In a good plank, your cervical spine is neutral — ears aligned with shoulders, gaze slightly ahead of your hands. If you’re craning your neck or tucking your chin, your face will follow. Fix the neck, fix the face.
This is the most dangerous element, where the platysma muscle in the neck becomes visible, indicating that you’re "hanging" on your neck rather than supporting yourself with your core. Why You Should Stop the Squeeze plank face
You have a finite amount of neurological "output." If you are sending signals to clench your jaw and squint your eyes, you are diverting energy away from your transverse abdominis and obliques. In a good plank, your cervical spine is
Studies (and good coaches) will tell you: . When your face is relaxed, your diaphragm can work properly, and your deep core muscles (transverse abdominis, pelvic floor) engage more effectively. This is the most dangerous element, where the
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Then — and only then — lower into your plank.
While it’s natural to want to grit your teeth through the pain, "Plank Face" can actually hinder your progress: