Things You Need To Know About Plank Exercises

It is a simple workout designed to strengthen your core and improve athletic strength. One can achieve it in a number of ways, but the main goal of a plank workout is to have your body perpendicular to the ground, just like a push-up. 

There are several benefits of planks when it comes to your health. They are excellent for your abdomen and core. Furthermore, they are very easy to perform for anyone. 

Benefits of Planks

Adding this exercise to your fitness routine brings immense fitness-related benefits. As mentioned earlier, a plank is the simplest workout that exerts numerous benefits on your physical health.

It enables you to have a solid core look. In addition to that, it assists individuals in normalizing balance and strength with every other activity.

Our core strength is the foundation of all-powerful, athletic activities, and a strengthened core effectively helps eliminate stress from the joints.

Plank muscles worked exercise is ideal for core muscle stability and strength. According to professional athletes’ planks can build more strength than any other cardio workout you perform regularly.

• Planks Improve Your Posture

A good posture is important for several things when you engage in a fitness workout session. It helps you to prevent unwanted injuries during exercise.

People who go to the gym often receive injuries because of inappropriate weight distribution and improper posture which can impact their major and minor workout routines.

On the other hand, proper posture demonstrates self-assurance and confidence. Since the plank muscles worked are your cores it means they are perfect for your entire body.

Furthermore, a good posture ensures that you are keeping your bones aligned during exercise sessions. As a result, there will be reduced stress on the other body parts.

An Improvement in your body posture is also great for the internal organs. This also reduces the problem related to food digestion.

• Planks Help Build Muscles

By combining planks with other strength training workouts, people can acquire countless benefits as it targets several important muscle groups of our body.

1. Planks effectively help build muscle in your transverse abdominis, rectus abdominis, and internal and external obliques.
2. The oblique muscles are responsible for your ability to bend sideways and twist your waist and are often underlooked during exercise routines.

How To Do a Plank?

Plank is an easy exercise requiring no fancy gym equipment. All you need is a space where you can extend your arms and legs. One can perform planks on his palms and forearms.

Here are some steps to perform planks:

• Begin in the plank position, keep your face down with your forearms and toes on the floor. Your elbows should be directly under your shoulders with your forearms facing forward. Your head should be relaxed and you should be looking at the floor.
• Captivate your abdominal muscles drawing your navel toward your spine. Keep your torso straight and rigid and your body in a straight line from your ears to your toes with no sagging or bending. This is the spine position. Make sure that your shoulders are down, and your heels need to be over the feet’ balls.
• Remain in the same position for 5 to 10 seconds.

These are simple steps for the plank muscles that you can perform every day at home or at the gym. 

Common Plank Mistakes

If you want to make the most out of this exercise, avoid these common mistakes:

• Arching Your Back: If you are not arching your back during the planks, it means you are not using your abdominal muscles. As a result, the weight on your arms will increase significantly. 

• Sagging Your Hips:  When your abs reach their fatigue limit, your hips will begin to sink. It is a signal that indicates stopping this exercise immediately. Try to separate your feet wider and concentrate on engaging your abs.

• Keeping Your Head Up or Down: This simple exercise should be performed by keeping your head straight with your entire body. Looking up or down can affect your overall posture and affects the stability of your body.

Conclusion

Plank is an effective workout to train your core and enjoy peak physical strength. However, doing it right matters a lot. Avoid the above-mentioned mistakes while doing it to prevent yourself from unwanted muscle injuries.

When you do this exercise in the right manner, your body will experience multiple benefits in the long run.

FAQs

Is 2 Minute Planking a Day Enough?

A two-minute plank a day is enough as it effectively helps improve your body posture by strengthening your neck, back, chest, abdominal, and shoulder muscles.

If you do the plank daily, your posture will be improved and your back will be straightened.

Does Planking Burn Belly Fat?

Planking is a perfect method of burning belly fat because it engages several muscles simultaneously, boosts the metabolic rate, and benefits core strength. In short, it is an excellent choice to stimulate your whole body.