Not be mistaken with planking—the strange fad where a person lies face down in an unusual place and is photographed—planking exercises are a great way to improve stability and strength in your abdominal muscles.
The basic plank is to start by lying on your stomach. Lift your body up, resting on your forearms and toes. Your body should be in a straight line…no butt up in the air and no curving of the back.
Keep your head relaxed and look at the floor. Hold the position for 10 seconds. As you progress with this exercise, you can hold the position for longer.
There are variations of plank exercises including a bent leg plank, leg lift, arm lift, and modified versions. You can even do a side plank.
Of course, as with any exercise you want to make sure you are doing it correctly with the proper form. For instance, most of the work should be felt in your abs, not in your arms or chest.
You should also make sure your arms are in line with your shoulders. The flatter your back is, the better your abdominals are being worked. If your stomach is sagging toward the floor it is going to put unnecessary pressure on your back.
When you keep your spine in line, you don’t have to worry about your hips being too high or dipping. Either way makes the plank exercise ineffective.
The other benefits to these exercises are that it improves flexibility, posture and reduces muscle stiffness. As with most any type of exercise, implementing the plank into your fitness routine can improve your health overall, both physically and mentally.
I personally prefer the plank exercises over crunches. But either one is a great way to tone those abs. What other exercises do you rely upon to work the abdomen?
Related Articles:
The Benefits of Core Body Exercises
The Benefits of a Fitness Ball
Photo by The U.S. Army in Flickr