I have many strong and fit clients who are ready for pretty much anything I throw at them, but the moment I say "get into a plank"--they want to murder me. Seriously...I'm not kidding! I've had tears, cuss words, shaky knees and threats all come at me as I have them do the dreaded exercise. They swear they won't be able to walk tomorrow or hold their purse on the way out, blah, blah, blah......none of this phases me (clients, are you listening?). Your body loves planks. That's right, I said it, your body LOVES THEM! Why? Planks are one of the most efficient ways to trigger your metabolism, scorch calories, strengthen and tone the entire body. All you have to do is hold it for 30-60 seconds. And did I mention we'll be doing 2-3 sets?? (Hmmmm...I usually don't tell clients that until after they're finished with their first set...)
Pilates is all about strengthening the "core," and since planks are a great exercise to retrain your ab muscles (aka your "core") to work more efficiently, its something I feel very strongly about teaching my clients. Its the one exercise that almost anyone can do if taught correctly--and will shape up your entire body in record time! I'll go over various types of planks (traditional/side), modifications (easier planks), variations (increasing the challenge), and different routines (how many sets, reps, times) in this post, so listen up and GET READY TO PRACTICE while you have the pictures right in front of you!
(*TRAINER TIP*: The secret to getting the most out of this exercise is pulling your belly button towards your spine. When you pull your belly button towards your spine, you engage and retrain the deepest abdominal muscle to support your back. When personal trainers and pilates instructors say to pull in your stomach, they are saying this to cue you to draw your belly button closer to your spine.)
1. Start by lying face down on a mat. Place your forearms on the mat with shoulders aligned directly over elbows. Clasp hands in front of you.
2. Extend your legs behind you and come onto the balls of your feet (in other words, curl your toes under). Pull your heels behind you lengthening the backs of your legs. Your hips should not be lifted to the ceiling, nor should your back be arched. You should look to attain a straight line between your shoulders and toes.
3. Tighten your abdominal muscles and tuck your hips under if you lower back starts to feel pain. (To tuck your hips, feel like your pulling your lower belly under towards your ribs or you are rounding your lower back slightly up toward the ceiling.) Don't let your head drop, instead look forward toward the front of the mat. Now your neck and head are still connected to the rest of your body and you won't strain the neck (a common mistake). Squeeze EVERY MUSCLE and hold for 30-60 seconds (time depending on your ability).
Modifications (see photo below):
1. Stay on your knees instead of straightening the legs. Continue to draw your belly in and up towards your spine.
2. You can start by holding for only 10 seconds, then work your way up by adding 10 seconds to each rep. Try and get to 60 seconds.
Variations (see photos below):
1. Be up on both hands instead of the forearms, like a true push-up position. Distribute your body weight throughout the entire body, especially focusing on the core muscles, instead of letting it go up into your upper body and wrists. There should never be any uncomfortable pressure on the wrists or shoulders.
2. Make the move more challenging as you gain strength by lifting one leg at a time behind you. Inhale as you lift the leg, and exhale as you lower.
3. Use the bosu ball. If you feel strong enough, add in leg lifts after 30 seconds of holding.
4. Challenge yourself to hold the position a little longer with each workout, and work toward holding it for 60-90 seconds at a time.
Side Planks:
Line yourself up on the mat sitting on one hip, legs extending parallel and forearm under your shoulder. Pressing the feet into the mat, straighten your legs and slowly lift your hips up towards the ceiling extending the top arm (click on picture below to see larger photo of position). Let the top leg be slightly in front of the bottom leg for balance on the mat. Pull your tummy in tight and keep reaching that top arm towards the ceiling while lifting hips.
Modification (see photo below):
Stay on your knees and just lift the hips up towards the ceiling.
Variation (see photo below):
Use the full extension of your standing arm instead of just being on your forearm. This allows a wider range of muscle use and balance. Make sure to distribute the body weight evenly focusing on your core strength. Once balanced, you can stack the legs one on top of another and look up at your extended fingertips.
