Plank

The Plank is an exercise that’s used in both yoga and Pilates to build core strength and tone, and to reduce stomach fat. It’s also become a staple in some gym and home based stomach fat workouts, due to it’s use of isometric exercise principles. This basically means that it works the core by forcing the body to engage the core muscles to keep itself stable and in position.

But while this exercise is promoted as being a core toning and strengthening exercise, which it is, targeting the transverse abdominis muscles, which reside deep in the stomach, and working them can tighten the core. However, it has also been used to work the back and shoulders, as well as stabilizer muscles. The Plank actually made it into the top ten ab exercises category due to its stellar results in the ACE study, which compared it to a wide range of other core training exercises. That said, the next question you probably want to ask is, how do you do it?

The Plank is actually easy to understand technically, but it may take a few attempts to get it right. Before getting on the floor, we should let you know that you will have to rest on your forearms to properly do this exercise. So to get started, lay face down on your mat, with your forearms and palms flat on the floor. Once you’re in that position, raise on up until you’re balanced on your toes and your forearms. Your back should be flat and should form a straight line stretching from the top of your head to your heels.

Lastly, your pelvis should be tilted, and your abdominal muscles contracted, so that they stabilize your body, and work your core. Contracting the abs also keeps your butt and pelvis from being out of alignment by reaching toward the ceiling or sagging toward the floor. Typically, this pose is held for twenty seconds to a minute, and then it can be repeated three to five times per workout.

Like crunches, there are several versions of this exercise you can do. One of the more popular versions is the Plank with Leg Lift. You basically begin in the same starting position, up on your toes and forearms, but you smoothly and gradually bring one leg up off the floor until there’s five to eight inches between it and the floor. It’s held for a count of two, and the leg is returned to the starting position and the other leg is then lifted.