Perfect practice makes perfect performance. This is a topic of conversation we have repeatedly with our nine year old daughter. She takes several hours of gymnastics practice during the week. They do conditioning regularly and sometimes turn it into a traditional CrossFit style “for time,” let’s see who can win the workout, workout. When you’re nine, its difficult to force yourself to slow down in order to create a perfect movement pattern because your only goal is to win the workout. You have two choices when you train: try to be the fastest or be perfect. Always chose perfection. Speed will come.

From Deadlift Dynamite by Pavel

Senior RKC Thomas Phillips has called the plank “the most popular exercise performed incorrectly.” Most folks either let their backs sag or their butts shoot up and use a minimal amount of effort in order to last the longest. Using poor form amounts to what Gray Cook, RKC, calls “adding fitness to dysfunction” and all sorts of problems down the road. And going for a minute or longer develops endurance rather than strength.

The difference is fundamental.

To express max strength one must learn to maximally contract all the muscles at once and hold nothing back. To develop muscular endurance one must learn to use as few muscles as possible and the least effort.

The conflict is obvious.

The bottom line: a strength athlete ought to practice the plank as an all out effort.

Giving it all in a short period of time is what the RKC plank is all about. Sports scientist Bret Contreras comments:

The RKC plank is a reverse-engineered core exercise that has evolved into a brutal full body isohold. I learned about the RKC plank (also called the Hardstyle plank) from Pavel Tsatsouline, creator of the RKC, and when done right, it wipes you out completely after only ten seconds. Sure you can do a [regular] plank for 3 straight minutes, but now show me that you can do a [RKC] plank and exhaust your body through maximum muscle exertion. The RKC plank has you manipulating whole body muscle tension to generate maximum internal work. Though you won’t be moving as it’s a static exercise, you’ll be engaging in a 10-second isometric war…

Warmup
Speed Ladder

3 Sets
5 Pull-ups
10 Push-ups
15 Wall Ball Shots

Conditioning
5 Rounds AFAP
20 Burpees
10 Double Kettlebell Clean and Squat

Core
Side Plank Series
Plank Series