Why do plank

But the biggest issue with core weakness is low back pain. Back muscles and your core help to stabilize your body before any movement. If your core is weak, the other surrounding muscles have to compensate. Over time, these muscles can suffer strain, which leads to lingering pain. The standard sit-up is often the go-to core strengthener, but it has limits. Most experts suggest anywhere from 10 up to 30 seconds is plenty.

You can perform a plank every day, on alternate days, or simply as part of your regular workouts. I sometimes like to do mine during workday breaks. When you first start to do planks, you may not be able to hold the correct position for very long. If resting on your forearms is uncomfortable, do the plank from a push-up position, with your arms fully extended.

If you need more of a challenge, try alternating leg lifts during the pose: raise one leg for a second or two, and then repeat with the other leg. As a service to our readers, Harvard Health Publishing provides access to our library of archived content.

Please note the date of last review or update on all articles. No content on this site, regardless of date, should ever be used as a substitute for direct medical advice from your doctor or other qualified clinician. Mixing a set of normal planks with side planks adds an extra dimension to the workout. This has been good for my lower back issues. While I feel the plank is a beneficial exercise, there is more to core health than this one exercise. Successful core training should involve static movements like the plank , basic exercises like an oblique crunch on a fitball and functional movements like medicine ball tosses.

Those reflect the demands on our core in a much more balanced way. If you rotate through these types of exercises for the core, your program will yield amazing results. I do planks for about a minute and a half. Also, a terrific stomach exercise is to lie on your back. For many years, the plank has been my go to exercise.

I am a caregiver and time is limited. I can sneak in a plank without changing into workout clothes. I am a Health and Wellness Professional and staying active is vital to our health.

Sometimes, if I am heating water for tea, the microwave becomes my timer. I love the feeling when I am finished. I feel stronger. To do a high plank , also known as a front plank, the most common variety, simply arrange yourself as if you were doing a push-up. Rise to the top of this position, making sure your back is completely straight, and hold the position here.

Fortunately, the plank targets almost every group of muscles in our body. This means that adding planks to your workout regimen will make your entire body stronger. They improve the strength of our skeletal system, they improve our ability to focus and concentrate, and even help us breathe properly.

The odds are pretty slim, and the amount of planking you would have to do would be absolutely ridiculous, but including a plank as part of a varied routine shows some immense benefits. Planks go best when mixed with an assortment of cardio and strength training exercises , and they show this by improving the benefits that you reap from each individual exercise and type of training you do.

Your core is crucial for helping keep your spine in alignment, as well as maintaining strength in the rest of your back. Core strength helps keep you safe from strain injuries. Doing too many exercises that target specific muscle groups — weight training, for example — neglects the core and can lead to disproportionate strength and injuries later in life. Planks are a great way to maintain strength in the core.

Conclusion: Planks are a very versatile exercise that target a lot of the most important muscle groups in the body. Planks are able to improve your posture , which is incredibly important for a number of things. Since planks work your core, that means they work basically the whole body, from your pelvic girdle to your shoulder girdle as well as your legs. The plank strengthens your spine, your rhomboids and trapezius, and your abdominal muscles, which naturally result in a strong posture as they grow in strength.

Developing your posture can improve on a number of ailments, and prevent the onset of other ones. Having strong core muscles naturally improves your posture, since these muscles are what help your body hold its own weight and carry itself with proper balance. Planks target almost all the areas that are responsible for good posture, effectively improving it. The improved posture alone helps to align the vertebrae , which takes off unnecessary stress in the spinal region.

This also helps to arrange the ligaments in the back properly, which further prevents painful back conditions. Planks help you build up the muscles in your abdomen, which allows further support of your posture. Strong abdominals take a lot of this stress off your back this is part of the reason that waist-straps are so helpful when carrying heavy backpacks! Having strong abs and sitting or standing up straight prevents several unpleasant things from happening. Planks strengthen a lot of muscle groups, as well as the skeletal system, in ways that allow your body to better compose itself.

The body uses its core muscles to help maintain balance. Many people think that their extremities are responsible for their balance, and they are, in part — but the majority of your stabilization comes from your core.

Having a strong core helps you avoid injuries that could be caused to single muscle groups that might be over exerted by trying to maintain balance during aggressive exercise.

For example, snowboarding relies heavily on the calves for balance, and having a strong core can reduce some of this strain. Strengthening your core also teaches you how your body and muscles work together, and can help improve your ability to work as a single unit instead of trying to control a bunch of different muscle groups simultaneously.

Performing endurance feats like planking also carry with them a very trying mental aspect. Many people say that half of a workout is in your mind, and the plank is great proof of this — many people can hold a plank for much longer than they believe that they can, but they give up too soon. Doing regular plank training, and continuing to motivate yourself to hold a full plank, can have incredible benefits for your focus and concentration.

They work a set of core muscles that are responsible for the way your body carries itself — meaning that doing planking enhances your ability to support your own weight. It's important to never compromise your form. Having bad form — like allowing your lower back to sag or popping your butt into the air — can increase your risk for injuries and make the plank less effective. While planks are always a whole-body exercise, certain types of planks can give specific muscle groups an added workout.

Modified planks can also make the exercise harder, giving you an additional challenge once you've mastered regular planks. Maintaining the same tenants of a traditional plank, rotate onto your side, extending one arm toward the ceiling and balancing on one foot. These are the muscles between your ribs. This is the same idea as a standard plank, but you're facing the ceiling rather than the floor. Lay on your back, and push your upper body up with your arms extended beneath you, until your body is forming a straight line.

Hold this position. No matter your fitness level, planks are a good exercise to incorporate into your fitness routine. You can challenge yourself to do planks daily — and even integrate them into the beginning of your stretching and cooldown routine so you don't forget about them.

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