An interesting Athlean X take on planks

[roadking]

@adsmith This comment provides value to the conversation, thanks!

 

[adsmith]

@roadking he'd make a good yoga teacher i bet

 

[incept]

@fullspinzoo Probably he's right. Never intended to do them for ABS though - stretching hip flexors is big for anterior pelvic tilt afaik

 

[zuzubot]

@fullspinzoo Some good information. Disagree with the hip flexor part. You will not develop hip flexor strength from this, certainly not to the point where it affects your lumbar spine. There are too many muscle groups involved for that to happen and not enough direct resistance to the hip flexors. It's technically a total body exercise. I've never seen anyone with over developed hip flexors that's caused from exercise. It's usually just tightness related to daily activities like a desk job. Even if that's the cause they're usually still weak if you were to do a MMT.

Source: PTA

 

[iamtanner]

@fullspinzoo He keeps it very simple and varies it each day (and each meal has 3 variations - shredding/standard/bulking). but doesn’t include info on buying and cooking instructions.
I’ve cut and paste two examples from day 1 of the standard program:

Day 1: Breakfast -
Pumpkin spice oatmeal (with canned pumpkin, cinnamon, nutmeg, walnuts and sliced apples), glass of 1-2% milk, scrambled eggs with salsa, (2:1 egg white to whole egg ratio) high grade omega-3’s

Dinner -
Grilled pork tenderloin, applesauce, roasted green beans with almond slices, baked sweet potato, salad (with tomatoes, onions, kale, vinegar, olive oil and garlic), glass of water

 

[dawn16]

@fullspinzoo - In all fairness, there's advanced plank variations such as Wall March Planks and Wall Planks. And Side Planks.

 

[buzzy204]

@fullspinzoo One of the best things I learned from some Gymnastic videos were rolling planks. With straight arms (not on elbows) you go from plank, to a side plank, to a back plank, to a side plank, to a front plank again. It's incredibly challenging and requires a lot of stability and strength at all angles.

When that gets easy, start moving your limbs around to make the static portions harder. And flex your entire body to try to bring your hands and feet together, crushing the floor.

 

[onoti9]

@fullspinzoo i mean it makes sense. jeff know his stuff

 

[nicolecham]

@fullspinzoo Great video with valid perspective.

In the other side, I'm having lower back herniated disc surgery next week, and was speaking with my spine doctor (a very intelligent, respected, and sought after professional in my area) about post surgery fitness. He advised me that I cannot lift/ carry over 20 pounds for the rest of my life unless I want to herniated more discs.

He highly recommends planks as my number one option. They may cause temporary back discomfort, but I feel safe saying they wouldn't necessary cause problems.

 

[virtualted]

@nicolecham I highly recommend you look into what the current medical advise is with herniated discs and lifting.

I have no way of knowing your specific situation, but the idea that you should never lift over 20 lbs seems completely in contradiction to the last 10 or so years of medical understanding. In fact, it sounds like a recipe for having back pain the rest of your life.

People herniate a disc, recover, and then go on to win powerlifting competitions. Please seek out more medical info.

 

[nicolecham]

@virtualted Thank you. I really appreciate that.

As an active 33 year old father of 3 young kids, it's been tough to consider how my life will be impacted.

I am having a laminectomy in the L4-L5 region. I have a congenital narrow spinal column where the herniated disc is completely pinching the nerves causing pain of course, but more concerning, loss of feeling in my feet. Went through physical therapy and lumbar steroid injections with no success.

He is an orthopedic surgeon but he specialiazes in neck and back surgery. He has over 99% success rate and 4 years in, 90% of his patients are still pain free.

 

[steadfastfaith79]

@nicolecham Listen to your doctor. Every patient is different. The advice of someone on the internet is nowhere close to the expertise of a fellowship trained spinal surgeon.

 

[bsf4au01]

@steadfastfaith79 I’m not saying listen to people over a computer screen but like the doctor is essentially telling him he’s gonna be crippled when that shouldn’t be the case. A second opinion by a physical therapist is what’s in order imo

 

[nicolecham]

@bsf4au01 I have a good friend and coworker who is a physical therapist. I had several appointments with him prior to scheduling surgery. At one point he simply told me, "you can't live on a traction table. I'm afraid there's nothing I can do to permanently improve your situation."

 

[bsf4au01]

@nicolecham You typically want newer physical therapists like

 

[seekfind]

@nicolecham How did you get herniated discs?

 

[nicolecham]

@seekfind Wear and tear from physical labor. No known isolated incident, just stubbornness and stupidity I presume.

 

[seekfind]

@nicolecham Thanks for replying. Good luck with your prognosis.

 

[virtualted]

@nicolecham That sounds wonderful that you have such a qualified doctor and I wish you the very best recovery. I strongly suggest you take your doctor's word over me as I'm no where near as qualified as he is, but I would suggest you start looking into the evidence of recovery from disc herniations in conjunction with weight lifting. From what I have read there seems to be strong evidence that the best way to prevent future injury is to strengthen the area and the only way that happens is through working out.

You'll have plenty of time afterwards to read and decide for yourself if you find enough compelling reasons to compile evidence and bring it up with your doctor so you can make an informed decision.

 

[nicolecham]

@virtualted Absolutely. Thank you for your time and thoughts. I am not very trusting of medical professionals in general, but never have I had one seem to genuinely be looking out for my best interest. He told me from day 1 that he did not want to operate on me and wanted to exhaust other avenues first.

Feeling defeated, I think I just went with his plan (even though it sounds impossible) without thinking twice. I genuinely appreciate the insight.