you’re engaging every muscle from head to toe—it taxes your entire body. Which, according to Chris Frankel, head of performance at TRX, “brings awareness to alignment and posture with intention and strength.” Unfortunately, most people “passively plank,” which visually resembles a proper plank, but doesn’t feel like one, and does nothing to bolster core strength. So check for any of the following blunders to make sure you’re getting all the benefits.

1 YOU’RE CURVY