Plank exercise. Plank exercise for beginners - rules and schedule Exercise plank: complexes

The plank exercise is one of the best for the abdominal muscles. It allows not only to acquire a steel press, but also to strengthen the muscles of the back, shoulder section, buttocks. Exercise is universal - it is equally effective for both women and men. To achieve the desired effect, you need to consider how to properly perform the "bar", otherwise you can get injured.

How to properly prepare for exercise

The plank exercise is not popular in gyms, since it is unlikely that it will be possible to pump up the press cubes in this way. Its purpose is to strengthen muscles, at the same time as burning fat. The effect will be positive only after the plank exercise is done correctly. There are basic rules that should be followed before class. You need to make sure that you can get into the right position, and then start this exercise for the press.

Important rules are as follows:

1. The most important thing is the even position of the back. If it bends or rounds, there is a risk of serious injury.
2. The pelvis should be parallel to the floor, so the load on the lumbar is less.
3. You should not keep the neck, head and shoulders in tension, they should be located on the same plane.
4. The lower limbs should be fully extended. Any bending leads to the fact that the load on the lower back increases dramatically.
5. The shoulders should be over the wrists or over the elbows. Other options are not allowed.

After reviewing the basic rules, you can consider in detail how to do the plank exercise. This stand is different in that the most important thing in it - hold the body properly for as long as possible. It is much better to stand properly for thirty seconds than to stand for three minutes with an arched back or legs. When deciding to perform the plank exercise, you can see how to do it correctly on the video, but due to the lack of active movements, it is better to resort to the help of a trainer at the initial stage. Many come to a suitable performance on their own, gradually increasing the load and following all the rules. So, before starting a workout, you need to understand in what position all parts of the body should be.

To do this, do the following:

• stand with your back to the wall, legs together;
• heels, buttocks, shoulder blades and the back of the head should be pressed against the wall;
• lower your shoulders, a deflection will appear in the lumbar region (the palm should pass into it, if more, the position should be corrected).

In this form, it is necessary to stand several times a day, and constantly before the start of the lesson. On day 3-4, the muscles will get used to it and it will become easier to perform the “bar” in the sense that the body itself will assume the correct position.

What gives the plank exercise

The plank exercise for weight loss is one of the most difficult exercises, since the weight of the human body is involved. Its advantage is that most of the muscles are tense, making it great for warming up before serious workouts. By trembling of the whole body, after 20-30 seconds it is easy to understand which muscles work during the plank exercise:

• press - it is on him that the main load falls;
• core muscles;
• gluteal muscles.
• the body is more toned, the skin will be elastic;
• arms are stronger, while muscle growth will not occur;
• the plank for slimming the abdomen will allow you to notice its decrease, especially in the lower part, which is quite difficult to get rid of.

All muscle groups are in a stressful situation, which is why this type of training is more effective than a simple swing of the press for losing weight on the abdomen and sides. Not every person who begins to lose weight is capable of performing such a complex exercise. Muscle tone is different for everyone, in some cases, you first need to master simpler techniques to strengthen them. What gives the plank exercise becomes visible almost immediately, subject to regular exercise: the stomach becomes flat, the buttocks are elastic, the spine is stronger.

After a short period of time, the following will become noticeable:

• carpal tunnel syndrome;
• any chronic diseases in the acute stage;
• high blood pressure;
• any spinal injury;
• neuropathy of the radial nerve;
• pregnancy, especially with complications;
• spinal hernia;
• any injuries and sprains of the joints of the elbows, shoulders, hands and feet.

Most often, the program is designed for 30 days, after which the result is simply amazing. If you want to continue to engage, it is recommended to increase the load, as reviews show that after a month it becomes much easier and efficiency decreases.

Types of exercise

You can perform the “bar” in various ways, depending on the physical fitness of the person. Many people want to start an exercise for weight loss from the most difficult stage in order to quickly get rid of excess fat and bring the body into the desired shape. The plank is an exercise that is ideal for losing weight on the abdomen and sides, but only with a gradual increase in load. The degree of muscle tension depends on the type, more about them in the table:

The duration of the performance depends on the preparation of the person and the type of exercise. For beginners, it is enough to be in the correct stance for a quarter of a minute, while 3-4 approaches are required.. After the execution ceases to be painful, you can increase the time to 30 seconds, also in 3-4 sets. If necessary, complicate the "bar", it is recommended to increase the time to 1 minute in 4 sets. When performing all types, you need to start with the most difficult, ending with a simple option “on fastened hands”.

