Did you know that doing one plank a day is enough to get back in shape without stress? Find out how here
The plank is a fitness exercise capable of involving the whole body with a single move, or rather, position. initially it is certainly a challenge, but it is enough to repeat this position once a day every day to quickly reach a stamina level such as to make it really effective for burning calories and strengthening the muscles of the body.
It is in fact an isometric endurance exercise, which consists in maintaining a position for as long as possible. Without being trained, you will get to a few seconds hold the first few times, but just keep trying and, above all, with daily constancy to fortify all the muscles involved and when you finally manage to maintain the position, for example, for the duration of your favorite song, just repeat it once a day, every day to realise many health benefits.
At first glance, it looks like an exercise that involves arms and abdominals, but in reality every time it is performed correctly many other muscles are put into operation: the front and oblique abdominals, the glutes, the back muscles, the deltoids, the triceps, biceps, quadriceps femorals and adductors and the cervical bands, the diaphragm and the lumbar and pelvic muscles.
How do you execute the plank?
- Lie on your stomach on an exercise mat;
- Place your forearms on the ground, parallel with your body, with your elbows under your shoulders.
- Keep your legs stretched backwards, with the toes resting on the ground and with the soles of your feet raised (or even a little stretched if you prefer)
- Raise the pelvis by pulling the whole body into traction position: you must create a straight line from the neck to the feet. It is essential not to arch the back, nor to lower the pelvis, which are two natural movements that we want to make when the position begins to tire us. So when we feel we really can't keep the position anymore, it's time to relax on the ground. If you want, you can try again after a few minutes, otherwise try again later or the next day (but don't give up!) The next day, always trying to improve your holding time.
To help you maintain the right posture, keep your gaze downward, without bending your head, then look up and adjust it. Again, focus on your breathing, as it is normal to find yourself holding your breath while making the effort to hold the position - but this is wrong. You should always continue to breathe regularly and deeply, and the very fact of focusing on your inhalation and exhalation rhythm will help you to hold the position a little longer.
Set a timer to 30 seconds on your mobile when you start. Instead of counting the seconds, try to think only of holding the right position (it could help you to do the exercise in front of a mirror or maybe recording your performance with a smartphone or tablet) until you hear the alarm. And when you get to plank for 2 or 3 minutes, your timer could well become your favorite song of all time!
Doing this exercise - simple and effective - although challenging, is an excellent habit for our health, and it takes very little time!
