Are You Planking?

By Jessica Pence 

We’re not talking about those teenage photo pranks that sprouted up across the Internet either. We’re talking about the quick, safe, and effective core exercise! If you’re not planking, you should be. Doing various plank exercises engages your deep core muscles. Planks don’t just tone your core, they also tone your oblique’s, upper abs, hips, lower back, shoulders and arms and they also aid in strengthening your spinal muscles, which will improve your posture. Planks are growing in popularity, as crunches and sit-ups are becoming archaic.

Why drop those trusty sit-ups for the latest fitness trend? When you teach sit-ups, you tell the person to flatten his or her back to the floor, which alone could cause pain in the lower back; the very condition strengthening your abs is supposed to prevent. Planks work the abs the way they’re supposed to function— isometrically. Isometric is a fancy word for a motionless contraction of a muscle without moving.

They maintain the stability of the core muscles, which in turn support correct posture by protecting an upright position and proper alignment of the spine. Dr. Jinger Gottschall, assistant professor of kinesiology at Penn State University, whose research on the benefits of planks is considered by many to be primary, says that the plank is a superior core exercise to the crunch or sit-up because it provides “more three-dimensional activation, from hip to shoulder, whereas the crunch is an isolated move that hits just your abs.” She adds that planks not only strengthen the core, but also the shoulders and hips.

The beauty of doing plank exercises is that they can be performed anywhere, they don’t require a lot of space and time or additional exercise equipment. Get started on a stronger core, today!

FIT TIP: How do you know if you’re doing them wrong? “If you’re feeling the brunt in your lower back and arms and not through your abs, glutes and quads,” says Burke.

  

Plank Jacks

1.    Place your hands on the floor directly beneath your shoulders and push up plank position. Your body should be straight from head to toe. Do not let your stomach sag or arch.

2.    2 Jump your feet out to the sides and then back to center like a jumping jack. Repeat for 60 seconds.

Side-to-Side Speed Plank

1. Start in push up plan position.

2. Keeping your feet together as much as possible, jump your legs into the air and land softly to the right side, keeping your hands in the same position. Both legs will be positioned farther to the side than your right hand.

3. From this position, jump your legs back into the air and land your feet farther to the side than your left hand.

4. Continue alternating sides each rep.

Donkey Kick Planks

1.    Start in forearm plank position (extend your arms to make it harder) 

2.    Bend your right knee, flex your foot (foot parallel to floor) and press your foot up toward the ceiling. Be sure to keep your pelvis and hips straight by lifting with your glutes and not your lower back.

Inverted V Planks

1.    Start in forearm plank position

2.    Keep abs in tight and press down through your shoulders and arms as you lift your hips up to the ceiling and your chest in towards your feet.

3.    Return to forearm plank position and repeat.

Knee Tap Planks

1.    Start in forearm plank position.

2.    Only bending from the knees, drop your knees to the floor, then return back to forearm plank position. Repeat.