Contraindications

If you want to lose weight and strengthen muscles, many use the plank exercise, the benefits and harms of which are rarely studied. Of course, everyone knows that training can give positive results in a short time. Those who are especially concerned about their health will even learn from the trainer that, as a rule, there can be no harm from a simple-looking exercise. It should be borne in mind that the “bar” exercise also has contraindications, albeit quite a bit.

In other cases, you can perform the exercise as much as you like, the main thing is to listen to your body and sensations. In the absence of contraindications, a person has every chance to improve the condition of his figure in a short time.

Efficiency

The results after training using this exercise are simply amazing. Photos of famous people who have achieved the perfect press with the plank can be seen in many magazines, and their opinion on this exercise makes you try its amazing effectiveness for yourself. Before starting classes with the “plank” exercise, a photo should be taken in advance so that after a month of training you can compare the results.

Static exercises have been helping athletes in many aspects of their sporting lives for a long time. In most cases, they are used to strengthen the ligaments of the body and increase the strength and endurance of the athlete's various muscle groups. But, in addition to this, statistical exercises are often inserted into various fitness workouts, as they do an excellent job of losing weight even in a very short time of training.

Also The unambiguous advantages of statics include the following properties:

One of these static exercises is the bar, which I will tell you in detail in this article.

The benefits of exercise

If you have been dreaming of a good figure for a long time, but you cannot allocate a lot of time for classes in the gym or for a morning run, plank is the perfect choice for you! Performing the bar for 5 minutes every day, in a month you will completely change your entire body beyond recognition. Let me list just a few of the main features of this exercise.

Core muscles

Core muscles - this is one of the most important muscle groups in the human body, since it is she who is involved in the formation of correct posture, which helps maintain intra-abdominal pressure at the proper level. That is, one exercise simultaneously involves the transverse, rectus and oblique muscles, which are responsible for excellent abs and a narrowed waist. At the same time, the gluteal muscles, which are responsible for supporting the back and shaping the body, also tense.

Despite the fact that absolutely all the muscles of the core will be loaded to the maximum, the back and hips will not be subjected to such painful loads. And this, firstly, removes the possibility of any injury during the exercise and, secondly, allows you to strengthen your upper body and improve your posture.

Flexibility and stress resistance

Since during the exercise you constantly stretch the muscles and ligaments of the shoulders, hips, arms, shoulder blades, and toes, after a month of daily exercise you will be able to perform many other stretching exercises while constantly increasing the flexibility of your entire body.

In addition, due to the constant need to freeze your body in one position, which is also quite stressful for it, you learn to keep focus, balance, emotional calm even with such strong physical and mental stress. And this, in turn, has a very good effect on your further perception of various everyday problems and contacts with people unpleasant to you on the street or at work. Believe me, in a week or two you will look at the world around you in a completely different way!

Acceleration of metabolism

Plank burns twice as many calories than any other ab exercise. How much energy you expend doing a plank for 5 minutes a day depends primarily on your expenditure and metabolism, as well as on your body type. For ectomorphs often consume energy 5-8% faster than mesomorphs, while endomorphs, on the contrary, are 6-9% slower.

Although this is a fairly popular exercise, unfortunately, the bar does not burn calories as much and quickly as the same cardio workouts. On average, for a mesomorph, it is 6-8 kcal per 1 minute during exercise, and prolonged burning also occurs within several hours after exercise.

Integrated system

From the very beginning, standing for a full 5 minutes in the plank seems impossible. But choosing the right set, you can achieve the desired result very quickly. This training option will allow you to stand for a longer time due to the constant change of muscles that are loaded:

For novice athletes it can be difficult to stay in one position for such a long time, so if you feel like you can no longer stand, lie down on the floor and rest yourself for 10-15 seconds, then move on to the next step.

Attention, only TODAY!

It often happens that simple exercises are the most effective, regardless of the purpose of training. The plank exercise is a regular static stance that pumps almost all the muscles of the body. You must keep your body off the ground for as long as possible. Note: a perfectly straight body!

For those who have not yet done the plank, it may seem that doing it is easy, but this is far from the case. With the correct execution of the bar, if you do the exercise exactly following the technique, quite a lot of energy is required. But you will definitely rejoice at the results: an increase in strength and endurance, toned muscles of the abdomen, back, legs, buttocks.

