5 Benefits Of Planks & How To Perform A Classic Plank
Everything You Need To Know About The Classic Plank- For Men & Women
Plank is a fantastic exercise that not only strengthens your core muscles but also works on your glutes, shoulders as well as back muscles, by making sure you are not putting too much pressure on your spine or hips. This balancing pose strengthens your back muscles preventing backaches and ensures a strong support for your back. So if you want toned abdomen and firm buttocks then this is the exercise for you! There are many variations of planks such as side planks or T planks, reverse planks etc. however this article focuses on just the basic plank formation for beginners.
How To Perform The Classic Plank Properly:
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1. Get down on the floor (face-down prone position), keeping your legs straight but slightly apart.
2. Raise your body resting on your forearms (making sure your elbows form a straight line with your shoulders), keeping your legs straight but slightly apart, with your feet flexed with the bottoms of your toes on the floor.
Note- Your body should form a straight line, abs tightened & making sure the body is parallel to the ground!
Hold this position for 15-20 seconds and slowly build this up to a minute or more!
5 Important Benefits Of Performing Planks:
- It strengthens your core muscles, shoulder muscles as well as your back muscles.
- It improves your overall flexibility as it expands and stretches especially the posterior muscles, shoulders, collar bone and shoulder blades, whilst also stretching the toes, arches of the feet as well as the hamstrings.
- Improves your posture, keeping your bones & joints healthy as they are properly aligned with a proper posture.
- Prevents the shoulders & lower back from injuries, due to the stability of the muscles.
- Improves balance & posture.
What Not To DO Whilst Doing The Planks:
- Don’t allow your head, shoulders or hips to drop.
- Don’t place your hands too close together as this would cause instability of your shoulder joint, injuring it.
- Don’t hold your breath.
- Don’t try to overdo it by holding the position for too long. The key is to maintain a proper form i.e. the body should form a straight line & it is better to do it for a shorter time correctly than to perform it incorrectly for a longer time, straining your muscles and causing injuries.
