
This could be better.
The plank is used as a core exercise. It’s a nice way of training the abdominals to prevent lumbar extension. Ala don’t do this:
I actually also like to use the plank as a shoulder mobility exercise. Let me explain.
Without going into too much detail, two common issues for those with shoulder pain / movement issues are:
1) Lack of posterior / inferior glide of the humerus i.e. the humerus glides too far forward.

Right picture is bad, left is better. Because on the right side the front of the shoulder is more forward. From: http://www.manualtherapymentor.com
For more on this check out: Best exercises for the subscapularis.
2) In conjunction with 1), the internal rotators of the humerus are often excessively dominant / tight / active / whatever you want to call it.
For more on this see the above link and or 3 common tight muscles.
By adjusting the arm positioning during the plank we can actually work on correcting these 2 issues.
First, the common arm positioning during a plank:
Notice a few things:
-The arms are internally rotated, giving into those tight internal rotators just discussed.
-The forearms are pronated (palms are down), which gives into the shoulder internal rotation. Plus, people tend to get enough of this as it is. All that typing we do is with the palms facing down.
This can also cause issues at the elbow. See What causes Tennis Elbow? for more.
-The elbows are below / behind the shoulders. In the below picture I’m referencing the horizontal plane, not vertical. (Yes, they are below in the vertical as well, but that’s not what we’re discussing here.) Thus, our “opposite reaction” is in favor of superior and anterior glide of the humerus. We do not want this.
The floor pushes into the elbows, which then push the shoulder forward and upward, which is the direction of impingement.
Turning the plank into a corrective shoulder exercise
Adjusting the arm positioning we can do this:
Now the shoulders are in neutral, if not a bit of external rotation:
The forearms in supination (palms are up):
Looking from the side:
We also have the ground, which is opposing gravity, giving a nice posterior (backward) and inferior (downward (relative to the top of the shoulder)) glide on the humerus. We’re now using the plank exercise as another method of loosening up the posterior capsule. Something nearly everyone could use more of:
This isn’t some magical way of loosening up the shoulders. However, Every. Single. Movement / exercise. is an opportunity to correct movement impairments. By adjusting our plank like so, we continue to tip the amount of “better” reps in our favor. The more we can do to correct a movement impairment, especially when we’re going to be doing the exercise anyways, the better our chances of alleviating pain and impairments.
If you’re someone with really tight shoulders, you’ll even notice your arms reactively internally rotating while you do your plank. You’ll actually have to actively resist this motion. Further indication of how tight you really are.
For most people doing the exercise in this fashion is more work too. The abdominals will work even harder.
It’s all about Technique, technique, technique.
Daniel
November 15, 2012
What’s your take on the arm positioning for side planks? And would doing side planks against a flat wall to make sure you are level be a good idea?
reddyb
November 15, 2012
I typically have the person turn the palm upwards (supination) during side planks too. If they don’t have any upper body issues, and side planks are very hard for them, I might not worry about this initially though.
Ha! I exclusively have people perform side planks against walls now. It’s not so much to remain level as it is to make sure the person’s back is completely flat and not rotated i.e. it stays flat against the wall. I’ll write something on this eventually as well.
Side note: Anyone with shoulder issues I typically don’t have perform side planks. At least not until the upper body issues resolve. It’s just too hard on the shoulder.
Joe
November 16, 2012
Love this, great idea. In addition to my hips, my shoulder suck too. One question on the hips while planking Is the proper position flat back with the hips sort of “posterior tilted”, achieved by pulling in your abs? Like pulling the belly button toward the spine?
General suggestion for you – you should create a plan entitled “workout/exercise plan to counter the terrible effects on people’s bodies that result from sitting in office chairs all day long” Ok, maybe you can come up with a less wordy title. I’d buy it in a second!
reddyb
November 18, 2012
That’s the way I have people plank, Joe. Because I have a lot of people with lower back history, I’m anal about allowing no lumbar arching. If the person feels anything in their lower back while planking their form is either modified or I don’t have them do the exercise.
That’s an interesting idea. What type of stuff would you like to see in there?
Robyn Lee
December 11, 2012
Very interesting… I have very unstable shoulders and hips… Turns out I have congenitally shallow sockets (no coverage on front of my femur heads in hips…and haven’t investigated shoulders as thoroughly but tons of problems). I have issues with planks because of shoulder instability … will give this a try for sure. Thank you. Will this provide a sort of “posterior glide” for the ball into the socket. Seems that is what I’m needing….
Again – so appreciate ~ RL
reddyb
December 11, 2012
Hey Robyn,
Nice to meet you.
The movement will provide some posterior glide for the shoulders, definitely. If this is truly an issue, this wouldn’t be the only exercise I’d work on, but it can help things.
What kind of issues do you have shoulder wise while planking? What makes you say you have stability issues in your shoulders? Just curious.
I’m not sure what kind of shape you’re in or your exercise history, but you may want to make this movement easier at first. For instance, do the plank on a bench or something elevated so not as much of your weight is on your shoulders.
