Planking is the competitive exercise that can ruin your health. My Pilates class broke into loud cheers and I couldn’t have felt more triumphant. As I crashed, utterly exhausted, down onto my exercise mat, I was overjoyed that I’d just held . Then you hold that position for as long as you can. Scroll down for video Lisa Brinkworth (pictured) admits that she got caught up in the plank- mania at her pilates classes Sounds easy? After a few seconds your back will begin to ache and sag. A few more and gravity start pulling you down. Then your body will start shaking and every muscle will be screaming in agony, begging you to surrender. And when you do give in, it’s the most wonderful feeling on earth. The plank has been a staple in gym workouts, exercise classes such as Pilates and yoga, and with personal trainers for years. It’s brilliant for strengthening your body’s core — the muscles in your torso that keep you stable and balanced. But being able to do it for any length of time — the Holy Grail is five minutes — has become a real status symbol. And in classes around the country, it’s practically a competitive sport, with people cheering each other on and pitting themselves against each other. Times are posted on social media and photos of six- packs and washboard stomachs put up on Instagram and other websites. I must admit, last year I got swept up in plank- mania. You can burn 215-765 calories in 30 minutes of swimming. It depends on how much you weigh and if you Confused about how to lose fat? Learn the TRUTH about fat loss once and for all and start losing body fat today. In my Pilates class there was huge admiration for an athletic mother- of- four who held a five- minute plank every session. I admired her so much I began secretly practising in the mornings before our household stirred. But what I didn’t realise — and what most gym- goers and even exercise experts don’t seem to know — is that I was doing untold damage to myself because the plank can be highly dangerous. I found out the hard way — I ended up as a hospital outpatient with a condition seemingly suffered by hundreds, if not thousands, of plank- lovers each year. And, until that moment, I’d been so proud of my ability to do the plank. It had taken a while to master — when I first tried it a year ago, I’d get it wrong by sticking my bottom in the air (which made it feel easier) or holding my head up to see how the rest of the class did it (ditto, but also risked straining my neck). A plank (pictured) is one of the toughest things you can do to your body in terms of exercise and requires you to raise yourself on your tiptoes and elbows, keeping your forearms on the ground and your back flat. 2000 Diet Calories Planking MemeBut after about six months I got the hang of it. Even so, I was surprised at how hard it was. I’d been doing Pilates for nearly 2. I thought I was fit and strong. Even so, my body would still begin to tremble after a few seconds. Eventually, when I could hold it for half- a- minute or more, I began joining in with the . It was a gargantuan victory and one I wish I’d recorded on Instagram, because I’ve never managed it since. And sadly, I never will again. I’ll never forget the day last November when I managed to hold it for those two whole minutes. It was a gargantuan victory and one I wish I’d recorded on Instagram, because I’ve never managed it since. And sadly, I never will again. Lisa Brinkworth Until then, I’d never questioned whether the exercise could cause injury. I was being taught in a small class of six by a qualified Pilates teacher, who was also a physiotherapist. Ever since I joined her class after moving to the area 1. I was thoroughly enjoying it until, last Christmas Eve, I suddenly experienced excruciating pain in the left side of my chest. It shot across my shoulder and down my arm and was so bad I was convinced it was a warning sign of a heart attack. I didn’t to go to hospital because I didn’t want to ruin Christmas and was relieved when it died down a day later, to be replaced by a duller pain. When it hadn’t gone after five days, I consulted my GP. She monitored my heart rate, which was normal, and reassured me that I wasn’t going to have a heart attack. She diagnosed an inflamed oesophagus (gullet), prescribing me medicine and telling me to cut out anything that might cause the acid reflux that had probably inflamed my gullet — everything from spicy and acidic foods to coffee, tea and even fruit juice. Yet still the pain persisted. I continued with my Pilates sessions, but after each one the pain would get worse. It might seem strange, but I never attributed it to Pilates, because medical opinion seems to be that it helps, rather than causes, injury. After the searing pain in her arm spread to her breast, Lisa (pictured with her husband and three sons) was terrified that it might be a sign of breast cancer and feared the worst diagnosis. Then, at the end of February, the pain spread into my breast.
It was a sharp pain behind the nipple and my first thought was breast cancer. With three young children, I wasn’t prepared to accept my GP’s . Neither found evidence of cancer. But then she asked me a strange question. Did I do Pilates, particularly the plank? In fact, I was about to tell her about my two- minute victory when she suddenly pressed down on my rib. This puts pressure on the costochondral joint — the area of cartilage joining the ribs to the breastbone. I was absolutely astounded — but also relieved. At last I had a diagnosis, and it wasn’t the terrifying one I feared. Instead, it had a simple solution: no more planks. So I stopped — and within three weeks the pain had disappeared completely. As you hold the body from the floor, there is tremendous pressure on all the rib joints as well as the shoulder joint. Nauseating pain goes across the ribs, into the pectoral muscles, across the shoulder, down the arm and up into the neck.’Having spoken to experts, I now know I should never have been planking in the first place. In the past, I’ve been treated for acute shoulder strain and a back injury from lifting too many weights in the gym, which apparently makes me particularly prone to conditions like costochondritis. I can’t be the only one ever to strain a muscle, yet the plank is regarded as just another exercise, one anyone can and should do. 2000 Diet Calories Planking DefinitionHow many of us are putting ourselves at risk of such a painful, unnecessary injury? What’s more Lynne Robinson, the author of Pilates For Life, says the position should never be taught in a class. Pilates is about movement, not holding poses,’ she says. Lynne Robertson, Director of the Body Control School of Pilates and author of Pilates for Life, has taught Pilates Teachers safely for twenty years. She is adamant that planks are not taught as a standard Pilates exercise. It can take years to build core strength before attempting the Leg Front Pull, and many people will never be ready for it. Furthermore trying to hold any pose is not done in Pilates. Pilates is about movement, not holding poses’. Michael Durtnall; chiropractor . Glenn Withers is the founder of the Australian Physiotherapy and Pilates Institute, a recognised world leader in rehabilitation, with clinics and APPI trained instructors in the UK. He strongly rejects the idea that planks could have caused my conchondritis, and says the plank is one of the foremost classical exercises developed by Joseph Pilates. In all that time I’ve never heard of planks causing costochondritis,’ he says. The only time that load would be put on the pectoral muscles would be if the person isn’t in the correct position in the first place’. You will be hard pushed to find evidence to support your consultant’s view that planks have caused this’. My own instructor was horrified to hear of my problems — the first she’d ever encountered in more than a decade of teaching — and has replaced our planking competitions with a much gentle move. It’s not made me the most popular person in class, but it should ensure no one ends up in hospital again. Cedar Plank Salmon Recipe - Allrecipes.
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