Bodyweight exercises are one of the most sought after exercises all over the world for the simple reason that they are the most effective and simple way of exercising.
Well, such exercises are easily doable, do not require much space and all the more, can be done without subscribing to a gymnasium or health club. This is quite a compelling reason to start doing body weight exercises.
In fact, using your weight to build your body’s power and strength is one of the easiest forms of physical training. Doing these exercises regularly for 30-40 minutes will help you train your core muscles extensively.
One of the most brilliant exercises that are a kind of body weight training is plank exercises. Planks are considered as a primary exercise to build your muscles and strength in the core area.
But first, let us understand what exactly forms the core area. Your body’s core area consists of a class of muscles that are located in your midsection and aids every movement that you undertake during the day. A strong core improves your movement in addition to helping you exercise more effectively. Planks also strengthen your abdominal muscles, which in turn help you keep your back straight and avoid problems related to the spinal cord. Health insurance is as important as exercises.
Plank exercises are nothing but body strengthening exercises that help you develop strong muscles.
One of the greatest inherent benefits of performing planks is that a single exercise can help you focus on multiple classes of muscles. For instance, when you are in the plank position, your neck muscles, shoulders and biceps all feel the tension thereby strengthening them. Performing planks can help you perform other exercises that target specific muscles with great convenience. Take, for example, shoulder exercises; doing planks will strengthen your shoulder muscles which will further help you perform exercises such as shoulder press with ease.
Plank exercises are also great when it comes to strengthening your hips. The planking position puts quite some pressure on the hips as well thereby helping you tone them and achieving perfectly rounded hips.
What is even better is that performing plank exercises takes lesser time than you can even imagine. A 10-minute plank workout each day can work wonders for you in the long run.
Once you ease into doing simple planks, you can always move towards the advanced versions and avail the advantages of the exercise.
In this article, we tell you everything about planks including the various benefits of this exercise and the twenty types of plank exercises that you can perform.
Planks have tremendous benefits for the body. Check out a few major ones in this article.
Doing planks on a regular basis greatly reduces back pain. Not only this, but it also helps strengthen your muscles located in the abs area so your back can have a stronger support and your spine remains in the correct position. Performing plank exercises over a period of time would help you realise that your back has become quite strong and is now capable of even doing tough tasks such as heavy weight lifting, etc.
Since planks build the capacity of the back, there is a reduced probability of you incurring any kind of spine and back injuries.
Plank exercises help increase your overall metabolism. In fact, planks are a great way to challenge the maximum muscles of your body simultaneously. This, in turn, helps you burn more fat and calories than other abdominal exercises such as crunches ever would. Planks also help you achieve an improved metabolism rate which is essential for a healthy body. Having stronger and healthier muscles in the body is clearly indicative of the fact that your body burns more fat even when you are in an idle position or while you are asleep. Thus, for those of you who spend long hours sitting and working, planks are the ultimate physical workout for you.
Planks are extremely instrumental in improving your posture. While planking, your neck, back, and hips are aligned in a straight line meaning that you work towards achieving a correct posture concurrently while working on your core strength.
A good posture, as you all know, has several benefits. It keeps your joints and muscles in the right position thereby helping you avoid any kind of pain or spasm in the back or neck. In fact, a good posture is all the more likeable and helps you portray a confident and charming version of yourself.
Planks are also one of the forms of body balancing exercises. Strong abdominal muscles help you develop the strength required to balance your body and maintain its stability.
Doing plank exercises regularly help you gain better muscle balance on the back area as well as the sides. Planks, being an isometric exercise, help build your body's endurance which is imperative for maintaining the body’s balance. Performing planks also improves your gait which makes it easier for you to perform other body balancing acts such as standing on one leg, etc. The fact that this exercise works on a number of muscles all at once results in the strengthening of core muscles and the body’s coordination get a much-required boost.
Doing planks regularly help you stretch your posterior muscle such as shoulders, collarbone, legs, etc. This type of stretching is quite helpful in increasing your flexibility. For those who do not work out much, their muscles might become inflexible over time and even a little stretching might cause them muscle soreness. However, regular planking exercises are a great way to avoid this ordeal. Routine stretching helps you undertake usual tasks with convenience. Planks are quite helpful for athletes as well since an increased body flexibility reduces the risk of injuries.
Planks contribute to mental wellness as well. The constant idleness of muscles such as those in the shoulders or thighs could make them stiff and might cause irregular pain. However, planks help relieve the tension in such muscles and assist in calming the nerves.
