Benefits of doing planks: In the COVID-19 pandemic, don’t let closed gyms be your excuse to run away from your daily exercise routine. Many exercises can be easily done at home and they have numerous benefits for your body (if performed consistently and regularly). The plank exercise is one of them. Let us learn more about this amazing form of exercise.
What is Plank Exercise?
The plank is a bodyweight core exercise. It is also called a front hold, hover or abdominal bridge. Plank exercise falls in the category of isometric exercises which means that it involves static contraction of the abdominal muscles without any visible movement in angles of any joints.
Plank exercise was said to be “invented” by Joseph Pilates, the man who founded the very popular Pilates system of exercise. He would perform an exercise called leg pull front, a precursor exercise for plank. This exercise (unlike plank) was done for reps and strength and not for endurance.
In 2005, Brain Mackenzie began his 101 Evaluation Test for athletes in which plank exercise was included to determine the core strength of the athletes.
Plank exercise is commonly performed in yoga and pilates. It is extremely useful for athletes who are involved in sports that require high core strength like boxing, football etc. Due to its versatile nature, planking can be included in everyone’s daily exercise routine. It can be a part of the warm-up routine or as sets in the main conditioning routine. It can also be included in circuit training. Planks are a very important part of military fitness training and many military systems include them in their daily training.
Equipment needed for planking
One of the most important advantages of the plank is that it can be done anywhere and you do not require any kind of equipment to do this exercise. Except, perhaps a stopwatch which you can use to record the time for which you hold the plank.
To add to the challenge, you can even use an unstable surface like the balancing board or stability ball. Apart from this, you will need your slip-resistant exercise shoes and a mat to protect your elbows, a towel to wipe the sweat later and some water for hydration (based on your requirement).
Related:
Muscles involved in a plank
The main muscles activated while performing plank exercises are the abdominal muscles; namely the transversus abdominis and the rectus abdominis.
Apart from these, the other core muscles like the inner and outer obliques and spinal erectors (back muscles) are also engaged. When the oblique muscles on both sides of your body work together, they provide a stabilizing effect particularly to the ribs and the hips.
As the plank is also a full-body exercise along with the core, the lower as well as the upper body muscles are also activated. The lower body muscles which are activated include your thigh muscles (quadriceps), glutes (buttock) as well as hamstrings. The activated upper body muscles include the trapezius, the chest muscles or the pectorals, the arm muscles (the biceps and triceps) and the back muscles (the rhomboids and latissimus dorsi).
Benefits of doing planks
Due to the wide range of muscles involved while performing the plank pose, this exercise provides you with innumerable health benefits; some of which are as follows.
Posture improvement
As the plank works on all muscles which help to keep your body erect and straight, this is a perfect exercise to improve posture. It will help you keep your body perpendicular to the ground. It is usually seen that people who are tall suffer from hunchbacks. Planks are great in such cases. Planks will help to get rid of the hunch.
Decreases risks of injury
Another added benefit of the plank is decreasing the risk of injuries due to improper weight distribution. A good posture will keep the bones aligned and also help you in lifting more weight. Conditions like osteoarthritis and other joint diseases are less likely to develop if the joints and bones are well aligned.
Flexibility
You may not feel it but plank exercise helps in stretching out the muscles of the lower body. This makes the plank a strength and stretch exercise which increases your overall flexibility.
Core strengthening
The core is an important part of the body that is often neglected during strength training for particular muscles. This leads to disproportion in the muscles which may predispose you to various bone and joint injuries. Including planks in your daily routine exercises will help strengthen the core muscles.
Lower back pain reduction
As the core muscles strength improves with planks, the spine is able to hold a neutral back position. This alleviates stress on the back thus helping in reducing lower back pain. Lower back pain is very common in professions that involve sitting in the same position for a long time period. Planks can help people in such professions.
Metabolism improvement
Planks can be compared to sit-ups if done every day and help you burn your calories. The abdominal muscles are a large muscle group and as muscles grow stronger, you tend to burn more calories even with the simplest of the exercises like walking to work.
Reduces tummy fat
Planks can help you burn tummy fat to a certain extent. However, it is not advisable to do planks just to reduce tummy fat. It has to be accompanied by a proper diet that has a calorie deficit.
