VARIATIONS OF THE PLANK EXERCISE

Hello Fitnation; happy new month to y’all; It’s suddenly the sixth month of the year and a good time to carry out a reality check on your goals and resolutions for the year. If you find yourself lagging behind, don’t be dismayed as you have six months more to straighten things out.

One of my fitness goals for the year was to build visible abdominal muscles and as the months roll by I’m getting closer. It took lots of experiment with workout routines and nutritional plans to get to where I am today. 

Interestingly,the plank exercise is one of the many tummy exercises that built my abs muscles effectively and over the months this has come to be my favourite tummy workout.

                                  

Let me tip you on the benefits of the plank exercise.

· -It is a remedy for back pain, because it strengthens the back muscles

· -Plank exercises work directly on the inner core muscle group, which is the basic foundation for a solid six pack.

· -It makes you more flexible

· -Gives you a good posture

Even with it's immense benefits,the basic plank program can be very boring because you have to suspend yourself and stay at a particular position for a long time- the longer, the more effective. However there are many variations to the plank program that adds life to this seemly boring routine and I am going to illustrate 5 different variations.  

1. Basic Plank

How to do:  Start in a prone position(face down); then rise and suspend your body; only your elbow and toes should be on the floor, keep your butt down and head in a neutral or looking slightly forward position. Don’t drop the head to look down at your toes.

Keep the shoulders directly over the elbows or a little bit forward. Squeeze the butt and thighs together to engage the muscles.

Hold it for as long as possible!

                                  

2. Plank Jacks

How to do:

Start in the Basic plank position.

Put your feet together, then jump and spread your legs a little wider than shoulder width apart and jump back to start.

                                         

   
  3.Spider Man

How to do:

Start at the top of push-up position.

Raise the right knee towards the right elbow.

Your Leg is bent to 90-degrees with the hip rotating the foot away from your body.

While moving your leg up, look back and squeeze your core muscles.

Repeat with the left side.

                                                                                                                                                                                          

                                      

                                  

                                  

   4.Hell Raiser(Plank Up and Downs)

How to do:

Start in the basic plank position and lift your arms one at a time, each time replace your elbow with your hands and go up as if doing a push up.

Lower back down, one elbow at a time.

                                         

    5.Side Plank

How to do:

Lie on one side, then raise and suspend yourself on your elbow and your feet, make sure your body is in a straight position, squeeze your stomach muscles and hold that position as much as possible, repeat for the other side.

                                   

                                     

Try these variations out and tell me what you think. I’m expecting to read from you.

Cheers to the fit life.