As a result, you start feeling more mentally relaxed. Planking exercises also reduce the risks of stress-related diseases such as anxiety and depression. Regular planks would keep your mood in high spirits thereby helping you increase your productivity at work.
Back pain is usually the result of a poor posture or stiffness. Such odd posture or inflexibility is a result of sitting for long hours at work or not working out for days, altogether. Plank exercises contribute significantly in relieving you of such back pain by stretching the back muscles and helping you get rid of any stiffness. Your core strength helps you sit and stand upright thereby eliminating the chances of back pains resulting from bad posture.
The forearm plank is one of the most common forms of planking exercises. In this standard planking exercise, rest your body on your forearms while your head, neck, back and hips align in a straight line. The posture is similar to that of a pushup. Tighten your abs area and retain the position. During the exercise, make sure only your toes touch the ground and not your knees. Hold the posture for as long as you can. The forearm plank might be a little difficult in the beginning but you can ace it with regular practice over time.
The straight arm plank is another variation of the plank exercise. In this type of workout, the body weight is supposed to be rested on the hands and the toes of the doer.
To perform the straight arm plank, position your hands right under your shoulders so that your arms are straight. Remember to not touch your knees to the ground while being in this position. Retain the position for some time and then stand straight. Repeat the posture for a few times.
One of the greatest advantages of straight arm plank is that your shoulders and arms also get toned by being in this posture. Such type of plank exercises help build the abdominal area and improve the torso’s strength.
Planking with an arm or leg lifted is quite challenging since they shift the body weight entirely on one hand or one leg, depending on the type of plank.
To perform the arm lift, get into the planking position and straighten one of your arms so that it points outwards in the front.
A leg lift is performed by being in the planking position and straightening one of the legs in the air and maintaining the pose for a few seconds.
Planks with arm/leg lift improve your body’s endurance. Your hips, back, shoulders, as well as abs, are toned and strengthened without you having to visit a gym or use any costly equipment.
Such planks are considered as a full body exercise since they focus on different sets of muscles at the same time. They also help you reduce body fat along with increasing your metabolism rate.
Side planks are yet another type of planking exercises. In order to perform it, you have to get into the planking position first and then gradually shift your weight on one of the hands or forearms and raise your body sideways. While doing this, your body should be in a slanting position. Raise your arm, opposite to which your body weight rests on, straight in the air. Tighten your ab muscles and feel the pressure or tension in your back as well as your shoulders. Hold the pose for as long as you can and then return to the original planning position to switch sides. Consider planking on both the sides as a single rep.
It is suggested that you do plank jacks only when you are comfortable doing the normal planks since this exercise involves an intense workout. Planking jack is done by jumping with your feet apart in the planking position and then bringing them together. Plank jacks work great when it comes to strengthening the calves and other muscles in the legs. They are also helpful in ensuring that you achieve a well-rounded pair of hips. Plank jacks can also be treated as a type of cardio exercise since they increase the breathing rate of the doer in addition to regulating the blood flow in the lower part of the body.
Side plank crunch is an advanced form of crunches. It is great for building abs since the abdominal muscles are greatly affected by this exercise.
Side plank crunches are performed by getting into the side planking position and then crunching forward by bringing your elbow in contact with your diagonally opposite leg. Switch sides after 10 reps on one side.
The side plank crunch is quite an intensive exercise and so it is advisable that you start with fewer reps initially to acclimatize to the exercise before you proceed to increase the intensity of the workout.
The dolphin plank is a great exercise for your shoulders, back, as well as your abs. They also work well to strengthen your hips. In order to perform the exercise, get into the plank position and raise your hips in order to form a hump. Retain the position for a few seconds before you resume your original stance. The dolphin plank can be done quite easily once you ace the normal forearm planking exercise.
While performing the exercise, ensure that you do not jerk your back while raising your body upwards so as to avoid any potential injury.
The resistance plank is done with the help of a resistance band that actually intensifies your workout. To perform this exercise, you have to wear the resistance band on your wrists and get into the planking position with your hands carrying your body weight. Now move one of your hands around 4-6 inches farther from the other hand and then retain the position. Switch the hand and repeat the same. Treat both these movements as a single rep.
The resistance plank helps you improve your shoulder muscles. It also helps you build your forearms and is a great toning exercise for the upper body.
