A Move You Should Do MONDAY – Plank to Sumo Press

The plank to sumo press is a full body exercise that will activate your abs and lengthen your adductors as you strengthen the muscles of a squat. Here’s how to do it:

Stand with a wide base of support and toes pointed straight ahead with a medicine ball in front of you
Squat down and place your hands on the ball
Step your right foot and then your left foot back
Walk your feet back up to the ball and squat down into a sumo squat
Press the medicine ball forward
Repeat 6-10 reps
Variations include using just your body weight, jumping your feet back and/or using dumbbells

Why does this matter?

As with all plank exercises, the plank to sumo press strengthens stabilizers of the shoulder and spine but with an added benefit of dynamically lengthening the adductor magnus with the sumo squat. Adductor magnus not only becomes tight when we adduct our legs for prolonged periods of time (i.e. sitting with legs crossed) but it also becomes tight if we externally rotate our hips excessively (i.e. walking with toes pointed out or sitting with our knees pointed out). Tight adductors will neurologically inhibit the biggest muscle of your body, the gluteus maximus.

So give the plank to sumo press a try. You abs and adductors will thank you.

Because nobody has time to be in pain.

Until next time…