Plank Pull Through: How to, Benefits, and Exercise Guide

July 21, 2023

The plank pull through turns the plank into a dynamic movement for increased core strength.

Numerous bodybuilders strive to keep their abs camera-ready year-round. After all, who doesn’t relish the confidence boost of flaunting a chiseled six-pack? Planks are an excellent method to sculpt and fortify your abdominal muscles and core, granting you that coveted aesthetic appeal and improved workout performance.

The plank pull through is a dynamic exercise variation of the traditional plank. This exercise takes the monotony of holding a plank for what always seems like forever and makes it more engaging. It’s a routine that combines a static workout with dynamic movement.

Doing a plank pull through involves incredible core strength, so be prepared to get wobbly. However, if you can master it, the total body reward is immense. In this guide, we show you how to do the plank pull through, the benefits of this routine, and alternatives you can try.

Techniques and Muscles Worked

The plank pull through is an effective exercise that not only directly engages your abs, but it targets your posterior chain muscles. Although it primarily targets your abdominals, it also, to a lesser degree, targets your obliques, biceps, delts, rotator cuffs, lats, rhomboids, glutes, and hamstrings (1). As you can see, plank pull throughs give great full-body involvement and engage several muscle groups.

To do this exercise, you need a dumbbell or kettlebell. Maintaining correct form by keeping your full body straight and avoiding hip drops is also important to keep the tension on your core and protect your lower back. Here’s a step-by-step guide to help you do a plank pull through effectively.

Assume the low plank position on the floor by balancing your entire weight on your toes and keeping your arms on the floor with your palms on the ground and arms extended to support you.
Place your dumbbell or kettlebell on your left side.
Lift your right arm and grab the dumbbell or kettlebell using an overhand grip.
Lift it, pull it to your right side (by grasping it underneath you across your torso), and return your right arm to the original position.
Pause briefly, then repeat steps 3 to 4 with your left arm for a full rep.
Do it again, alternating between sides for the total number of reps you want.

Benefits

Training your core using a plank pull through is important because your core muscles stabilize your body during daily tasks (2). This advanced exercise also gives you the following benefits when you add it to your workout regimen.

Increased Core Strength

Plank pull throughs are highly effective and build your lower back, obliques, and rectus abdominis. You use these muscles to keep your hips from sinking or rotating during the movement. This strengthens them, thereby increasing your core strength.

Better Muscular Endurance

This exercise is a great mix of static and dynamic movements. This means that it engages your slow twitch muscle fibers, helping to improve your endurance. This exercise also increases your stamina since it tests how long your core muscles can support it.

Balance and Coordination

During a plank pull through, it takes a lot to stay balanced while you move the dumbbell or kettlebell. As a result, this exercise trains your balance. It also improves your hand-eye coordination.

Better Posture

A lot of times, we spend our day hunched over our phones, laptops, and computers. The plank pull through helps you fix the rounding in your back that results from that. It does this by building the muscles that help you maintain proper posture, which includes your core.

Improved Performance and Alleviate Lower Back Pain

This study shows an important link between training your trunk muscles and sports-specific performance (2). You can improve your speed, agility, and explosive power using the plank pull through. This exercise can also help you prevent lower back injuries since that’s linked to a weak core.

Add Variety to Core Movements

Planks can get boring when done repeatedly over time. Integrating advanced techniques can make workouts more interesting and help you avoid training monotony (3). The plank pull through is a great way to make core-building fun and challenging.

Low Joint Impact

You do plank pull throughs on all fours, which helps to avoid stress on your joints. Many other core-building routines affect your lower back and stress your joints. This exercise is a low-impact and effective way to strengthen your abs.

Plank Pull Through Alternatives

Plank pull throughs are not the only way to build your core muscles with more frizz. Check out more variations below. Be prepared for some of them being more challenging than regular old planks.

Plank Pull Through with Resistance Band

Doing the plank pull through with resistance bands usually turns it into a unilateral exercise. This version is great because it keeps constant muscle tension and can help fix imbalances. It can also stimulate your triceps and improve your range of motion.

Renegade Row

The renegade row is another exercise done in the plank position with dumbbells. However, this movement has you row a dumbbell, so it’s more of a back workout than core workout. But the twisting and stabilization it requires engage your abs.

Lateral Bridge

The lateral bridge is done from the side plank position and builds your core muscles. To do this routine, you drive your hips upwards and downwards. It’s a great bodyweight alternative to planks.

FAQs

What does a plank pull through work?

Plank pull throughs primarily work your ab muscles but, to a lesser degree, engage your posterior chain. This exercise is great for your core and stability. Check the guide above for a complete breakdown of the muscles involved.

How do you do a plank pull through?

You do a plank pull through by adding dynamic movement to your regular plank using a dumbbell or kettlebell. Above are the step-by-step instructions on performing this routine correctly.

What muscles does plank pull through target?

Plank pull throughs target multiple muscle groups in your upper and lower body. The guide above lists some of them, including muscles in your arms, shoulders, core, and legs.

References

Gottschall, J. S., Mills, J., & Hastings, B. (2013). Integration core exercises elicit greater muscle activation than isolation exercises. Journal of strength and conditioning research, 27(3), 590–596. https://doi.org/10.1519/JSC.0b013e31825c2cc7
Saeterbakken, A. H., Andersen, V., Behm, D. G., Cumming, K. T., Prieske, O., Solstad, T. E. J., Shaw, M., & Stien, N. (2021). The Role of Trunk Training for Physical Fitness and Sport-Specific Performance. Protocol for a Meta-Analysis. Frontiers in sports and active living, 3, 625098. https://doi.org/10.3389/fspor.2021.625098
Krzysztofik, M., Wilk, M., Wojdała, G., & Gołaś, A. (2019). Maximizing Muscle Hypertrophy: A Systematic Review of Advanced Resistance Training Techniques and Methods. International journal of environmental research and public health, 16(24), 4897. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph16244897