No expensive equipment, no gym membership required and just as effective - it's no surprise thatFitness at homeand workouts using your own weight are becoming increasingly popular. Another advantage of bodyweight training is that you can do it practically anywhere. The plank exercise, also known in Germany as the forearm plank, is without a doubt one of the most effective bodyweight exercises of all. It not only stresses the abdominal and arm muscles, but also the legs and buttocks and is an enrichment for every training plan. How to do a plank correctly, what are the most common mistakes as well as many plank exercise variations and a plank challenge can be found right in our article!
The plank is a classic isometric exercise. This means that you get into a certain position and then don't move for a certain period of time. This is a special form of strength training in which the muscles are effectively trained through tension. Done correctly, the plank exercise has a lot of benefits. It ensures better posture, tones the stomach, reduces back pain and improves our endurance and stamina. In addition, the exercise has so many variations that train different muscle groups and allow you to challenge yourself again and again that it is guaranteed to never get boring.
Plank exercise correct execution for best results
The forearm plank is an excellent way to train all major muscle groups at once in the shortest amount of time. This mainly involves the abdominal muscles. But in order to maintain the position, the shoulder, chest, back, buttocks and leg muscles are also tensed. Just like with all workouts, the plank exercise focuses on quality over quantity. You can only achieve good training results if you do them as correctly as possible. In addition, incorrect execution can lead to back and spinal injury. There is no single answer to the question of how long you should hold a plank. If you are a beginner, we recommend starting with shorter sets of around 20-30 seconds and gradually increasing the length of time.
And this is how the correct plank exercise works:
- Lie on an exercise mat and place your elbows shoulder-width below your shoulders. Tighten your belly button and tense your stomach.
- Now slowly lift your entire body using the tips of your toes and forearms, making sure that it forms a straight, horizontal line.
- Make sure there is a 90 degree angle between your forearms and upper arms.
- To stretch your neck, look downwards.
- Then hold the position as long as you can, breathing deeply in and out.
- It is important that the body does not sag and the back, stomach, shoulders, legs and buttocks remain strongly tense at all times.
What are the forearm support benefits for our health?
The plank is not only the ideal exercise to train the whole body and all major muscle groups at once, but also offers numerous benefits for our health.
- Plank exercise for a strong back –The forearm support primarily strengthens the lower area of the back. Strengthening this part of the body is also particularly important for everyday life. This improves our movements and allows us to carry and lift heavy things. In addition, the plank exercise helps to relieve and prevent back pain.
- Reduces the risk of injury to the back and spine –More and more people are suffering from a herniated disc at a young age. Planks strengthen the back muscles and ensure that not too much pressure is put on the spine, thereby relieving the strain. The risk of back pain is significantly reduced, especially for people who have to sit all day.
- Stimulates metabolism –Different aswith other abdominal exercisesLike crunches or sit-ups, planks work multiple muscle groups at the same time. Strengthening the entire body brings another excellent benefit and that is – a faster metabolism. Just 5 to 10 minutes a day not only stimulates your metabolism, but also increases your resting heart rate. This in turn leads to higher calorie burning.
- Planks for better posture –Regular planks strengthen the function of the spine and core muscles. This has a positive effect on posture, improving our coordination and preventing back pain. In addition, people with good posture look healthier, more confident and slimmer.
- The plank exercise reduces stress and puts you in a better mood -Regular planks and training ensure that the production of the happiness hormone in the brain is stimulated. The reason for this is that the plank uses exactly those muscle groups that we most often tense under stress and psychological stress. Especially if you have to sit in a chair all day, you often end up with tense shoulders, a stiff back and pain in your legs. These are all circumstances that put strain on the muscles and nerves. Adding plank exercise to your daily routine will reduce stress and alleviate symptoms of depression and anxiety.
The most common planking mistakes
Although the plank exercise looks very simple at first glance, it is very often performed incorrectly. In the worst case, incorrect execution can lead to serious injuries to the back and joints. Below you will find the most common plank mistakes.
- The body does not form a straight line –Especially newbies to fitness who don't yet have enough strength in their abdominal muscles tend to let their upper body sag. This reduces effectiveness and the resulting hollow back puts a lot of strain on the lower back. Therefore, it is recommended to start with shorter sessions until you learn to keep the body in a straight line from shoulders to feet.
