Plank Exercises

The plank is one of the simplest exercises that you can do - it’s simple in its appearance and the amount of steps involved in doing one. Being simple, though, does not mean that doing a plank is easy.

Getting into plank pose can be easy. Holding a plank can even be easy, for a few seconds, but since the plank is an exercise position that can be held indefinitely, its difficulty can range from easy, short-term planks to excruciating tests of endurance. A heads up: easy, short-term planks aren’t the type that are going to provide you with much strength improvement.
What is a plank?

A plank is a simple, but effective core exercise that helps you build stability and strength throughout your entire body. The plank is achievable in a number of different methods, but the main goal of the plank exercise will have you with your body perpendicular to the ground, stomach facing down, elevating your torso off the ground with either your elbows or hands.

The plank is similar to being stuck in an extended push-up pose without actually moving your body weight up or down. This may sound much nicer and more forgiving than a set of push-ups, but the plank can become a strenuous exercise very quickly.

The plank is a popular exercise in many exercise routines.

The plank is a popular pose in many yoga routines - sun salutations, hot yoga routines, and cardio-centric yoga all make use of the plank pose (kumbhakasana.) The pose can be held for several seconds, or used as an intermissive pose that connects two other parts of the routine.
The plank is used as part of the training regimen for professional boxers, who alternate between sets of pushups, sets of situps, planks, and held crunches, each for decreasing durations that are determined by a timer and ended by the ringing of the coach’s whistle.
Many professional sports teams, like hockey and football, use the plank as part of their exercise routine because it’s so effective at improving strength in a wide area of muscles in the human body.

What makes the plank so special?

There’s a fair few reasons why the plank is so popular. Some people even consider it their favourite exercise. It’s good to understand why the plank is so important before you start working on the how of doing a good plank, because then you’ll be more likely to keep the plank as a part of your daily routine.

The plank is a bodyweight exercise . Bodyweight exercises are workouts that you can do with nothing but your own body, which is appealing for a number of reasons.
You can do bodyweight exercises pretty much anywhere; the most equipment you’ll ever need is a wall to lean on or a chair/bench for bending
You don’t need to buy expensive equipment to do bodyweight exercises
Bodyweight exercises are great for your core, and since they rely on your own bodyweight, they’ll be consistently tailored to your own workout needs - as you gain weight, you’ll be working out with more weight, which is similar to increasing the amount you’d bench press, for example.
The plank works out a tremendous number of muscles in your body, which makes them appealing for all sorts of training - strength, endurance, you name it. Planks can even be a benefit for those wanting to do cardio training.

The Content

Plan Your Way To Fitness
7 Surprising Benefits Of Plank Exercises
Mistakes To Avoid When Doing Planks
Forearm Plank
Straight-arm Plank
Plank With arm/leg lift
Side Plank
Plan Jacks
Side Plank Crunch
Dolphin Plank
Resistance Plan
Plank/ pelvis tuck
Push-up side plank
Caterpillar plank
Plank with opposite limb extention
One-legged plank
Side plank with inner thigh raise
Twisting knee plank
Plank with side snatch
On-the-ball plank
Plank with elbow lift
Side plank with twist
Stir-the-pot plank