The pelvis tuck can be very instrumental in helping you achieve a six-pack in no time. To perform this plank, lie down in the normal planking position and then contract your abs. Move your knees slightly lower, however, ensuring that they do not touch the ground. Stay for a few seconds and resume your original position. Perform 3 sets of 4 reps each.
While performing the pelvis tuck, make sure that your head faces forward and your feet are only a foot apart from each other.
The push-up side plank, as the name suggests, is a combination of push-ups and side planks. To perform this exercise, first, do a push-up and then proceed towards doing a side plank by resting your body weight on one of the arms. Repeat this with the other arm as well and treat both these movements as a single rep.
The push-up side plank is quite an intensive exercise since it mixes two of the most effective abdominal exercises. It works out the abdominal area greatly and strengthens the torso as well.
Push-up side planks are also helpful in building the chest muscles since the pushup variable in the exercise helps to stretch the upper body apart from toning the shoulders and upper arms.
In this exercise, you are required to imitate the movement of a caterpillar. This exercise works out your legs as well as your abdominal area at the same time. To perform the exercise, lie down in the plank position with your hands and toes touching the ground. Now, move one of your knees forward in a diagonal position so as to bring it close to your chest. Repeat this with your other leg as well. Perform 10 reps with each leg alternatively in sets of 3.
The caterpillar plank helps build your isometric strength and burn excess fat clinging to your body. It also helps greatly in improving your posture.
This exercise places extra importance on your core area. It is performed by straightening your leg and diagonally opposite arm while in a straight arm plank position.
The plank with opposite limb extension exercise is quite helpful in working on your leg muscles as well as the abs at the same time. In fact, not only do your calve muscles strengthen, your shoulder and arm muscles also get built up by performing this exercise.
The one-legged plank can be a good form of balancing exercise. A one-legged plank is performed by simply performing a straight arm or forearm plank by raising one of the legs straight out while the other toes touch the ground.
The one-legged plank may be challenging in the beginning but is a cakewalk once you get used to it after practising it regularly.
To perform this plank, come in the side plank position and raise the leg opposite to the arm that is extended and retain the position for a few seconds. Maintain your body balance with you undertake this exercise and ensure that you do not sprain your arm on which the body weight rests on account of imbalance.
The twisting knee plank is performed by getting into the straight arm planking position and then bringing your knee forward to touch your adjacent elbow. You have to remain in the posture for a minute before you repeat it with the other knee.
3 sets of 10 reps each can work wonders for your abs and hips.
A plank with side snatch is done by using a dumbbell. In order to perform this plank, get into a side planking position with your forearm by bearing the weight of your body and raising the other arm with a dumbbell in your hand. This exercise helps build the shoulders and arms apart from working on the core area.
This plank is performed by keeping your shins on a stability ball and planking for a minute or so. It helps you achieve well-toned hip muscles apart from ensuring that you get a strong back as well as an improved posture.
The on-the ball plank is performed only in a straight arm planking posture.
Get into a forearm plank position and raise one of your arms in the same position i.e. have your forearms bent like before. Repeat it with the other arm. This helps you target your upper back apart from strengthening the muscles located in your chest area. In addition, you also achieve well rounded and toned shoulders by performing this exercise.
The side plank with a twist is performed by getting into a side planking position. As soon as you raise your shoulder, bring it back towards the ground by pushing it inwards near the pectorals of your arm’s opposite side.The side plank with a twist is only a simple variation of the normal side plank and can be performed without any expert supervision as such.
To perform this plank, perform a forearm plank on a stability ball with your forearms resting on the ball. Now make circular movements on the ball while maintaining your body’s balance. This exercise helps work out the muscles located in the shoulders apart from strengthening the core and the upper back.
Plank exercises can be performed at home quite easily, that too without the use of any special pieces of weightlifting equipment or visiting the gym. You can perform planking exercises during any time of the day.
Begin by doing simple planks and then gradually progress towards the advanced versions.
Plank exercises have enormous benefits as aforementioned. They are one of the most effective ways of body strengthening.
Plank exercises can surely be difficult for beginners. The effort required to carry out bodyweight training is quite immense and therefore you might get bogged down by the idea of performing planks initially. However, you must realise that it is only a matter of a few days before you get used to the exercise and become comfortable doing it.
*Disclaimer: The tips & exercises suggested are the personal opinions of the writer. Kindly consult a licensed physician/dietitian/practitioner before implementing the same.
