Should planks hurt one side of abs more than the other?

S

shanks911

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Had a quick question re planks. Does anyone else find whilst doing these that one side of the abs hurts more than the other?

With me I feel a sharper pain at the top right of my abs, I've tried countering this by leaning a little and trying to shift some weight to the left but it makes very little difference..
 
Here's a thought: though I haven't experienced pain on what I consider to be my weaker side with planks, but I do think working on your obliques with different techniques to make that side stronger might resovle the problem. You can then try returning to this side and see if it doesn't make a difference.
 
Exercises shouldn't cause pain while doing them. Discomfort might be felt from either the exertion or the muscle"burn", but not pain. You may have an injury or you may just have some muscle imbalance, as this doesn't occur with both sides.

That particular side may be weaker than the other and you may have to modify the plank - go to your knees instead of your feet - to make it easier. Twisting away from the pain isn't a good idea as this can make the imbalance worse. Besides your abs, this exercise also works your back muscles.

Getting checked out by a knowledgeable professional isn't a bad idea. Otherwise, try to strengthen that side without causing pain. Doing one arm dumbbell presses while standing might help. Do them for the side that is weak to help strengthen your obliques.

Again, be safe and don't cause pain - go lighter with your weights if you have to.
 
Thanks for the replies.

Yes this definitely isn't just the normal muscle burn that I get with the usual exercises. It's actually a sharpish sensation of pain. I don't have any injuries that I know of right now and I've had this for as long as I can remember so I'm guessing it's a muscle imbalance as mentioned.

Is it definitely worth going to see a normal GP over? Just cuz I wouldn't really know what to say, if I complain that it hurts when I do planks, surely the doctors reply would just be "Stop doin em then.. Stupid" lol..

Guess I'll carry on and try those one-armed DB presses and see if that helps!..

Thanks.
 
Its highly unlikely that your GP will know what to do, at best they will refer you to someone else. Getting checked out by a physical therapist or chiropractor knowledgeable in sports injuries might be a better way to go.

If you can find a personal trainer with good knowledge of corrective exercise, that might be another option.
 
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