Effortlessly strengthen your core with this streamlined five-minute Pilates exercise plan, designed to make the traditionally challenging plank positions more manageable.
Jillian Hardwick's Pilates Plank Prep Exercise Routine with Resistance Bands
Jillian Hardwick, a fitness instructor who overcame her own spinal fracture through Pilates, has developed a routine for plank prep exercises using resistance bands. This routine is designed to help build stability and strength, preparing individuals for the full plank exercise.
The routine, available through HB Pilates, a virtual fitness program for people of all ages, consists of four exercises. Each exercise utilizes an open-ended resistance band to add resistance and engage the core muscles more deeply during plank preparation exercises.
The routine involves performing 8-10 reps of the first three exercises, and three sets of the banded plank hold. If a plank causes back, neck, or shoulder pain, it may be beneficial to perform plank prep exercises like these to build up strength and stability gradually.
Jillian demonstrates these Pilates plank prep exercises with resistance bands in her TikTok videos, providing visual instruction for safe and effective performance. Some common exercises in this routine include pulsing or holding poses in a plank-like position with the band looped around limbs to increase resistance, shoulder and scapular engagement exercises with the band in a modified plank or on forearms, and controlled leg and arm movements against the band’s resistance to build preparation strength for the full plank.
For beginners, the goal is to hold a plank for 20 seconds, gradually increasing to 30-60 seconds, performing three sets. As individuals progress, they can increase the intensity of the exercises by using a stronger resistance band or by performing more reps and sets.
In addition to her Pilates plank prep exercises, Jillian Hardwick offers a five-minute Pilates routine for beginners, an on-demand gentle mat Pilates routine, and an on-demand service for her full Pilates routine. If you're interested in her classes, you can start an on-demand membership for $42 a month, and by commenting "VIP" on a specific Instagram post, you may receive a discount code for HB Pilates.
[1] Jillian Hardwick's TikTok videos [2] HB Pilates website [3] Rowan Clift's article on plank exercises and routines
- Jillian Hardwick's exercise routine includes workouts like pulsing and holding poses in a plank-like position, utilizing resistance bands to increase fitness and engage core muscles more deeply, as part of her home workouts focusing on health-and-wellness and fitness-and-exercise.
- In her routine, yoga-inspired plank prep exercises, such as modified planks and forearm planks, are used for shoulder and scapular engagement, helping to build strength and stability for full plank exercises, promoting overall fitness.
- Scientific research suggests that progressive plank prep exercises like Jillian's routine can alleviate back, neck, or shoulder pain by gradually building strength and preparing individuals for plank exercises, contributing to better fitness and health.
