Both crunches and planks are helpful exercises to strengthen your abs. Crunches will give you more ab endurance, and when paired with proper nutrition, may help you build a six pack. Conversely, planks will improve your body's foundation, using a wide variety of muscles to strengthen you from shoulders to glutes.
While the humble crunch can work wonders for your core, the plank provides optimal results when it comes to aiding sports performance, rehab and general fitness. So, if you really want to maximize the benefits of your core training the increased muscle activation you get with a plank means it's the way to go.
The plank is the perfect isometric exercise for building abs. Add them to your routine three times per week or just get on the floor at home and knock them out daily. You will find that you have a flatter, more toned stomach in mere weeks.
Tips to Gain Maximum Benefits from Plank Exercise
Try performing the plank for a minimum of one minute at a time. Start by doing 1 plank a day to slowly 3 to 10 a day to reap the maximum benefits. Then, slowly also try side planks which can help improve your flexibility.
As you progress, you can extend your plank for up to one or even two minutes, but don't go beyond that. “Two minutes is often considered the maximum, and you don't get much more benefit after that,” says L'Italien.
It doesn't just work your abdominal muscles, but your entire core, and can even help you build strength in your shoulders, chest, upper back, and thighs.
All in all, I lost two inches from my waistline and four inches from my belly. These results are nothing to scoff at from just 30 days of a one-minute workout. My posture also improved, which speaks to my increased core strength. As part of this process, I realized that consistency is key.
Planks are perfect for burning belly fat because they engage multiple muscles at once, boosting the metabolic rate and benefiting core strength. All in all, a plank is an excellent choice to stimulate the whole body. Overall, a plank is a good exercise for facilitating the whole body.
In addition, plank exercises recruit a better balance of muscles on the front, sides, and back of the body than sit-ups, which target just a few muscles.
Planks are an effective way to build core strength and core endurance, which can improve sports performance and reduce injury risk. They can also be used to build muscle, including your rectus abdominus or 'six pack' abs.
In fact, you can get a total-body workout by just doing plank variations and nothing else. The workout below includes five different types of planks that work your body in slightly different ways. Together, they'll hit most of the major muscle groups in your body.
As per the fitness coach, both plank and squats are excellent exercises for weight loss and strengthening the core. However, a functional exercise like squats entails more benefits overall than the plank, which is an isometric exercise.
“Planks are difficult because they are a total body exercise which requires you to utilize a multitude of different muscles from your abdominals, shoulders, lower back, hips, and legs,” says John Shackleton, MS, CSCS, a strength and conditioning coach and Men's Basketball Coach at Villanova University.
It will not only help you lose belly fat, but build every muscle, which I find much better." However, if you still want to do planks in the gym and you don't have the opportunity for a trainer to observe you and help you do them correctly, you may be doing them wrong.
Reduces belly fat: Since the plank pose mainly works your core abdominal muscles, it is a great exercise to get rid of stubborn belly fat. Holding a plank for a few minutes each day can alone help to trump down belly fat and provide an appealing shape to your body.
“If you can hold a plank for 60 seconds or more I consider that 'strong. ' Less than 30 seconds, you should evaluate why and correct your situation, as you are at risk for back problems.” He says you should also switch up the types of planks you are doing to get better at holding them and strengthening your core.
Ten-second holds sound easy until you do 5 sets of three different exercises. That's tough. And that two-minute plank Dan John advocates? “From one minute to two minutes is the hard part,” he says, especially if you've never tried going beyond 60 seconds.
Finally, plank exercises have been found to be highly effective in improving posture. Plank exercises are part of the 7 Minute Workout because they offer many fitness-related benefits. This is mostly due to the prolonged endurance that is required to successfully complete the movements that are part of the exercise.
Are Planks Good For Abs Bodybuilding? Yes, they are. According to bodybuilding.com, if you are looking to build your core then planks are the best thing for you. They actually rank higher than crunches and sit-ups in their effectiveness.
A 10 minute plank workout daily can empower you with great dexterity. Planks require great focus and mental strength. It can sync your body and mind for a better perspective about yourself. Planks require no equipment and can be done anywhere.
The longest plank world record currently stands at 9½ hours.
You're about average if . . . you can hold the feet elevated plank for about 10 to 50 seconds. You're above average if . . . you can hold the feet elevated plank for 60 seconds or more. You're strong if . . . you can hold the long-lever plank for about 10 to 50 seconds.
You don't need to do it more than three times spread out throughout the day. As you get stronger, you can start to work in a few sets. So, plank for a minute, stop and rest for a few minutes and then do another minute. You can do this 3-5 times a week but ensure you don't strain or tire your muscles.