How To: Elbow Plank
Name an exercise for the abs other than sit-ups and crunches.
I’ll give you five seconds.
5…4…3…2…1
Ooooooooh, time’s up!
In the eternity you were given to answer, one of the exercises you could have said is planks.
Though it may not look like it, planks work the rectus abdominis like sit-ups and crunches but what the exercise has over them is that it does so without recruiting the hip flexors as much or placing as much stress on the spine. That’s one advantage. Another is that planks don’t strengthen your six-pack alone, as recruitment takes place of the obliques, transverse abdominis, and several other muscles within the abdomen that attach to the spine and pelvis.1The glutes, quads, hamstrings, chest, shoulders, arms, traps, lats, and rhomboids also work during a plank, making it a total body exercise. Those muscles constitute the core and improved stability, better posture, and reduced susceptibility to back pain and injury are all benefits of making them stronger.
There are many different types of planks and they each vary in their degree of benefits, which can only be enjoyed if you do them correctly. Speaking to that, as easy as it looks to hold yourself up in a plank position, it’s just as easy to perform the movement wrong, which is the case for most people when it comes to this particular exercise. So you’re not like those people, what say you to learning how to perform the most popular version of the plank, that being the elbow plank?2The elbow plank is also known as the forearm plank, low plank, and forward plank.
Good, glad to hear you’re game! Continue reading How To: Elbow Plank
