Upward Facing Plank—also known as Face-Up Plank—is a yoga pose that opens up the chest and strengthens the hands, wrists, shoulders and core. Your feet and ankles also have to work hard to stabilise the position, since your entire body weight presses down through them while your hips lift up. It’s great for correcting poor posture.
UPWARD FACING PLANK BENEFITS
- Opens the chest, as your shoulders externally rotate and your shoulder blades squeeze together.
- Strengthens the shoulder stabilisers, holding your shoulder blades together and externally rotating your shoulders.
- Strengthens the wrists, bearing your full bodyweight in extension.
- Strengthens the glutes and hamstrings, extending your hips to lift them off the mat.
- Strengthens the neck, holding your head in a controlled tilt without letting it drop fully back.
- Strengthens the abs and back together, keeping your trunk stable and stopping your lower back from overarching.
- Strengthens the feet and ankles, as your full bodyweight presses down through them.
- Improves posture.
- Can help to alleviate upper back pain, by countering the rounded shoulders and forward head posture from sitting.
CATEGORY
SKILL LEVEL
- Intermediate
INSTRUCTIONS
- Set-Up
Sit on the mat with your legs straight out in front of you, feet together.
- Action
Position your hands 6-12 inches behind you—fingertips face forward. Externally rotate your shoulders and squeeze your shoulder blades together to open up your chest. Lift your hips all the way up and look at the ceiling without letting your head drop back.
- Refinements
Keep pressing into your palms and be careful not to let your hips drop. You can rotate your hands outward to give you more space in the shoulders.
- Duration
Hold the pose for 3-5 breaths.
MODIFIED UPWARD FACING PLANK: Crab
- If you find Upward Facing Plank challenging, you can start with the modified version. Your knees should be directly above your ankles, toes point straight ahead. You can alter the position of your hands if you need to.
PREP POSE: Hammock
- Press your palms into the mat and squeeze your shoulder blades together to stretch your chest and engage your upper back muscles.
CONTRAINDICATIONS
- Avoid this pose if you have a wrist, neck, shoulder or foot injury.
MASTER UPWARD FACING PLANK
If you’d like to practise Upward Facing Plank as part of a sequence, watch Scapular Stability—a 15-minute guided practice designed to build scapular or shoulder blade stability. This video can be accessed along with my full library of 360+ videos as part of the 14-Day Free Trial.
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