Something akin to this, but on the elbows (sorry the URL is so long):
http://www.google.com/imgres?um=1&hl=en&safe=off&sa=N&tbo=d&biw=1243&bih=581&tbm=isch&tbnid=NcClXIBCxszXEM:&imgrefurl=http://getcorefet.blogspot.com/2012/02/elevated-plank-sequence.html&docid=6NMyi4tZZDg0OM&imgurl=http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ksVch_W_OtY/TyrJ770WEpI/AAAAAAAAADE/ZiAQRCUKx3o/s1600/starting%25252Bplank.jpg&w=1296&h=968&ei=CQ_IUIPeEcXmiwLjkoCoDA&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=775&vpy=205&dur=219&hovh=194&hovw=260&tx=146&ty=121&sig=113591961272286645806&page=1&tbnh=145&tbnw=196&start=0&ndsp=18&ved=1t:429,r:10,s:0,i:116
Just throwing out an idea for you.
Also, I read your story on your blog. I may have missed it, but do you still practice yoga? I know you have quite a bit going on, but I’ve seen this present issues specifically at the hips and lower spine, issues which you have.
As you mentioned in your story, you came to realize your issues were from too much movement (hypermobility). For instance, the spinal surgery suggested for you was a fusion (which prevents movement) and you discovered your hips were TOO flexible. Yoga can actually exacerbate these issues.
And considering you seem to have stability issues in your shoulders, I have a feeling you may be congenitally lax. Often times for someone with that trait nearly any stretching is a bad idea. You’re actually already too flexible. Stability and strength training would be much more warranted instead.
Of course I’m conjecturing here; perhaps something to think about. Let me know if I can help you out in any way.
-Brian
Robyn Lee
December 11, 2012
So nice to meet you too! I know a bunch of stuff for my hips ~ have been through the ringer with them — bilateral hip arthroscopy 2 years back that failed — and now very interested in learning how to keep shoulders in socket too… if you have any tips…would be ever so appreciative! Even one or 2 exercises I could try might be great ~ hubby did a posterior glide technique today for me (he’s a doc but not this field) we learned on youtube… helped!! Thank you again reddyb! ~ Blessings, Robyn
reddyb
December 14, 2012
Glad to hear the posterior glide worked for you!
As far as the shoulders: Any time someone feels that unstable strength is a big thing I try to improve on.
It really depends on where you’re starting at. Often times I’ll start beginners with a simple push-up hold. I do this much like the plank depicted in this post but with the arms straight. I’ll then progress with putting weight on the person’s back, and then hopefully to push-ups.
(The push-ups always start from an elevated position though, like on a bench.)
Have you looked at anything to strengthen the rotator cuff?
Hope this helps a bit.
jpdanna
March 5, 2014
Brian. Is the correct way of doing the planks you initially discussed (not side planks) where posterior humeral glide and loosening the posterior capsule is a good thing…also good for supraspinatus tendon impingement under the acromion? Thanks for another great post!
reddyb
March 6, 2014
Yep. Because you’re also inferiorly gliding things. Inferior glide = gliding the humerus downwards = more potential room for the supraspinatus to breathe between the humeral head and superior bone structure.
jpdanna
March 5, 2014
Adding to my post above, I haven’t heard exactly where the shoulder pain is coming from with AHG. Is one of the causes of pain with this imbalance supraspinatus tendon impingement? In that case, would we isolate and strengthen the subscap to pull the humeral head down and back? Thanks…
reddyb
March 6, 2014
Usually, you don’t want to work from a damage diagnosis with this stuff. (At least, I don’t.) So, you don’t want to go “supraspinatus impingement” as a diagnosis and develop a treatment for that. You want to go, “Move this way = pain” diagnosis and develop a treatment for that. So, if anterior glide is an issue (anterior glide provokes pain), then yep, you want to get that humeral head to not anteriorly glide. The pain is more often coming from how they move (which is in their brain), not a particularly damaged structure.
jpdanna
March 6, 2014
I’m getting internet at my clinic just so I can read your blog and updates every day and get such helpful info ingrained in my gray matter.
Kim
August 8, 2015
I like the plank for core work but have rotator issues from the bike and heavy swimming a few years back. I’m sorry if the plank is not recommended for any rotator issue — love it for core work. But messed up rotators are the very devil, shall go for some other exercises.
reddyb
August 8, 2015
I believe what you’re saying is the plank is not recommended as a shoulder exercise?
If that’s the case, then I agree…but I’m saying it could be.
A
August 21, 2015
Can instantly plank much longer without pain in my shoulders and can feel it much better in my core. Thanks!
reddyb
August 22, 2015
You got it!
MIkeG
October 20, 2016
Amazing!! I’ve been experiencing sharp pain in my right shoulder (upper back) as I increased my plank frequency. I’m actually experiencing pain right now. I just tried your reccomendation – no shoulder pain whatsoever. Thank you
reddyb
October 21, 2016
That’s great to hear. You’re welcome.
KT
May 18, 2021
I love this tip. I have a ton of scapular and rotator cuff issues, including tendonitis. I’ll give this tweak a try.
b-reddy
May 21, 2021
Hope it’s helpful, and good luck!