The plank is one of the best exercises for developing strength and endurance. In addition, this static exercise perfectly works out the gluteal and femoral muscles, corrects the shape of the posture, and improves coordination of movements.

There are many variations of the plank, you can make the exercise more difficult by changing the position of the body parts to increase the intensity of the impact on your muscles. In this video, personal trainer Jill Rodriguez demonstrates the different types of planks you can use to make your body stronger and stronger.

5 Benefits of the Plank Exercise

The plank has become very popular due to the fact that it has a strengthening effect on the cardiovascular system. This is no coincidence, because this exercise involves several muscle groups at once. What are the benefits of plank in our daily life?

1. Strengthening the press

The plank forces the deep internal core muscles of the abdomen to work actively. These are the same cherished muscles responsible for the press cubes. Muscles come in tone - the stomach becomes flat, and the press becomes steel.

However, keep in mind that in order for cubes to appear, you need to get rid of subcutaneous fat stores. For men, 6% will be enough, and for women, 9%.

1. Reducing pain in the back

Regular execution of the bar significantly reduces the severity and frequency of pain in the back. This is because the spine becomes more flexible and strong. Also, the bar is great for training the muscles of the back, especially the upper part. According to the United States Committee on Physical Education:

“Because the plank is a static exercise, the minimum movement during maximum tension of the deep abdominal muscles provides an excellent opportunity to strengthen the skeleton, which, in turn, helps to reduce pain in the lower back.”

1. Flexibility

In addition to developing strength, the bar increases the flexibility and elasticity of the muscles. These are the shoulder muscles, and the muscles of the collarbones, and the shoulder blades, first of all, and these are the most inaccessible parts of the body for training. Even your feet and toes will be stressed.

If you're doing a side plank, you'll be able to stretch your lateral muscles as well (especially if you reach your arms up, parallel to your body). An effective alternative to stretching will be the bar on the elbows - unlike the classic bar, here the main load goes to the hands.

1. Mood improvement

Almost every physical exercise has the potential to improve our mood. And the plank is no exception. This in itself is a unique exercise because it is able to tense and stretch the muscles during execution, and then gives an incomparable feeling of relaxation of the whole body. The bar is especially useful for those people who lead a sedentary, sedentary lifestyle. Exercise relieves stress after a busy day at work, removes fatigue and gives a positive mood.

1. Formation of correct posture, strengthening of balance

To properly do the bar, you need to strain your abdominal muscles as much as possible. This is important for maintaining an upright position. Side planks, planks with extensions and balls are especially useful for correcting movement coordination, strengthening a sense of balance. Want to test how resilient you are? Try doing a side plank with a leg raise - get into a side plank position, then gently lift your top leg. How long can you hold on like this? Lower your leg, return to the starting position, repeat the exercise with the other leg. The plank is a versatile exercise. In the process of execution, all the muscles necessary for the formation of the correct posture are involved. These are the muscles of the back, chest, shoulders, abs and neck. If you regularly do this simple exercise, you yourself will not notice that you began to sit or stand with a much straighter back.

How to perform a classic plank?

You can watch a demonstration of the exercise in the video at the beginning of the article.

Typical mistakes when doing the plank exercise

If you prefer a textual description, then here are recommendations on how to properly plank the US Board of Physical Education.

• “Keep your elbows directly under your shoulders, with your wrists flat on the floor parallel to your elbows.
• The center of gravity is shifted to the upper back, the chin is firmly pressed to the neck (as if you are holding an egg between your chin and throat).
• While in this position, tighten the abdominal muscles, buttocks (coccyx) and hips. Watch your breathing: it should be deep and measured.
• Hold the bar for at least 20-30 seconds (with the correct form of execution, you can not stand longer than this period of time). Rest 1 minute, then repeat 3-5 more times.
• Start the exercise using your elbows and fingers (if necessary, use your knees), gradually moving to a high plank.

• Being in the position of the front bar, it is very important to strain the press as much as possible, focusing on the navel. The fact is that it is adjacent to the transverse abdominal muscle, thanks to which the intestines are kept inside, and the spine receives tremendous support. So, by drawing in the area near the navel, you force the internal transverse muscle to actively contract. Want a 6-pack flat stomach? Then lower your chin as low as possible, and tighten your navel as much as possible.
• Do Kegel exercises. In general, these exercises are more familiar to women than men. They are performed by squeezing and unclenching the pelvic floor muscles. If you explain in simple terms, then imagine that you abruptly stop urinating in the middle of the process, and then just as abruptly resume. This experiment is possible thanks to just these muscles of the pelvic floor.

