If I know you well enough, I know you hate doing planks (don’t worry, I do too!). I think they’re boring – BUT they are very important for building a foundational level of strength and body awareness regarding what is and isn’t neutral spine alignment.
My latest article on Men’sFitness.com outlines 8 ways you can spice up a plank (I think you’ll enjoy it.) If you have any questions, please leave them below. Let’s get started…
All right, we get it…planks are boring. Staring at the floor with the sweat dripping down your nose waiting for your timer to run down is as almost as exciting as visiting the in-laws.
If you’ve been living under a rock as of late, planks are isometric exercises used to strengthen and build endurance in the abdominals. They are typically performed either on your elbows and toes, on your side or even face up. They are normally held for time e.g. 30 to 60-seconds or performed in shorter timed-intervals with only a few seconds break e.g. 10-second holds with 2-second rest periods.
Planks are the new sit-ups for modern-day core training. People like numbers so instead of doing 300-500 sit-ups every night, they’ll form a statue-like creature on the floor next to their bed and be motionless for as long as possible. But, as with anything, we must apply the Principle of Progressive Overload to ensure continued progress. No one in their right mind wants to hold their planks longer and longer—thankfully, progressive overload can be applied by other means.
Read the rest at Men’sFitness.com HERE.
-JK
photo credit: mariachily via photopin cc
