Honestly, that is unfathomable to me. That is an incredibly long time! Can you imagine the absolute total body strength that that would take? In case you aren't that familiar with the complexity of the plank (and since I have to give this presentation in my class tonight) here is a rundown for you:
THE PLANK
Picture source here
- Get in the pushup position, only put your
forearms on the ground instead of your hands. Your elbows should line up
directly underneath your shoulders. Toes on the ground.
- Squeeze your glutes and
tighten your abdominals.
- Keep a neutral neck and
spine.
- Create a straight, strong line from head to toes –
a plank, if you will.
- Hold that position. Beginner
= 30 seconds, Intermediate = 30 to 60 seconds, Advanced = anything over 90
seconds.
Muscles that are worked:
Specifically,
supporting yourself with only your forearms and toes forces the rectus and
transversus abdominis of the abs, the erector spinae, trapezius and rhomboids
of the back, the rotator cuff and deltoids of the shoulders, the pectorals and
serratus anterior of the chest, the quadriceps and gastrocnemius of the legs
and, finally, the gluteus maximus to contract and exert
force.
Tips:
Don’t let
your hips sag down to the ground. Sagging hips makes the exercise initially
easier, but it’s not a plank and it defeats the purpose of the exercise.
Look down at
the ground. This is a good prompt for maintaining a neutral neck position.
Keep your
shoulders sliding down your back. As you get tired they might start to creep up
towards your ears, try to keep them down the whole time!
Don’t forget
to breathe, many people hold their breath without realizing it during planks
and this will definitely shorten your plank! Tell yourself to inhale and exhale
to keep oxygen moving to all those muscles.
When your
form begins to suffer, pull the plug. You’re only benefiting from the plank by
actually doing the plank.
Variations:
To make the
plank easier you can come down on your knees, maintaining the straight plank
from your knees.
To make the exercise harder you can raise one arm or leg or both
(on alternate sides) at the same time.
Other main
variations include a plank with arms fully extended, reverse plank, and side
plank. You can mix up each of these main variations with about a dozen other
variations by just moving your arms or legs.
References:
http://woman.thenest.com/muscles-planks-strengthen-4293.html
_________________________
My current "record" is 2 minutes. My goal would be to be able to do at least 5 minutes eventually.
QUESTION FOR MY DEAR READERS: Have you ever done a plank? What is your longest record? What are your favorite variations? What have you found helps you to do a longer plank?
Loves... Shayla
No comments:
Post a Comment