How to perform other types of plank?

As already mentioned, there are many varieties of straps: front, side, reverse. And each affects certain muscle groups. The front works perfectly on the upper and lower parts of the body: abs, back, chest, shoulders, neck, biceps, triceps, buttocks, hips, calves. The side plank is especially effective for training the oblique muscles of the abdomen, which strengthen the spine in turn. And when performing the back plank, the muscles of the buttocks, hips, abs, and back are intensely tensed.

To do the side plank, lie on your right side with your legs straight. Then lift the body, leaning on the right forearm. Your body should form a single straight line from head to toe. Hips and knees are on the floor. You can place your left hand on the floor in front of you, on your hip or behind your head, for better stability. Tighten your abs and hold the position for 1 minute.

To do a reverse plank, sit on the floor with your legs straight out in front of you. Place your palms on the floor under your shoulders, tighten your buttocks and hips, and then lift your body up. If it is very difficult, then you can do support not on your hands, but on your elbows. Hold the position for 1 minute, making sure your body forms a perfect horizontal line from shoulders to heels.

Plank exercises for the press: home workouts

How to do the plank for weight loss or for training the abdominal muscles, see the video from the therapist and trainer.

4 common mistakes

It is very important to perform the exercise correctly in order to avoid sprains and dislocations. As certified personal trainer Estelle Underwood noted in The Huffington Post:

“If you feel pain in your neck or lower back while doing the plank, it may indicate weakness in the upper or lower spine. If the core muscles are weak and untrained, then the spine will bend, causing displacement of the vertebrae, pressure on the intervertebral discs and / or injury to the shoulder joint.

People with back injuries need to be careful when doing planks. Start the exercise slowly, without sudden movements. Hold the plank position for a few seconds, and if there is no pain, you can increase the time. Also, try to avoid a few common mistakes:

1. Lowering the hips, head and shoulders
2. Placement of hands too close together (this leads to damage to the shoulder joints)
3. Holding your breath
4. Holding the bar for too long - it is better to stand in the position for a short time, but following all the rules

Take a 2-minute test to determine your fitness level

If you are able to hold a classic plank for 2 minutes, then you have a good level of fitness. If not, you need to develop strength and endurance. Think about it, maybe being overweight is the main reason that you can't hold the bar for 2 minutes? For motivation, we recommend that you watch the following video featuring George Hood, this is the current Guinness Book of Records holder for holding the classic plank. His time is 1 hour 20 minutes 7 seconds. The previous record was held by Richard Hazard, his time was 50 minutes 11 seconds.

Plank exercise: reviews and results

Reading time: 39 minutes

The plank is a static exercise on the floor with an emphasis on the hands or forearms. The plank is considered one of the most effective ways to reduce the stomach and tighten the body. Is it really? Let's see what are the benefits, advantages and harms of the bar, how to perform it correctly and how often, is the bar effective for weight loss? We also offer you a unique selection: 45 options for exercises with a plank in pictures!

Plank exercise: general information

The plank has long been a classic exercise not only in abdominal training, but also in general training for the whole body. This multifunctional exercise allows you to use many muscle groups, and at the same time it does not require any additional equipment, special skills, or great experience from you. The plank can be practiced by both beginners and advanced practitioners. It is thanks to its practicality, effectiveness and universal availability that the plank exercise has gained widespread popularity.

The plank works the muscles of the upper and lower body, which means you will strengthen your body, making it supple and toned. Especially this exercise is useful for the development of the muscular corset (stomach, back, buttocks). Strong muscular corset supports the back and spine , which means it helps to reduce the risk of injuries of the musculoskeletal system.

How to do a plank correctly?

Get into a floor standing position - push-up position. Bend your elbows 90 degrees and shift your weight onto your forearms. Your whole body should form one straight line, the stomach is tightened, the muscles are tense.

What to pay special attention to:

• Head and neck: should be relaxed and free. Look at the floor, do not raise your head up.
• Arms: hold straight in front of you or cross them. Place your elbows strictly under the shoulder joints so as not to create unnecessary stress on the shoulders. Drop your shoulders, don't lift them up to your ears.
• Small of the back: it can neither be rounded nor bent. Imagine that your lower back is firmly pressed against the wall.
• Legs: should remain straight and tense. Otherwise, the main load will go to the lower back, and not to the abdominal muscles.
• Buttocks: should also be tense and be on the same level with the back. Do not bend your pelvis and do not lift your buttocks up.
• Stomach: retract, and then (already retracted) try to pull up to the ribs. Keep it taut throughout the exercise, while not holding your breath.
• Feet: can be connected together, you can arrange a little. The closer you put them to each other, the stronger the load on the abdominal muscles will be.
• Breath: Be sure to remember to breathe deeply throughout the exercise. Inhale and exhale slowly and measuredly.

Hold the plank position for as long as you can. Beginners can hold the bar for 15-30 seconds, intermediate - 30-60 seconds, advanced - 60 seconds or more. When you feel that it becomes difficult for you to keep the correct form, end the exercise. Never increase the duration of an exercise to the detriment of technique! It is better to take a break and repeat the exercise in 3-4 circles with short stops.

Plank fit for all levels of training because you can always increase or decrease the duration of the static position depending on your fitness level. Also, this exercise can always be modified and complicated. If you are a beginner, then perform the bar, kneeling down. If you are an advanced practitioner, you can raise your arm or leg and hold the bar in that position.

How to increase plank time?

1. Practice the bar every day, do the exercise in several approaches. If possible, do the plank 3-4 times a day.
2. try progress every 4-5 days. For example, by increasing the time of holding the bar or increasing the number of approaches.
3. Do other exercises to develop different muscle groups. For example, push-ups, squats, exercises with dumbbells for arms and shoulders.
4. If you have been practicing the bar for a long time and calmly hold it for several minutes, then proceed to more complex options doing this exercise. Your muscles are probably used to the load, so the effectiveness of the plank is reduced.

Sooner or later, the body adapts to any exercise. You should not constantly move towards increasing the bar time, it is better to move on to more complex options for performing this exercise. If 2-3 minutes in the bar is not difficult for you, then feel free to move on to more complex modifications.

Plank contraindications

Despite the fact that the plank seems to be a fairly harmless exercise, in certain cases it is not recommended to perform it. The bar has the following contraindications:

• Hand, shoulder, foot injuries
• Pregnancy and postpartum
• Large overweight (you can perform a plank variant on your knees, but no more than 30 seconds)
• Hypertension or hypotension
• Intervertebral hernia
• Spinal injury
• Diseases of the internal organs
• Exacerbation of chronic diseases.

What muscles are involved in plank

During the execution of the plank, the muscles of the abdomen, back and shoulders are primarily included in the work. The bar also engages the muscles of the buttocks, chest, calves, front and back of the thigh.

So, during the classic plank, the following muscles are involved:

• Rectus and transverse abdominal muscles
• Latissimus dorsi muscle
• Muscles of the lumbar
• Muscles of the shoulder girdle
• Trapeze
• pectoral muscles
• Gluteal muscles
• Quadriceps and hamstrings
• calf muscles

When performing a side plank, an additional load goes to the oblique muscles of the abdomen, as well as to the muscles of the outer and inner thighs. The side plank is one of the most best exercises to strengthen oblique muscles and spinal stabilization for back health.

Static Plank Workout Plan

We offer you a ready-made plank training plan that can be performed as an addition to any program. Just follow the proposed plan and work on the perfection of your figure. There are four exercises for you: elbow plank, planka on hands, boforged strap on the right hand, bshackle on the left hand.

You will repeat all exercises in several approaches. We offer you the following plan:

• First week: each exercise for 15 seconds in 3 sets, a break between sets of 30 seconds, a break between exercises of 60 seconds.
• Second week: each exercise for 25 seconds in 3 sets, a break between sets of 30 seconds, a break between exercises of 60 seconds.
• Third week: each exercise for 35 seconds in 3 sets, a break between sets of 20 seconds, a break between exercises of 60 seconds.
• Fourth week: each exercise for 45 seconds in 3 sets, a break between sets of 20 seconds, a break between exercises of 60 seconds.

If necessary, you can adjust the proposed plan or perform each exercise at a more comfortable time for you or perform simplified modifications (on your knees).

The benefits, harms and effectiveness of planks for weight loss

Benefits of Plank

1. Plank is the perfect exercise for abdominal muscles because it covers all major abdominal muscle groups, including the transverse, rectus, oblique muscles.

2. The bar includes not only the muscles of the core, but also the muscles of the shoulders, chest, buttocks, upper back, front and back of the thigh. This is a unique exercise that will force your body to work almost entirely.

3. With the plank, you will strengthen the muscular corset that supports your spine, which is excellent. back pain prevention.

4. With the help of the plank, you will strengthen your back and buttocks without damaging the musculoskeletal system and joints (as opposed to, for example, deadlifts, squats, and lunges) .

5. Regularly doing the plank will help you maintain a straight posture and a flat back.

6. Plank exercise is available for everyone: from beginner to advanced. Just adjust the holding time of the static position depending on your training.

7. By strengthening your core muscles, you will be able to improve your balance and balance, which will be useful to you in everyday life.

8. Unlike many other abdominal exercises, the plank does not have a devastating effect on your lower back.

9. Plank has a large number of modifications: only in our article offers more than 40 options!

10. You can perform plank absolutely anywhere: at home, on the street, in the gym. You just need some free space.

Plank Harm

However, despite all the benefits of the bar, this exercise can be fraught with danger. For example, if your core muscles are not strong enough, your spine will sag while doing a plank, causing pressure on the vertebral discs, lower back and shoulder joints . At the slightest violation of the correct form of the exercise, you may feel pain in the neck or lower back.

In addition, prolonged plank exposure can cause increase in blood pressure and even a heart attack, especially people with hypertension are at risk. Therefore, you should not be in the bar for more than two minutes in a row. If you want to increase the load on the muscles, then it is better to go in the direction of complicating the plank options. (for example, with a raised arm or leg) than in the direction of increasing the time of the static position.

For overweight people, it is recommended to perform the bar, kneeling down. This will help reduce stress on your back and joints. However, the bar is one of the safest exercises for developing core muscles . It has a much less harmful effect on the spine than most other abdominal exercises that are performed on the back.

Common Plank Mistakes

To avoid back problems from incorrect execution of the bar, we draw your attention to typical mistakes in this exercise:

• stooped back, shoulders down
• lifting the buttocks up, above the level of the head
• arching or rounding in the lower back
• relaxation of the muscles of the abdomen, legs and buttocks
• lifting the head up and deflecting in the cervical region
• breath holding

Is plank weight loss effective?

The plank strengthens muscles, works out the core, improves the tone of the hips, buttocks, arms and shoulders, but for burning fat and losing weight, the plank is not an effective exercise. The bar does not help to remove the stomach and get rid of the sides! This exercise is designed to tone muscles, not burn fat.

Moreover, we emphasize again that weight loss depends on nutrition and not from exercise. Training helps burn more calories, tone muscles, improve body quality, but getting rid of excess weight occurs only with food restrictions (calorie deficit). The plank and its modifications are a great way to strengthen the body, get rid of flabbiness and detraining, but dietary restrictions are required for weight loss.

If your goal is to lose weight, then it is better to focus on dynamic exercises that help burn more calories than static exercises. Ideally regularly do cardio exercise. Moreover, cardio exercises can be performed in the bar, thereby achieving two goals at once: burn calories and strengthen abdominal muscles. Read more about plank cardio exercises below.

45 plank exercises: a unique selection!

If you are ready to increase the effectiveness of your workouts with more diverse plank exercises, then we offer you our unique selection: 45 Different Plank Exercise Variations with Visual Pictures. From these exercises you can make a complete training program. You can use our options for ready-made programs or create your own set of exercises.

If you are already calmly holding the classic bar for 2-3 minutes, you should not increase the complexity to hold a static position for 5-10 minutes, as many sources advise. Most likely, your muscles have already adapted to the load, so it will be more effective. complicate the load , i.e. move on to more advanced modifications of the exercise.

We offer you 45 exercises in the plank. They are conventionally divided into 5 groups: static exercises, plank exercises on the arms, exercises in the plank on the elbows, exercises in the side plank, cardio exercises in the plank. If you decide to make your own training plan, it is advisable to use the exercises from each group.

