Forget expensive abdominal exercise machines. The plank is a simple, effective abdominal strengthener that you can do almost anywhere. You will encounter the plank in a wide range of workouts, including boot camps, mixed martial arts, yoga and Pilates. Proper form is essential to preventing injury and maximizing the exercise's benefits.
Perform the plank on your hands or elbows. For the hand-based variation, position your hands underneath your shoulders and extend your legs behind you so you are resting on the toes -- as if you were going to do a pushup -- and hold. You can also do the pose resting on your forearms, elbows aligned under your shoulders and palms down. While holding the position, make sure your shoulders pull away from your ears and squeeze your shoulder blades together slightly. Brace your abdominal muscles as well as your quadriceps at the front of the thighs to prevent sagging in your hips. At first, you may only hold the pose for a few seconds. Work your way up to several sets of 30- or 60-second holds to build greater strength.
The plank primarily targets the rectus abdominus, the front sheath of your abdominal muscle which appears as a “six pack” in some people. It also activates the transverse abdominus, which lies deep inside your belly and helps with posture. The plank helps strengthen the erector spinae muscles along the spine as well. When executing the plank, many other muscles act as stabilizers, contributing to overall body strength. These muscles include the trapezius, rhomboids, rotator cuff, deltoids, pectorals, glutes, quads and calves.
You do not need any equipment to perform the plank, making it possible to do at home, at the gym or even in a hotel room. The move is easy enough for beginners to master but challenging enough to strengthen the abs of more experienced exercisers. The plank offers an alternative for people who find traditional abdominal crunches stressful on the cervical spine. It is also a way for pregnant women to train their core without the discomfort and potential risk of crunches.
Once you have mastered the plank, you can add variations to make it more challenging. Alternate leg lifts while holding the position to increase the activation of the core. You might also try placing your forearms or toes on an unstable device such as a medicine ball or balance trainer to raise the difficulty level. Taking the plank into the side variation, where you are supported on your hand or forearm and the outside of your foot with your hips stacked, strengthens the obliques at the sides of your waist.
If you find you cannot hold the position without sagging your back downward or tilting your hips upward, place your knees on the floor. Continue to engage your core and thighs when in this modified variation. Use this knee-based version to build your baseline of strength, then work your way up to the full position over several weeks. If you experience pain in your low back, cease doing the exercise and seek guidance from your health-care practitioner.
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