The plank is an exercise part of many training regimens, often used in pilates and yoga. It’s an isometric exercise, meaning that it doesn’t require any visible movement and involves a static muscle contraction. It’s a great exercise for improving core strength, actually being preferred to sit-ups and crunches as a workout for the abdominal muscles.
How To Plank – The Correct Execution
There are actually two largely used forms for the plank exercise, the standard plank, and the extended plank.
For the standard plank, you need to hold up your body weight on your forearms, elbows, and toes. Keep your elbows directly under your shoulders, forearms facing forward, and hands flat on the floor. Keep your head and neck relaxed facing the floor. Keep your torso rigid, preventing it from sagging down.
The extended plank requires you to adopt a push-up-like position facing down and holding the position with the palms of your hands and toes on the floor. Keep the elbows slightly bent, not locked. Engage the abdominal muscles and keep your body straight, preventing it from sagging towards the floor. Keep your neck and head relaxed facing the floor.
Now, regardless of the form you choose, the goal is to maintain the planking position as correctly as possible for as long as possible. If you’re a beginner, start with 10 seconds, and work your way up to 30, 45, 60 seconds, or more. If you don’t want to use a stopwatch, you can count your breaths and start at 10 breaths per plank, then upgrade to 15, 20, etc. As a general idea, 15 (normal) breaths should be around 40 seconds. This method is actually better than using a counter, as it gives you an extra factor to focus on.
The second version of the exercise, the extended plank, has a slightly higher degree of difficulty than the standard plan, as you have to hold your body on your hands, not on your elbows. Thus, the forearm muscles and the triceps are also involved, so if you’re a beginner, it’s best to start with the standard plank and work your way up to the extended plank or other versions.
Muscles Involved
The plank exercise activates the core. It primarily engages the abdominal muscles, the back muscles, and the shoulder muscles. The main abs involved are the rectus abdominis and the transversus abdominis, while the side plank puts more focus on the internal and external obliques.
The spinal muscles involved are the erector spinae, the trapezius muscles, the rotator cuffs, and the rhomboids. The deltoid muscles, the pectorals, the glutes, the quads, and the gastrocnemius muscles are also involved.
Of course, if you’re doing the extended plank, the forearm muscles are also engaged, especially the flexors, while from the upper arm, the triceps. The side plank also adds some focus on the hamstrings.
Plank Variations
Depending on your level of fitness, you can try different types of planks. Here are some of the most common variations.
Plank From Knees
For this plank variation, you need to lay on the floor on your knees and elbows, with the elbows and shoulders aligned, arms with palms flat on the floor, and the lower leg sections elevated with feet in the air. Similar to the standard plank, the goal is to maintain the position for as long as possible, keeping the core engaged. This type of plank is easier to perform than the standard plank as it doesn’t engage the glutes and quads.
Side Plank
For this plank version, the starting position is laying on the floor on one side, leaning on the elbow, with the forearm and palm of the hand flat on the floor, and feet together. From this position, you need to slowly elevate your hips until your body is in a straight line from feet to head. Maintain the position for as long as possible.
As a primary target, you can aim for 10-15 breaths or 30 seconds. Once you’ve done the plank on one side, rest a 15-20 seconds, and repeat for the other. Also, as we’ve mentioned above, this plank variation is recommended, especially if you want to target the oblique abdominals.
Pike Plank
To execute a pike plank, you need to start from the extended plank position, with your toes and hands on the floor aligned with your shoulders, feet at hip-width apart, keeping your body in a straight line from toe to head, with the core engaged. From this position, elevate your hips up until your body describes an upside-down “V”. This is the pike position; while in the pike position, your heels don’t need to be on the ground, your head needs to be aligned with your arms, and your gaze facing your feet.
Exercise Ball Plank
Most plank variations that we’ve already mentioned can involve an exercise ball in some way. For example, you can perform a standard plank, but instead of keeping your elbows on the floor, you can rest them on an exercise ball. This requires more balance and focus and will put more work on the stabilizing muscles.
Or, you can keep your feet elevated on a Swiss ball while laying on your elbows or palms. This requires more stability for the legs and will engage more leg muscle groups and abdominal muscle groups.
Knee-To-Elbow Plank
This plank variation starts from the extended plank position. So, start by planking on your hands and toes, keeping your body in a straight line. From this position. Bring one knee up until it touches your forearm and hold this position, then repeat for the other leg.
Now, if you can hold a normal plank for, say, one minute, you can try a knee-to-elbow plank for one leg for a duration of 30 seconds, and repeat for the other leg for 30 seconds. Or, you can do a knee-to-elbow plank for one straight minute, rest 10-15 seconds, and then repeat for the other leg.
Plank With Leg Lift
For the plank with leg lift, you can start either from an extended plank or a standard plank. From the starting position, lift one foot from the floor and keep the leg straight. Keep the position for 15-30 seconds, and then repeat for the other leg. Needless to say, this plank puts more focus on the quad and glute muscles of the leg that holds your body. It also requires better balance, so the stabilizing muscles are a bit harder at work than for a normal plank.
Plank With Arm Lift
As opposed to the plank with leg lift, for this plank variation, you need to lift one arm. You can start either with a standard plank (laying on the toes and elbows) or with an extended plank (laying on the toes and palms of your hands).
From the plank position, lift one arm and extend it forward. Hold the position for 15-30 seconds, then repeat for the other arm.
Mistakes To Avoid When Doing Planks
Although the plank is a pretty straightforward exercise and easy to execute, you can still make mistakes as you execute it. So, here are some of the most common mistakes regarding the plank exercise.
1. Sagging your hips. For the whole execution of the plank, your body must remain in a straight line from toe to head (unless you’re executing a pike plank or other variations that require bending your body). Sagging your hips down reduces the focus on your abdominal muscles and the overall effectiveness of the exercise.
2. Tilting your head. For the standard plank and most other plank variations, it is recommended to keep your head aligned with your body, with your gaze facing down, not forward.
3. Arching your back. Just as sagging your hips, the arching of the back is a digression from the correct form of the exercise. If you do this, you won’t be keeping your core engaged properly.
4. Locking elbows. Or course, this only stands for the plank versions that require you to assume or start with the push-up position, lying on your toes and hands, not on your toes and elbows. Evidently, locking elbows straight can lead to an injury.
5. Not breathing properly. Since the plank exercise engages most of your core, breathing is not as easy as in a relaxed, passive position. So, it’s important to breathe as regularly as possible, and avoid holding your breath. In fact, a good idea for executing planks is to count 10-15 breaths (or more) for each repetition, rather than using a stopwatch. Also, the lack of oxygen in your system can lead to dizziness.
Final Word
Core strength is vital for a wide array of exercises and other activities. A strong core stabilizes and powers the body throughout a wide array of movements. It can also reduce stress on the joints and help with a better posture. Now, considering that the plank is an exercise that activates most of your core, it’s never a bad addition to any training regimen for the upper body. It’s also an easy-to-do exercise and doesn’t require special equipment (unless you really want to use a Swiss ball), and you can do it pretty much anywhere. Among other isometric exercises, it really shines.