2023-06-19 15:30:03
Make no mistake regarding it, sheathing is indeed a great exercise… when it is done well!
It is excellent for the stability of the abdominals and the spine, in addition to involving the whole body.
There remains, however, a easy exercise thatonce mastered, will not bring more benefit by lengthening the duration.
Clearly, from the moment you are able to hold a plank for 30 seconds with perfect technique, you must find other ways to progress than that which consists of extending the timer.
We’re going to see four of them today.
You hold an “easy” minute, perhaps, but you have to see the mess!
Your hips sag and nothing is contracted…
A good sheathing is a body that describes a perfect straight line from the ankles to the neck with:
Abs / Glutes / Quadriceps contracted, Upper back slightly rounded (we speak of protraction and scapular depression), Elbows in line with the shoulders and “pulled” in the direction of the toes (conversely, the latter are pushed towards the elbows to create a lot of tension).
To find out more: 5 mistakes that make sheathing an exercise at best ineffective, at worst dangerous.
Start by correcting your mistakes and see how long you last now!
When you’re ready to take it to the next level, consider the following options…
1/ Da Vinci Plank
If the great Leonardo da Vinci had sculpted his body as he sculpted stone, there is no doubt that he would have made sheathing in this way.
To do this, it’s very simple, you simply have need an elastic band and a support to fix it.
Execution :
The anchor point is sideways, you grab the band with the closest hand and pull away to create strong tension. The inside foot (the one on the same side as the hand gripping the board) must be firmly planted on the ground. Now adopt the position of the Da Vinci on the famous drawing of the Vitruvian Man, remaining as stable as possible with your outside foot slightly above the ground (without touching it).
It’s a anti-flexion movementso we must resist so as not to bend the column on the side of the anchor point Of the band.
Your core should stay strong, you’ll probably also feel your glutes and quadriceps working.
Try doing 2-3 sets of 30-45 seconds on each side.
2/ Plank Row
This exercise is closer to a traditional cladding.
In the high plank position, on the hands, we will continue to work with an elastic band.
Instead of holding the isostatic position for a given time interval, we will incorporate a pulling element which will considerably increase the instability.
Execution :
In the push-up position, well on the toes, contract the glutes, abs and quadriceps, Grab the elastic band with one hand and pull your elbow towards your buttocks.
The closer your feet are together, the harder it is. The further you are from the anchor point, the more challenging it is.
Aim to do 2-3 sets of 8-12 reps on each side.
3/ Copenhague plank
The sheathing version we are going to see is very little knowneven less practiced.
We will be more likely to see him in a physiotherapist’s office than in a weight room and that’s a shame.
It is a first cousin of side sheathing : the Copenhagen Plank.
Here, we will work the entire abdominal strap, particularly the muscles obliques. But that’s not all, because Copenhagen sheathing also involves thigh adductor muscles (set consisting of the adductor magnus, the adductor longus and the internal rectus).
Execution :
In a side sheathing position, with your right elbow on the ground in line with your right shoulder, place your dominant foot (the left in our situation) on top of a support. Your left hand rests on your left hip. Engage your trunk and by pressing on your right elbow and your left foot, lift your hips and knees off the ground until your two feet “touch” (on either side of the support) and your body describes a perfect straight line. You should climb slowly, ideally over 3 seconds. Then bring your right foot back to the ground (it touches it gently), once more following a tempo of 3 seconds. Repeat then switch sides.
See to do not rotate your shoulders forward.
Furthermore, the support used must allow having the dominant leg (the one closest to the ceiling) above parallel to the ground.
Aim to do 2-3 sets of 10 reps on each side.
To find out more: Read our Copenhagen sheathing guide
4/ Hollow Body
Here comes the sheathing of gymnasts!
Accessible to all, the hollow body is a scalable exercise at all levels that places emphasis on the upper and lower rectus abdominis.
Execution :
Back on the ground, raise your shoulder blades, as for a crunch, Press your navel “ once morest the ground”, we don’t want to see an arched back and there should be no space between your lower back and the ground, Keep your head in a neutral position, chin tucked in, Your legs together and stretched out in front of you, toes pointed like gymnasts, Your arms are stretched behind your skull.
Your pelvis should always be in a good positionif you notice a gap between your lower back and the floor, then bend your knees, otherwise you won’t work your abs and put unwanted tension on your lower back.
There are regressions for this exercise, which consists of decreasing leverage.
To find out all regarding it, check out our hollow body guide.
Bonus : L Sit
We finish with the most advanced exercise on this list, the L sit.
Isometric exercise par excellence, it is practiced hanging from the bar or supported on parallel bars.
To master it, you’ll not only need toned abs, but also strong triceps and good hamstring mobility.
Here are the key points of the exercise:
take support with the width of the shoulders (even slightly wider) and lock elbows,
maintain the upper body in a neutral and straight position, with a scapular depression (shoulders down, away from the ears), the head is aligned with the upper body, the legs are straight and together, at least at 90° relative to trunk, toes pointed, like gymnasts, side view, hips should not be behind arms, push pelvis forward as legs are lifted, hips aligned with arms. do not hold your breath while exercising.
Luckily, we recently released an L Sit progression guide!
In conclusion, sheathing is good, but there is better!
You should progress once you have mastered the basics and if the 5 exercises above don’t excite you, there are dozens!
You can discover other avenues in our article: 3 sheathing progressions to take your abs to a whole new level and improve the stability of your core…
Updated by Quentin on: 06/19/2023
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