The Plank is known to be the #1 isometric exercise for stomach strength! "Iso" means "same" and "metric" means "length." Isometric literally means same length or holding one position without moving. Each time you do planks, switch it up! Do one set on your forearms, then follow with one set on your hands. As you get stronger, add in leg lifts and side planks! Is taking 30-60 seconds out of your day really to much to ask...? GET GOING!!
Pilates is all about strengthening the "core," and since planks are a great exercise to retrain your ab muscles (aka your "core") to work more efficiently, its something I feel very strongly about teaching my clients. Its the one exercise that almost anyone can do if taught correctly--and will shape up your entire body in record time! I'll go over various types of planks (traditional/side), modifications (easier planks), variations (increasing the challenge), and different routines (how many sets, reps, times) in this post, so listen up and GET READY TO PRACTICE while you have the pictures right in front of you!
(*TRAINER TIP*: The secret to getting the most out of this exercise is pulling your belly button towards your spine. When you pull your belly button towards your spine, you engage and retrain the deepest abdominal muscle to support your back. When personal trainers and pilates instructors say to pull in your stomach, they are saying this to cue you to draw your belly button closer to your spine.)
1. Start by lying face down on a mat. Place your forearms on the mat with shoulders aligned directly over elbows. Clasp hands in front of you.
2. Extend your legs behind you and come onto the balls of your feet (in other words, curl your toes under). Pull your heels behind you lengthening the backs of your legs. Your hips should not be lifted to the ceiling, nor should your back be arched. You should look to attain a straight line between your shoulders and toes.
3. Tighten your abdominal muscles and tuck your hips under if you lower back starts to feel pain. (To tuck your hips, feel like your pulling your lower belly under towards your ribs or you are rounding your lower back slightly up toward the ceiling.) Don't let your head drop, instead look forward toward the front of the mat. Now your neck and head are still connected to the rest of your body and you won't strain the neck (a common mistake). Squeeze EVERY MUSCLE and hold for 30-60 seconds (time depending on your ability).
Modifications (see photo below):
1. Stay on your knees instead of straightening the legs. Continue to draw your belly in and up towards your spine.
2. You can start by holding for only 10 seconds, then work your way up by adding 10 seconds to each rep. Try and get to 60 seconds.
Variations (see photos below):
1. Be up on both hands instead of the forearms, like a true push-up position. Distribute your body weight throughout the entire body, especially focusing on the core muscles, instead of letting it go up into your upper body and wrists. There should never be any uncomfortable pressure on the wrists or shoulders.
2. Make the move more challenging as you gain strength by lifting one leg at a time behind you. Inhale as you lift the leg, and exhale as you lower.
3. Use the bosu ball. If you feel strong enough, add in leg lifts after 30 seconds of holding.
4. Challenge yourself to hold the position a little longer with each workout, and work toward holding it for 60-90 seconds at a time.
Side Planks:
Line yourself up on the mat sitting on one hip, legs extending parallel and forearm under your shoulder. Pressing the feet into the mat, straighten your legs and slowly lift your hips up towards the ceiling extending the top arm (click on picture below to see larger photo of position). Let the top leg be slightly in front of the bottom leg for balance on the mat. Pull your tummy in tight and keep reaching that top arm towards the ceiling while lifting hips.
Modification (see photo below):
Stay on your knees and just lift the hips up towards the ceiling.
Variation (see photo below):
Use the full extension of your standing arm instead of just being on your forearm. This allows a wider range of muscle use and balance. Make sure to distribute the body weight evenly focusing on your core strength. Once balanced, you can stack the legs one on top of another and look up at your extended fingertips.
The Plank is known to be the #1 isometric exercise for stomach strength! "Iso" means "same" and "metric" means "length." Isometric literally means same length or holding one position without moving. Each time you do planks, switch it up! Do one set on your forearms, then follow with one set on your hands. As you get stronger, add in leg lifts and side planks! Is taking 30-60 seconds out of your day really to much to ask...? GET GOING!!
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment