The stick pose exercises core muscle strength, but doing it incorrectly may lead to lumbar spondylitis! Muscle Mom reveals: Don’t make these 7 major posture mistakes

Training the core muscles, including the transverse abdominal muscles, rectus abdominis, and external oblique muscles, can protect many organs. The plank pose is a common core muscle strength training, and it can also help sculpt body curves. However, basic skills are the most difficult to practice. The well-known fitness influencer Muscle Mama said that most people often make 7 mistakes when practicing the stick pose, which can easily cause muscle strain in the long run and may lead to lumbar spondylitis.

The plank pose can train the entire core muscle group

The trend of being fit and thin is prevalent, so female friends no longer just pursue weight loss, but pay more attention to the training of core muscles. Among various core training, "Banana" is the most basic and frequently used posture. The plank pose can train the entire core muscle group, which is related to the posture during exercise and will also affect the effectiveness of exercise. The correct posture can avoid sports injuries. Although plank pose is a basic posture for core training, beginners, and even many people who have been exercising for some time, may not be able to do plank pose correctly.

Stick formula: Apples...not apple sauce

Well-known fitness coach "Muscle Mom" ​​said that many people only remember to tighten their abdomen when doing the plank pose, while other parts of the body, including the buttocks, remain loose, as soft as jam, so the entire plank pose is out of place.

If you want to do the correct plank pose, remember the mnemonic "Apples...not apple sauce!" and tighten your shoulder blades, abdomen, buttocks, and thighs. When your buttocks become so hard that your fingers can't poke them, like a hard apple, this is the correct way to use the plank pose.

Start the push-up exercise from a standing position to strengthen your muscles all over your body

Muscle Mom suggests that if you are not sure whether you have correctly grasped the essence of the plank pose, you can start by adjusting the way your core muscles are used in a standing position. First, tighten your abdomen and lift your chest, but don't push it out too much. Then adjust your shoulders and shoulder blades, press your shoulders down and tighten your shoulder blades. Imagine there is an apple in the middle of your shoulder blades and want to clamp it. Finally, squeeze your hips and thighs and use force. Keep in mind this tense and stiff state of muscles throughout the body, and then apply it to the push-up pose.

![Correct stick style. (Photo provided by Sancai Culture)][220281]

Don't make it wrong! 7 stick-style NG positions

In addition, Muscle Mom, who just published a new book, "Use Resistance to Meet a Better You," also demonstrated the seven common mistakes people make when doing the plank pose, reminding everyone to pay more attention to their posture during exercise to avoid sports injuries. If you can do the plank pose correctly and sustain it for more than 20 seconds, you can then advance to doing variations of the plank pose to increase the intensity of the exercise. You can even add dynamic movements that increase the load on your cardiorespiratory system, which will help you burn more calories and achieve more obvious weight loss results.

Mistake 1: Turning your elbows inwards

• Big NG: When the elbows are facing inward, the shoulder joint will be internally rotated, causing the arm to exert too much force, thereby increasing the load on the shoulder and wrist.

• Improvement method: Try to face your elbows forward and your chest above the center of your palms.

Mistake 1: Turning your elbows inwards. (Photo provided by Sancai Culture)

Mistake 2: The upper back shoulder blades are not tightened and fixed

• Big NG: This habit will cause the shoulder blades to protrude upward and the lower back to sag downward, creating a lot of pressure on the waist and causing discomfort or pain.

• Improvement method: It is recommended to practice squeezing the shoulder blades in a standing position. Once you get used to it, you can bring this feeling into the stick exercise.

Mistake 2: The shoulder blades in the upper back are not tightened and fixed. (Photo provided by Sancai Culture)

Mistake 3: Exerting too much force with your arms and clenching your fists, causing your back to arch

• Big NG: Unconsciously using too much strength in the arms, even clenching fists too tightly.

• Improvement method: Try to separate your hands and keep them shoulder-width apart, keep your back straight, and don’t overexert your arms.

Error 3: Exerting too much force with your arms and clenching your fists, which causes your back to arch. (Photo provided by Sancai Culture)

Mistake 4: The body moves backward and the arms are not perpendicular to the ground

• Big NG: The hands deviated from the vertical angle to the ground, causing the body to be pushed backwards unconsciously.

• Improvement method: The chest should be located directly above the middle of the two palms, and the arms should be perpendicular to the ground. This way, the body will not slide and the core muscles can be effectively exercised.

Error 4: The body moves backward and the arms are not perpendicular to the ground. (Photo provided by Sancai Culture)

Mistake 5: Hips too high

• Big NG: If your hips are too high, it will disperse the strength of your core muscles, and you will only feel your arms exerting force.

• Improvement method: Remember not to lift your hips, and the core muscles should be kept in a stressed state.

Mistake 5: Hips too high (Photo provided by Sancai Culture)

Mistake 6: Crooked feet

• Big NG: Over-relaxing the feet causes the soles of the feet to become crooked, putting load and pressure on the leg joints.

• Improvement method: Try to make the soles of your feet perpendicular to the ground, with your toes and toes touching the ground, and tighten your thighs and buttocks to make the whole body more stable.

Error 6 / Crooked feet. (Photo provided by Sancai Culture)

Mistake 7: Lowering or raising your head too much

• Big NG: Continuously looking up or forward, causing the neck to exert too much force; or focusing too much on the core muscles, causing the entire head to drop down, causing the neck to remain in an overly bent state.

• Improvement method: In the correct plank pose, the head should be on the extension line of the spine.

Mistake 7: Lowering or raising your head too much. (Photo provided by Sancai Culture)