As you should know by now :-) the “3” in my famous 3-4-5 Total Body Fitness System is for the three orthogonal planes – sagittal, frontal and transverse.
Wait – don’t freak out …
Here’s a pretty picture with lots of colors for you that explains the concept:
Your body moves in all three planes of motion — so you want to be sure to exercise in all three planes of motion.
The Rotisserie may be the best* core training exercise because it works all three planes
*(Okay, “the best core training exercise,” as if I would ever recommend only one exercise, is kind of a silly notion. But it’s a question I get all the time — so you’re welcome.)
It’s basically a combination of front plank and side plank with a crucial, critical, vitally important transition that works your obliques in “anti-rotation” (the whole point of the exercise).
Here’s How You Do It
Now here’s the tricky — and most important part — of the whole deal:
As you turn into the Side Plank position, move your hips and shoulders together as a unit.
The common tendency is to turn your hips first and let your shoulders catch up later. That turns this highly effective core training exercise into a relative waste of your valuable exercise time. (Anybody can simply flop from a front plank to a side plank and back.)
We typically hold each plank (side, front, other side) for about 2 seconds each. About 10-14 total laps (that’s 5-7 to each side) is plenty for you when you focus on maintaining perfect form throughout.
