Do you promise yourself daily that you’ll find time for exercise tomorrow and your tomorrow ends up being not much different from your yesterday? Not very surprising! The busy life gives us a load of work to do and managing our responsibilities towards work, family, and friends leave us with no time or energy for ourselves. Should it mean you shouldn’t care for yourself and simply ignore your fitness? Absolutely not!
The fact that you have landed on our website and checking this post itself is an inviting sign that you want to make a change and you care about yourself. That’s brilliant, applause for your goodwill!!
Come on, let’s head to today’s plank exercise plan which comprises 5 easy bodyweight moves. Bodyweight training is gaining ground in the fitness world mainly because of its simplicity and practicality.
For someone who finds limited time to workout, prioritizing core strength would be a smart strategy because core strengthening can make a dramatic contribution to your whole body fitness.
CORE STRENGTHENING IS EQUAL TO TRAINING YOUR WHOLE BODY
The core muscles are a series of muscles in our midsection and are involved in most of our body movements. Core muscles support us when we stand upright, move, bend, stretch, and rotate. Core transfers power from your lower to upper body and from the upper to the lower body. In addition, your core muscles provide support to your spine and help prevent back pain and tension in the back muscles. A strong core makes a big improvement in your body flexibility and in upping your performance during the workout.
WHICH MUSCLE GROUP IS TRAINED WITH PLANKS?
Rectus abdominus – Helps move the body between ribcage and pelvis.
Tranverse abdominus – Deepest core muscles help stabilize the lumbar spine and pelvis.
Oblique abdominal muscles – Allow our trunk to twist and bend.
Rear abdominus – Support the trunk, holds organs in place, helps keep your body stable and balanced.
Erector spinae – Helps maintain body flexibility and posture.
In addition to the abdominal muscles, planking also trains your trapezius (upper back), deltoid (shoulders), pectoralis major (chest), gluteus maximus (buttocks), quadriceps (front of the thighs), biceps femoris (hamstrings).
BENEFITS OF CORE STRENGTHENING
1. Improves core definition and performance.
2. Helps decrease risk of injury in the back and spinal column.
3. Improves overall metabolism.
4. Improves posture, flexibility and body balance.
5. Boosts your performance.
I know you are already dropping your jawline and can’t wait to learn how to perform the exercises…here is how the 5-minute daily plank workout goes….
1. HIGH PLANK
1. Lie on your belly on the floor with your forearm and toes on the floor.
2. Push yourself up with your body weight resting on your forearms and toes.
3. Keep your torso straight and rigid, maintaining a straight line from head to toe. Your hands should be stacked directly under your shoulders and your head should be relaxed and gazing at the floor.
4. Engage your core by pulling your belly button towards your spine to prevent your hips from sagging. Tighten your glutes and quads.
5. Build up tension in your whole body. Hold this position for one minute.
2. ELBOW PLANK
1. Start with your face down on the floor resting mainly on your elbows with legs extended back straight.
2. Your palms should be flat on the floor, your elbows should be shoulder-width apart and your feet should be hip-width apart.
3. Engage your core by contracting your core muscles, keep your spine flat, don’t let it drop.
4. Your chin should be tucked in to create a neutral spine.
5. Hold this position for 30 seconds.
3. SIDE PLANK
1. Start by lying on your right side, stacking your right elbow directly underneath your right shoulder.
2. Contract your core and raise your hips with both your legs extended to form a straight line from head to toe.
3. Balance your body weight on the outside edge of your right foot. Squeeze your glutes and don’t let your waist sink down.
4. Hold this position for 30 seconds and then repeat on the other side for 30 seconds.
4. RAISED-LEG PLANK