You can also complicate training with slats with the help of additional equipment:

Static plank exercises:

1. Plank on the hands (Plank)

2. Plank on the elbows (Forearm Plank)

3. Side Plank

4. Reverse Plank

5. Plank near the wall (Wall plank)

6. Plank with arms forward (Levered Plank)

7. "Star" (Star side plank)

8. Plank with a raised leg (Plank single leg)

Arm Plank Exercises:

1. Hand touching forward in plank (Plank alternating reach)

2. Plank leg raise

3. Touching the shoulder in the plank (Plank shoulder tap)

4. Plank opposite knee touch

5. Crossbody mountain climbers

6. Walking in the bar to the side (Plank lateral walk)

7. Spiderman plank

8. Plank Up & Down

9. Plank dumbbell raise

10. Raising the legs + touching the elbow with the knee (Leg raise + Touch elbow crisscross)

11. Plank right-left (Plank In & Out)

12 Superman Plank

13. Plank arm raise

14. Touching the foot in the plank (Down to toe tap)

15. Wipers (Windshield wipers)

16. Sliding the knee up and down the arm (Arm sliders)

17. Plank walkout

18. 360 degree rotation (Plank barrel roll)

19. Turning the body sideways (Plank T-rotation)

Elbow Plank Exercises:

1. Side plank roll

2. Plank saw

3. Touching the elbows with the knees (Knee to elbow)

4. Plank buttocks up (Hip raise plank)

5. Laying the legs to the side in the plank (Starfish march)

6. Body turns in plank (Plank rocker)

Side Plank Exercises:

1. Hip drop side plank

2. Turning the body in the side bar on the elbows (Forearm plank reach through)

3. Turning the body in the side bar (Plank reach through)

4. Twisting in the side plank (Crunch side plank)

5. Raising the arm and leg in the side bar (Star side forearm plank)

Plank Cardio Exercises:

1. Jumping jack

2. Plank knee tuck

3 Mountain climbers

4. Touching the feet in the plank (Plank toe tap)

5. Jump into the bar buttocks up (Plyo peak plank)

6. Plank heel click

Thanks to youtube channels for visual pictures: Republic of Strength, Jordan Yeoh Fitness, Dont Quit, Max's Best Bootcamp, Ammar Montaser, The Live Fit Girl.

Ready-made plank exercise plan for all fitness levels!

We offer you a ready-made plank exercise plan for all levels of training . Don't know which group you belong to? Complete the level for beginners, and if the load seems insufficient to you, then feel free to move on to the average level.

You can always change the plan at your discretion by adding, replacing or removing some of the suggested exercises. Repeat exercises in several circles or do one circuit if you don't plan on doing the plank set for more than 5 minutes. If the exercise is performed on one side, then the first circle is performed on the right side, the second circle - on the left.

First round:

(Forearm Plank)(Crossbody mountain climbers)(Hip drop side plank)(Plank arm raise)(Windshield wipers)

Second round:

(Reverse Plank)(Down to toe tap)(Jumping jack)
1. (Plank opposite knee touch)
(starfish march)

How to do this plank workout for beginners?

• Each exercise is performed for 30 seconds, a break of 15 seconds
• Rest between circles 1 minute
• The total duration of one lap is 3.5 minutes
• Total workout time: ~17 minutes

First round:

(Plank single leg)(Mountain climbers)(side plank roll)(Plank walkout)(Plank knee tuck)
1. Plank spider (spiderman plank)
(Plank alternating reach)

Second round:

(side plank)(Plank Up & Down)(Forearm plank reach through)(Plank shoulder tap)(Hip raise plank)(Plank In & Out)(Plank dumbbell raise)

How to do this workout with intermediate planks?

• We perform each round for 2 circles
• Rest between circles 1 minute
• The total duration of one lap is 4.5 minutes
• Total workout time: ~22 minutes

First round:

(wall plank)
1. Full body rotation (Plank T rotation)
(Plank toe tap)(Superman Plank)(Plank lateral walk)(Knee to elbow)

Second round:

1. Classic arm plank (Basic planks)
(Plank leg raise)(Plyo peak plank)(Plank saw)(Star side forearm plank)(Plank Up & Down)

Third round:

(Levered Plank)(Plank barrel roll)(Plank heel click)(Crunch side plank)(Plank shoulder tap)(Leg raise + Touch elbow crisscross)

How to do this advanced plank workout?

• Each exercise is performed for 30 seconds, a break of 10 seconds.
• We perform each round for 2 circles
• Rest between circles 1 minute
• Total duration of one lap ~4 minutes
• Total workout time: ~30 minutes

Love to practice on your own? Check out our selection of exercises: