If you ask a bunch of trainers to give a short list of their favorite exercises, the plank will likely top many of them, and there is a good reason for that.
If you plank everyday for at least one minute you will find it is one of the quickest ways to tighten and tone your core. A one minute plank is a simple, yet very effective body weight exercise which has many health benefits including improved posture, reduced back pain and improved metabolism to name a few.
How To Plank
Before we actually get into the health benefits of planks, it is very important for you to know how to do a classic plank.
- First, lie on your front with your fists clasped, elbows pushed into your sides by your ribs, forearms on the floor and toes tucked under.
- Then, push your bodyweight up so that it’s resting on your forearms and feet, in a straight line parallel to the floor.
- Next, squeeze the muscles in your bottom and thighs and push your heels together. This increases the muscle tension in your legs and bottom, while pulling up on your pelvic floor. Check your back and bottom aren’t popping up or caving in.
- Tuck your pelvis under to switch on your lower abs and make sure that you are making a straight line from heels to head, so that your neck is parallel to the floor.
Remember to keep your head and neck in a relaxed, neutral spine posture with your eyes focused on the floor, at a spot between your forearms.
If you are just beginning, start by holding this position for 10 seconds and work up to a minute gradually.
Benefits Of A One Minute Plank
Now that you know how to do a classic plank let us get into the health benefits of doing a one minute plank everyday.
Improved Posture
Planks create a functional midsection because they work your entire core, which encompasses the whole trunk from the pelvic girdle to your shoulder girdle. When these muscles, which include the erector spinae, rhomboids and trapezius, are strong, you’ll naturally stand up straighter.
Good posture means you’re keeping your bones in proper alignment, facilitating breathing and nervous system function.
As it promotes proper positioning it also, therefore, operation of your internal organs including those used for digestion. Additionally, good posture lengthens you out so you look thinner and taller without dropping an ounce on the scale.
Standing up tall also makes you appear more confident and allows you to show off all that work you do in the gym.
Reduced Back Pain
Better posture helps you reap another of the plank’s benefits which is improved back health. From a practical point of view, good posture helps keep the vertebrae and ligaments of your spine healthy and aligned.
A one minute plank will train the muscles of your abdomen to activate so they support your posture and share in the burden of holding you upright. Your back muscles no longer have to do all the work.
This also deters the development of degenerative osteoarthritis and the associated immobility that occurs with time. When your abs are stronger and you sit up tall with your vertebrae stacked, as your body is designed. You’re also less likely to develop pain in your neck and shoulders caused from slouching in abnormal positions.
Improved Metabolism
One of the most important benefits of a one minute plank is its ability to boost your metabolism.
Planking challenges your entire body. This one form of workout helps you burn more calories than regular crunches and sit-ups. This muscle strengthening exercise helps you burn more energy even if you are sitting the whole day.
Practicing planks 10 times a day, for a stretch of 60 seconds boosts your metabolism and keeps it high throughout the day.
Stronger Core
Planks engage all your major core muscle groups including the transverse abdominis, the rectus abdominis, the external oblique muscle and the glutes. In strengthening each of these muscle groups you will notice an increased ability to lift heavier weights and Improved sports performance, particularly in relation to jumping.
Your body will also have an Improved capacity for stable side-bending, waist-twisting, a supported back and a strong, shapely buttocks.
A Toned Belly
Planking will help build your deep inner core muscles that lay the groundwork for that six-pack look. As your abdominal muscles become stronger, your mid-section will tighten.
Keep in mind, however, that in order to really get a six pack and toned abs, you have to shed fat and doing planks alone won’t help in that.
Improved Balance and Coordination
One of the best benefits of planking doesn’t come from actual muscle growth, but from its ability to help you train your muscles to be more stable. Your body uses its core muscles to help maintain balance.
This is obvious when you’re running, biking, exercising in any way, or during active leisure activities like dancing. Many people think that their extremities are responsible for their balance, and they are, in part but the majority of your stabilization comes from your core.
Having a strong core helps you avoid injuries that could be caused by single muscle groups that might be over exerted trying to maintain balance during aggressive exercise.
Planks also help build endurance of the different muscle groups, so you’re able to maintain balance in physically exhausting situations for longer times.
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More Flexibility
Planks make your posterior muscle groups, not just your glutes but all of the muscle groups in the back of your body much more flexible.
These include the muscles around your shoulders and your collarbone area and even your shoulder blades themselves. These muscle areas will grow and stretch with continued planking, which is great because these areas are often neglected during many traditional exercise routines.
Side planks, a variation we will discuss later, allow you to stretch out your sides, improving flexibility from the hip area.
Improved Mental Health
Planks can even have benefits on your state of mind?
A lot of the groups that planks target are groups of muscles that are frequently strained and knotted, and contribute massively to stress. Knowing that your body’s physically stressed can be draining to your mental state.
Tension in certain parts of your body, like your legs, can lead to more tension in other parts of your body due to your natural need to compensate. If your legs are tense, you will try to put less weight on them, which could strain your back.
All of these worries and stressors can compound into a form of anxiety, or vice-versa having a lot of stress and worry on your mind can lead to your body undergoing a psychosomatic response which is a physical response caused by a mental process which could cause your muscles to tense up.
Planking can eliminate the physical stressors in this case, which can help to ease your state of mind.
Doing a one minute plank can me that you no longer will you have to worry about work causing your body strain and if you’re strong enough to handle it!
Different Variations Of One Minute Planks
Once you’ve mastered the classic plank, there are a few variations that you can do to get even more benefits.
Side Plank
- Lie on one side and ensure your elbow is directly underneath your shoulder, with your arm flat. Keeping your knees on the ground, stack your legs and raise your hips.
- Try placing your hand on your hip or raising it straight toward the ceiling.
- Squeeze your glutes as you hold for up to to 1 minute.
Plank Walkdown
- Start on your forearms in plank position. Slide one hand back and plant it under your shoulder. Push up with that arm and repeat with the other arm.
- Now you’re in a pushup position with your hands under your shoulders. Reverse the steps to lower yourself down into a plank position.
Straight Arm Plank
This plank looks like the top of a push-up and requires shoulder stabilization, too.
- Start on all fours with your wrists directly under shoulders, toes on the floor.
- Then, step one foot back and then the other as you engage abs and straighten legs.
- Press the floor away from you with your hands. You should form a straight line from shoulders to heels.
- Try to hold this position for up to 1 minute.
Side Plank Crunch
This is Not your usual crunch or side plank but a blend of the two.
- Begin in a straight arm side plank on your right side, with hips, knees, and feet stacked and right shoulder stacked directly over right wrist.
- Place left hand behind head.
- Bend through the left side to crunch up and over to the left, driving left knee in toward elbow.
- Slowly return back to side plank, keeping your left hand behind your head.
- Do this for 30 seconds and then switch sides.
Twisting Knee Plank
- Start in a straight arm plank, with your shoulders directly over your wrists and forming a straight line from shoulders to heels.
- Keeping your shoulders steady, twist your lower body to the left, bringing your right hip toward the floor.
- Return to center, then twist the lower body to the right, bringing left hip toward floor. Return to center.
- Next, pull your left knee in toward your right elbow. Pause, then step it back to plank.
- Finally, bring your right knee in toward your left elbow. Pause, then step it back to plank.
- Continue alternating hip twists and diagonal knee pulls. Do this for one minute total.
Side to Side Plank
- Start in a plank and twist your hips to one side.
- Try to touch the outside of your hip to the ground, then come back to the center before twisting to the other side. Your feet shouldn’t move; only your waist.
One Legged Plank
- Start in a classic plank position, with your shoulders directly over your wrists and your feet hip width apart or slightly wider. Form a straight line from shoulders to heels.
- Lift right leg up and hold for a few seconds. Then place it back down.
- Repeat with your left leg.
- Continue alternating for up to one minute.
