The plank is one of the most popular and effective ab exercises around the world. The plank makes not only the abdominal and shoulder muscles work, but also the muscles of the whole body.
It consists in the fact that once a day, as it were, “hang” above the floor for several minutes, leaning only on the hands and toes. Undoubtedly, being “in limbo”, even for two minutes, is not an easy task. But the result will not be long in coming. After just two weeks of regular exercise, you will notice how all the muscles in your body are tightened. But its important to know that if you are a beginner your ankles might not be ready for it. Therefore know how to wrap sprained ankles so you are prepared for any mishaps.
Plank is a static exercise. There are no movements in it, because the most important thing here is to keep the body correctly. How to do it: Lie on the floor with your stomach down. Bend your elbows 90 degrees and move to the support lying on your elbows. The body should be in a straight line from the top of the head to the heels of the feet. Lean only on your forearms and the tips of your toes. The elbows are directly under the shoulders.
Keep your body as straight as possible, tighten your abdominal muscles and do not relax any more. Try not to bend your hips down to the floor.
1. Feet Put together: it will become more difficult to maintain balance, which will increase the load on the abdominal muscles.
2. Legs: They must be straight and tense, otherwise the load on the rectus abdominis muscle, which keeps the lumbar spine from flexing, will also decrease.
3. Buttocks: Strain and do not let go of the tension until the end of the set. Contraction of the gluteal muscles increases the activation of all core muscles.
4. Loins: The most difficult moment! When done correctly, the lumbar spine should be flat. That is, the lower back cannot be rounded or bent. Imagine that your lower back is pressed firmly against the wall.
5. Belly: Pull in, and then (already retracted) try to pull up to the ribs. Throughout the approach, keep your stomach in this position, but do not hold your breath.
6. Elbows: To avoid putting unnecessary stress on your shoulders, place your elbows directly under the shoulder joints.
Exercises should be performed on exhalation, and held until moderate muscle tension. Hold on in this position as long as possible: for a start, it is enough to hold out for 10 seconds. As a rule, people with different preparedness maintain the plank posture from 10 seconds to 2 minutes. Ideally, you want to keep your body stationary for as long as possible – this is how you use your muscles to the maximum, but if you are a beginner, do not try to break the record: start small.
Final Tip
If you are doing the front plank exercise for the first time, first hold for 10 seconds, next time 20 seconds, then 30 seconds and eventually up to 1 minute. A good result is 2 minutes, but if you perform 3 sets, then hold out for 1 minute.
Try to gradually increase your workout time.