Uses in physiotherapy
The plank exercise is used for the prevention and rehabilitation of lower back pain. Performing the plank on an unstable surface can be used as a progression for stabilizing the trunk.
How To Do The Plank Exercise?
Plank exercise has many variations. The most common plank hold is the front plank hold.
For a low (forearm) front plank hold, follow the steps given below:
- Lie flat on the ground over your stomach.
- Place your forearms on the ground with elbows directly under your shoulders. Keep your feet flexed with your toes on the floor.
- Press your forearms and rise on your toes. Only your forearms and toes should touch the ground. Your body should be in the air (a few inches from the ground).
- Draw your stomach inside and tighten your glutes.
- Look down to keep your head in a neutral position
- Breath regularly.
- Hold this position for as long as you can then lower your body to the floor
Points to remember
- Do not sag your hips or arch your back.
- The back should remain in a straight line with the shoulders.
- Do not lock your elbows.
- Planks can make you tremble in the beginning because (as a beginner) you apply more force to your muscles. As you develop strength, the trembling will stop and you will be able to hold the plank position longer.
What happens if I do planking every day for 1 minute?
Planks in a proper form and position can be held from 15 seconds to hours together. The longest record of a front plank hold (resting on the elbow) is of 8 hours, 15 minutes and 15 seconds.
As beginners, you can aim for 15 seconds and go on adding five seconds every day. A 1-minute plank is adequate for a beginner. However, an advanced athlete should be able to hold the plank position for at least 120 seconds.
Other than the health benefits mentioned above, planking for 1 minute each day will help you in:
- Improving your mood.
- Improving your coordination.
- Building your running speed and efficiency.
- Improving stamina in endurance sports.
- Building a positive self-image.
- Making you look and feel confident about your body.
Related:
Different variations of the plank
Following are the different variations of planks:
High front hold (Hand and toe plank)
- The main difference between the low and high front hold is the position of the arms.
- In the low hold, your forearms rest on the ground while in the high hold, only the palms are on the ground.
- The arms are straight.
- In this plank position, there are chances that you may hurt your wrist and therefore might want to try the low hold.
Side plank
- In this variation of plank hold, you lie on your side with the right forearm on the ground.
- With your right arm straight and your left arm pointing towards the roof/sky, lift your hips from the ground.
- Stack one leg on top of the other or place the top leg foot slightly forward for better balance.
Stability ball planks
- A Swiss stability ball is used for the plank hold.
- You can either place your arms or your feet on the balancing ball.
- This makes the plank hold more challenging.
- The farther away the ball is from the body, the more intense the hold becomes.
Weighted planks
- In this type of hold, you can put a weighted plate on your back to make the hold more difficult.
One leg plank
- For this variation, stay in the front plank position and raise one leg for a certain amount of time and then change to the other leg.
- This hold will focus on your balance and stability.
Reverse plank
- This is the only type of plank in which you have to face upwards.
- You have to start from a seated position with legs fully extended in front of you.
- Place your hands slightly behind your body (outside your hips).
- With the arms straight, slowly lift your hips so that your body is in a straight line from heels to shoulders; with your head in alignment with your body.
Precautions
There are certain precautions to be followed while you perform the plank exercise:
- Be aware of your breathing while planking. Do not hold your breath during the hold.
- During pregnancy, consult your gynaecologist before doing the exercise
- Avoid plank hold if you are facing a shoulder injury.
Plank is a fantastic exercise for the overall development of your body. Make sure you reap the maximum benefit of this exercise by performing it consistently. Do not overdo it in your exercise regime.
INFS Exercise Science Online Workshop
If you are interested in learning more about the science behind workouts, you should check out our Exercise Science Online Workshop.
The ESS course will supplement the knowledge of fitness professionals and be useful for someone who
is keen on understanding exercise science in detail. It is a detailed course that explains the various aspects of exercise science.
The course begins with a thorough explanation of human anatomy and movements. The course, then, goes on to explain the setup and execution of major exercises (along with gender-specific programming).
You will also learn exercise execution and customisation of training variables. Apart from this, you will also be taught rehabilitation protocols and the right techniques for avoiding injuries.
With the help of this course, you will understand the core of exercise science.
Click here to learn more.
Author: Dr. Pooja Nilgar (Content writer & Editor)
