My Brother Planks Better Then You

Planking seems very simple as a concept, simply get on the ground and lift your core off the ground, and then hold. Anyone who has done a proper plank will tell you the holding part is harder than it looks but it is very beneficial. Apart from gaining a strong core, you will also strengthen your back, see better posture, and improve your balance among other things.

Just make sure you are doing them properly. You'll note in the above picture that Dew is in a mountain but he's also seven years old and managed to hold that position for a full thirty seconds, took a ten second break and then got right back up. One of the most common phrases I hear is ‘no mountains and no valleys.’ You want to keep your body in a straight line, like a plank of wood. You can perform a plank either at the top of a pushup position (like the picture above) or on your elbows (like the picture below). Either way, you want to keep your elbows directly below your shoulders. You also want to engage your core and your glutes. That means tighten your butt to make this easier.

There are a few exercises that I recommend if you want to start planking to strengthen your body. First, put on some Netflix, a show that will keep you interested and is anywhere from twenty minutes to a half hour. Once you hit play, get up in your plank and hold the position for as long as you can. Once you drop, give yourself exactly one minute to recover and then get back up in a plank. Keep repeating this until your show is over.

 

Another plank exercise I enjoy involves both the pushup form as well as the traditional elbow form. Start on your elbows and then starting with your right arm, push yourself up into the pushup form. Then move your right arm back to the elbow position followed by your left. That’s one, you want to do at least twenty five before starting with your left arm and following it with your right to keep yourself balanced. Do another twenty five in the second direction so you have fifty reps total.

The last one is a bit advanced. Have a stop watch or your phone timer with you and set the screen to stay lit. Begin by being in the traditional elbow plank position for one minute. Follow this by lifting one arm straight in front of you for fifteen seconds then switch arms for another fifteen. Then with both arms back on the ground, lift one leg for fifteen seconds then switch to the other leg. Here’s where it gets harder. For fifteen seconds lift an arm and the opposite leg up then switch for fifteen seconds. Finish off with thirty seconds in a traditional plank.

I hope everyone has nice strong abs after this.

Check out these sites for more information:

http://fitness.mercola.com/sites/fitness/archive/2014/12/05/5-plank-benefits.aspx

http://www.plankexerciseapp.com/guide/plank-exercise-benefits