Do you have 5-10 free minutes a day? Great! Then do plank exercises! The plank is a static exercise when you bring your hands or forearms to the floor. This exercise is considered to be one of the most effective ways to tighten your belly and body. All you need to do this exercise is your own weight and a flat surface. Below we will consider the reasons why everyone should do a plank every day.
Pros and Cons of the Plank Exercise:
- Even a beginner in the world of sports and fitness can do the plank.
- The plank will strengthen your core muscles.
- Strengthening the core muscles has a profound effect on your posture: the condition of the neck, shoulders, back and lower back.
- The plank is a unique exercise that will make your body work almost entirely.
- A sense of balance will be developed, and it will help you achieve great results in any sport.
- The plank will strengthen your back and buttocks.
- Thanks to the plank, flexibility will be improved: muscles and ligaments attached to the shoulders, shoulder blades, collarbones, thighs, even toes become stretched.
- Doing the plank regularly will help you maintain a straight posture and back.
- There are many variations of the exercise. You can choose the right one for yourself.
- You can get a more beautiful bikini body due to the plank (especially reverse plank).
- The metabolism will be accelerated.
- The plank reduces back pain.
- Regular planking can not only calm your brain but prevent the onset of symptoms of anxiety and depression.
- You can do plank exercises anywhere: at home, on the street, at the gym.
- Improper exercising can put pressure on the spinal discs, lower back, and shoulder joints.
- The plank does not help to remove tummy fat and get rid of love handles! This exercise is designed to tone muscles, not burn body fat.
- Performing the plank for a long time can lead to high blood pressure.
How long should I perform the plank?
The answer to this question is purely individual. Do the exercise as long as your body allows. Beginners can do the plank for 15-30 seconds. The main thing is not to increase the duration of the exercise at the expense of the technique.
Fitness mistakes. How not to harm yourself during doing fitness exercises?
Canadian scientists revealed the study in The Journal of Strength and Conditioning, the conclusion of which is that performing the plank for a long time is not as effective as several short fitness exercises. Professor of the University of Waterloo, Dr. Stuart McGill, believes that setting a record and trying to perform the plank as long as possible is useless for your health.
However, if the competitive spirit is a pure feeling for you, you can try to break the record of Dane Tom Hoel. He stood in the plank for 4 hours and 28 minutes. Tom prepared for the record for a whole year, and for the last 4 months, he was completely focused on adhering to the training, nutrition, and rest regimen.
Contraindications
The plank mustn’t be performed during pregnancy, and if you have any back injury, hernias in any part of the spine, and problems with the wrist, elbow, shoulder, ankle joints. Doing plank exercises is also contraindicated if you have a tendency to high blood pressure, exacerbation of the chronic disease, or fever for any of the possible reasons.
