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Plank is a very common core-strengthening exercise in which the practitioner must hold their body parallel to the ground in a position similar to a push-up (with the weight divided between the toes and arms) for as much time as they deem comfortable. However, it is extremely important to do the exercise with proper form to avoid any injuries, especially for beginners.
“The plank is an isometric exercise as it needs no body movement and requires the body to be in a stable position. It is a core-strengthening exercise and strengthens your abdominal muscles. It also works on your quads and hamstrings,” Jiggyasa Gupta, nutrition and fitness coach, told indianexpress.com.
According to Healthline, planks not only help activate muscle action in the body but also help improve body posture, and increase flexibility, among other things.
If you wish to ace the plank, here’s Katrina Kaif’s fitness trainer Yasmin Karachiwala sharing a guide for you on how to hold a plank.
– Don’t wing, instead press the floor away from you with your forearms.
– Don’t hyper-extend your lower back, instead keep the back neutral by engaging the abs and squeezing the glutes.
– Don’t look ahead, instead keep the head neutral.
How to perform a proper plank?
Varun Rattan, co-founder, The Body Science Academy, Noida shared the following steps:
Step 1: Lie face down with your feet together and forearms on the ground. Keep the elbows below your shoulders. Tighten your abs and glutes by drawing in the belly button and squeezing the gluteal muscles.
Step 2: Lift your body off the ground and keep it in a straight line from your head to your feet.
Concurring, Gupta added that to master the plank, it is important to “not slouch, and keep your back straight.” “Moreover, to hold the plank for a longer time, you need to spread the body weight equally throughout to balance the pose,” she suggested.
Can planks be done by everyone?
According to Gupta, it should not be done by people with lower back pain, back injuries, and also by pregnant women. “While pregnant women can do a side plank instead, those with back pain can do tabletop position,” she continued.
Adding, Rattan said that unlike crunches, planks use neutral spine loading. “Hence, it’s important to keep in mind that for individuals with weakened intervertebral discs, repeated spinal flexion in crunches can potentially herniate or bulge the disc. For those who are starting to exercise again after a back injury, planks can be a helpful starting point. Planks can be regressed to meet an individual’s current level by performing them on their knees instead of their feet,” he shared.
Mallika Tarkas Parekh, MS, MPH, Owner of Physique 57 India, said, “A plank is a classic exercise that works the entire body. While arm and upper body muscles are toned during a plank, this exercise mainly activates core muscles, in particular, the rectus abdominis, obliques, and transverse abdominis. This means that to master your plank, a strong core is a must.”
“Because barre focuses heavily on balance and strength, the core is an integral part of the training, and proponents of the barre workout are soon taught to engage their core at all times during the exercise. Also, barre is a workout that primarily relies on one’s own body weight when exercising. Therefore using upper body strength to balance the body during a plank is easier for those who are familiar with barre moves. Strong and engaged core results in better planks, and an integral understanding of the barre workout will result in better form and the ability to hold planks for longer,” she added.
Karachiwala, who wants to make being fit “easy and accessible to everyone”, earlier shared a video of a five minutes upper body work-out.
“Sometimes, we all need a little nudge, don’t we? It takes just 5 minutes and you can actually make it count,” she wrote on Instagram. Stating that moving your body for 5 minutes a day is definitely better than not moving at all, she wrote added, “I’m sharing with you my secret of high intensity targeted workout that is not only fast but burns and provides results. Do each exercise for a full minute and voilà you’ll feel a burn in your upper body in one round! If you have more time repeat it for 2 or 3 rounds”.
Exercises shared by Karachiwala are:
1. Push Up + Pike Ankle Tap
2. Bent-Over Biceps Curl + Straight Arm Hammer Kickback
3. Double Supine Skullcrusher in TT
4. Hammer External Rotation + Lateral Raise
5. Goal Post Superman with Lat Pull
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