Lower back, neck, shoulders and wrists

Plank: Incline Chair

An excellent stepping stone toward floor plank: the incline significantly reduces spinal load while still building meaningful core stability and motor control.

How to do it

1. 1

   Set a stable chair against a wall

   Push the chair back against the wall so it cannot slide away from you, and test it with some weight before you commit.

2. 2

   Place your hands on the seat, shoulder width apart

   Straight arms, hands roughly under your shoulders. The seat is lower than a wall, so noticeably more of your weight now travels into your arms.

3. 3

   Walk your feet back into one long line

   Heels, hips, shoulders and head in a line, with your middle gently firm and your waist long. Keep your gaze down at the seat.

4. 4

   Hold for 20 to 45 seconds, then rest

   Repeat once or twice if the line stays clean. Shorten the hold rather than allowing the line to sag.

What to watch for

A chair that can slide or tip. Push it against a wall and test it before you take any weight, and end the hold as soon as your hips start dropping.

Ways to adjust it

• Reduce hold time

If this one is too much today

Try the gentler version instead. It asks less of you and does much the same work.

• Plank: Wall

Other ways to do this movement

Every version below is the same movement set up differently, so one of them usually suits. See all Plank versions in one place, ordered from gentlest to strongest.

• Plank: Classic (+ Knees-Down)
• Plank: Forearm
• Plank: Wall

Before you try it

Move within a range that stays comfortable. Stop if this brings on sharp pain, dizziness, or symptoms that travel down an arm or a leg, and speak to a clinician before repeating it.

From the clinically authored Vinys movement library.