1. The plank with forward arm lift exercise targets the core muscles of the abs and obliques through isometric contractions in the plank position and involves lifting one arm at a time from a straight position to parallel with the body while maintaining proper form. 2. Proper form involves keeping the elbows under the shoulders, shoulders at 90 degrees, and hips, knees, neck, ears and heels aligned while looking at the ground and keeping the core tight without rotating the hips. 3. Common form errors include arching the back by not engaging the core, lowering the hips, looking up or forward instead of down, and over-rotating the trunk, all of which can lead to injury or make the

1. Plank with
Forward Arm Lift
Alex Woods, Erik Buckmiller, Glenna
Henderson, Mitch Parkinson
(Spring 2018)

2. Correct Form

3. Correct form
• Elbows under shoulder
• Shoulder @ 90 degrees
• Hips, knees, neck, ear, and heels all in line
• Look @ ground
• Lift arm parallel with body
• Keep are straight during lift
• DO NOT rotate hips
• Keep Core tight

4. Begin: Plank phase
Joints
• No joint movement
Muscle groups
• All muscle groups
should be contracting at
this time as they
support the body in
plank position.

5. Plank phase
Isometric Muscle
Contraction of:
• Shoulders
• Knees
• Arms
• Neck
• Hips
• Core
• Back

6. Isometric Muscle Contractions
• Core (Target Muscle group of exercise)
– Abs and oblique muscles
• Back and Neck
- Trapezius
• Legs
– Quads, hamstring, and calf muscles
• Hips
– Hip flexor and gluteus muscles
• Shoulders
– Deltoid and pectoral muscles
• Arms
– Biceps and triceps

7. Shoulder Alignment

8. Middle: Forward Arm raise phase
Joints
• Shoulder
– Movement from 90° of
flexion to 170°-180° of
flexion
• Elbow
– Movement from 90° of
flexion to 0° (neutral)
Muscle Groups
• Shoulder Flexors
• Elbow Extenders

9. Arm raise

10. Shoulder muscles
Shoulder Flexion
Concentric Contraction
(shorten)
• Direct Movers
– Deltoid
– Pectoralis Major
– Biceps
Eccentric Contraction
(lengthen)
• Counteractive Muscles
– Deltoid
– Lower back
– Pectoralis Major
– triceps

11. Elbow Muscles
Elbow Extension
Concentric Contraction
(shorten)
• Agonists Muscles
– Triceps
Eccentric Contraction
(lengthen)
• Antagonist Muscles
– Biceps
– Forearm Flexors
– Pronator muscles

12. Shoulder Alignment

13. Arm Raise

14. Trunk Rotation
Keep rotation to a minimum

15. End: Return to
plank phase
Joints
• shoulder
– Movement from 170°-
180° of flexion to 90° of
flexion
• Elbow
– Movement from 0°
(neutral) to 90° of flexion
Muscle Groups
• Shoulder Extenders
• Elbow Flexors

16. End: Return to
plank phase

17. Shoulder muscles
Shoulder Extension
Concentric Contraction
(shorten)
• Direct Movers
– Deltoid
– Lower back
– Pectoralis Major
– Triceps
Eccentric Contraction
(lengthen)
• Counteractive Muscles
– Deltoid
– Pectoralis Major
– Biceps

18. Elbow Muscles
Elbow Flexion
Concentric Contraction
(shorten)
• Direct Movers
– Biceps
– Forearm Flexors
– Pronator muscles
Eccentric Contraction
(lengthen)
• Counteractive Muscles
– Triceps

19. Incorrect technique

20. Arching the back

21. Arching the back
• Caused by Abdominal muscles not being
activated.
• Arms will get tired due to taking most of the
bodyweight
• Could lead to injury

22. Arching the back
• How to Fix:
– Engage abdominal muscles by:
• Putting shoulders and arms in a broader stance

23. Lowering the hips

24. Lowering the hips
• Caused by fatigue of the abdominal muscles
and arms
• Makes move less challenging and effective
• Could also lead to injury in the spine

25. Lowering the hips
• How to Fix:
– Keep butt tucked in; focus on squeezing the
Gluteus Muscles.
– Widen stance of the feet

26. Looking up/forward

27. Looking up/forward
• Causes incorrect alignment of spine during
exercise
• Could cause strain in the neck

28. Looking up/forward
• How to Fix:
– Focus on keeping the head and neck aligned with
the body looking straight down at the ground.

29. Over Rotation
Keep rotation to a minimum

30. Over Rotation
• Keep rotation to a minimum
• How to fix:
– Increase distance between feet to minimize hip
and trunk over rotation

31. references
• Floyd, R. T., & Thompson, C. W. (2018).
Manual of structural kinesiology (19th ed.).
New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Education.
• Biel, A. (2014). Trail guide to the body (5th
Ed.). Boulder, Colorado: Books of Discovery.