- Raised buttocks –By stretching your butt too high in the air, the tension in the abdominal muscles becomes less and this in turn reduces the training effect and has a counterproductive effect. To avoid this mistake, you should try to keep your butt low enough so that your body forms a straight line.
- Incorrect head position –Many people tend to look up or down when doing the plank exercise. This creates a lot of tension in the neck area and can cause unpleasant tension or even injuries. The neck should also be in a neutral, straight line with the body. Try to keep your eyes on the floor and stretch your neck as much as possible.
- Bent kneesrelieve the gluteal muscles and lead to reduced body tension. Try to keep your legs nicely stretched.
- Displaced hands and arms –Especially when doing a high plank on the hands, the angle between the upper body and the upper arms is often increased in order to reduce the tension somewhat. Try not to straighten your arms too much and keep them at right angles to the floor.
Provide more variety with different plank exercise variations
The plank exercise is very versatile not only in terms of its health and body benefits, but also in the countless ways it can be performed. Each variation activates and trains different muscle groups. Here are some of the most popular and effective exercises to add to yourHome workout routinecan add.
- Side plankis ideal for training the lateral abdominal muscles. Additionally, a study published in Global Advances in Health and Medicine found that side forearm support reduces spinal curvature in people with scoliosis. Lie on your side and lift your hips off the floor until your body forms a straight line. If necessary, you can place your other hand on the floor for more balance. Hold the position for a certain time and then switch to the other side. To increase the difficulty, try dynamically raising and lowering the hips or incorporating a rotational motion. Rotation Plank is done by extending your arm upwards and then placing it under your waist.
- Reverse PlankTargeted training of the buttocks and lower body. Sit on an exercise mat and place your hands under your shoulders, palm down. Now lift your thighs and buttocks off the floor and slowly push your whole body upwards. Hold the position for a certain period of time. So that it doesn't get too boring, you can alternately stretch your legs upwards. Try to do about 10 repetitions per leg.
- Stretch your arms and legs –It is a wonderful plank exercise variant to train the shoulders and glutes. Get into the starting position of the classic high plank and alternately slowly stretch your arms forward until they are horizontal. Lift the diagonal leg slightly off the floor to engage the glutes.
- Plank exercise with leg raises –Start in the classic plank position, lift your leg a few centimeters above the floor and hold it for a few seconds.
- Single leg forearm support with leg adduction and abductionis one of the most effective bodyweight exercises for slim and toned thighs. Get into the classic plank and lift one leg off the floor. Then slowly move this outwards and then back again so that it crosses the other leg. Above all, make sure that your entire body remains firmly tense.
- Side plank with crunchesmainly uses the oblique abdominal muscles and the lower back and is more suitable for advanced users. Start with the side plank, place your lower leg on your knee and angle it slightly backwards. The top leg remains raised and the top hand is behind the head. Now take your leg and arm together so that your knees and elbows are pulled towards each other. Return to the starting position and repeat the exercise approximately 8-10 times on each side.
- Mountain Climbersare a classic exercise for the abdominal muscles, train our endurance and are actually a dynamic variant of the classic plank. Start from the classic high plank position and then quickly pull your legs towards your chest one after the other. It is particularly important to ensure that the body forms a straight line during the movement.
- Plank Jacksare another dynamic variant of the plank exercise and stimulate fat burning even more. Start in the classic forearm plank position and place your feet slightly wider than your hips apart. Then jump with your legs and immediately hop back to the starting position.
And how about a plank challenge for 30 days?
The plank challenge is all about doing the plank exercise for 30 days, with the amount of time increasing day by day. Since the first results in the abdominal area are visible after just a few days, it is certainly worth the effort to try the plank challenge. This not only tones the entire body, but also increases endurance and stamina. Depending on your wishes, you can take a rest day every 10 days so that the body can rest and the muscles can regenerate.
- Day 1: 10 seconds
- Day 2: 20 seconds
- Day 3: 30 seconds
- Day 4: 40 seconds
- Day 5: 50 seconds
- Tag 6: 1 Minute
- Day 7: 70 seconds
- Every day up to day 30, increase the time by 10 seconds until you can hold the plank exercise for 5 minutes at the end of the challenge.
