Learning to do plank for weight loss

Plank exercise is considered one of the most effective and popular for weight loss among fitness enthusiasts. It can replace an hour of intensive training in the gym and will help you effectively get rid of your stomach and sides.

From the article, you will learn how to do the plank pose correctly and avoid the main mistakes when doing it. You can also read reviews and see the results of people who regularly include this exercise in their workout. The material is supplemented with useful videos on the execution technique.

Performing the plank exercise for weight loss, you can keep your body in good shape and tone. It is ideal for busy people who want to look attractive and not spend a lot of time on training. Doesn't that sound promising?

Benefits and features

Plank brings a lot of positive results to its adherents. The main benefit is as follows:

• During the exercise, the body receives a serious static load. Not only the shoulder girdle and back are tensed, but also the buttocks, thighs, abdominal muscles and sides.
• You will learn how to balance your body and increase your body's endurance for cardio and strength training.
• It has been proven that the plank for weight loss is more effective than a dynamic power complex. In the latter case, the muscles receive a load only due to active contractions. During the execution of the bar, they are in a tense state for a relatively long period of time. This is much more effective for weight loss than quick exercise.
• Although no additional devices or equipment are used during the workout, the exercise is indispensable for losing weight and tightening the abdominal muscles. In particular, it is recommended for women who have given birth (4-5 months after natural childbirth and 6-8 after caesarean section). The plank is designed to slim the abdomen and sides. It will save you from the hated "apron", which is a common problem among new mothers.
• The plank also allows you to stretch some small muscles. Moreover, many people who are hard at work include the exercise in a warm-up warm-up complex and perform it before the main training program.

Not only fitness trainers include the plank for weight loss and muscle strengthening in their complexes. The exercise is very popular among record holders. The latest recorded world record was set by 44-year-old Chinese police officer Mao Weidung, who stood in the plank position for 8 hours and 1 minute!

Execution technique

If your goal is to lose weight and strengthen the body, be sure to follow the correct exercise.

Take the starting position - lying on the floor down with your stomach. Straighten your arms and lift your body up. Hands should be under the shoulders, the pelvis is tucked in. Hold this position for as long as you can (optimally - 1-2 minutes). Relax and repeat the exercise up to 5 times.

The plank pose is very good for strengthening the arms. Therefore, it is recommended to do it for both men and women as a preparation for push-ups or pull-ups on the horizontal bar.

Peculiarities

In order for the weight loss exercise to work on all “fronts”, you need to perform it correctly.

• Keep your feet together. This makes it difficult to maintain balance, so the load on the body will be more noticeable.
• The legs should be tense and extended into a “string”.
• Tighten your stomach. Don't let it sag. This reduces the benefits of training for weight loss.
• Pull in and tighten your abdominal muscles.
• Keep your arms, legs and buttocks tense. Contraction and relaxation of the gluteal muscles in this position can bring the best results.

Mistakes to Avoid

1. Don't arch your back. Beginners often make this mistake, which can cause back pain. Also, with the wrong execution technique, the effectiveness of the exercise is significantly reduced, since you allow relaxation and sagging of the abdomen.
2. Don't put your head down. By focusing on the position of your lower body and back, you can relax your head and neck. But this cannot be done. Keep your head straight, you can lower your eyes to the floor and close them, focusing on your sensations.
3. Don't hold your breath! This can cause dizziness, nausea, and even loss of consciousness. Inhale slowly through your nose and exhale slowly through your mouth.

If you want to be sure that you are doing the plank correctly, ask a member of the household to place a long stick on your back. At the same time, its top should be in contact with the head, the middle part should lie between the shoulder blades, and the lower part should lie on the buttocks. Your body should be one line.

Plank Varieties

For beginners, the traditional variation of the exercise will help to achieve weight loss and strengthen muscles. For those who already perform it with ease, we recommend the following complication options:

• In addition to the classic pose, many fitness trainers recommend doing a slightly more complicated version - forearm plank. Get into the familiar lying position. Then rise on your arms, bent at the elbows so that the shoulders are above them. If your muscles are already accustomed to a static load, then you can “hang” in the modification of the exercise on the forearms for 30-60 seconds. Then rest for a few minutes and repeat 2 more times. If you want to lose weight faster and work out the muscles of the buttocks and thighs more actively during the plank, then try lifting your legs up one by one. If you are familiar with the plank and can perform it correctly, we recommend that you combine lifting your leg up with a tap to the side. So you additionally use the inner thighs and can get rid of the hated "orange peel".
• Fitball Plank not intended for beginners, since you need to rest your arms bent at the elbows not on a hard floor surface, but on the ball. This pose will not only help you lose weight, but will also help develop coordination.
• yoga pose variation "Dog looking down" on the forearms. Take a basic pose. Then focus on the forearms, connect the hands. Tighten the muscles of the body and lift the hips up, as if trying to form the English letter "V". Lower your head down and stay in this position for 20 counts.
• One of the more complicated variations is considered side bar, aimed not only at losing weight, but also at reducing the volume of the waist, abdomen and sides. When performing it, your weight is distributed unevenly, so you do not need to do the exercise for unprepared beginners and people with large overweight. The principle of implementation is similar to the traditional version. Only you need to hold a position on your side with support not on two, but on one hand. The pose with an outstretched arm is suitable for those who have already learned to keep balance.
• Leg Raised Plank. A complicated option that is more suitable for those who have been practicing for a long time. From the classic position on straight arms, you need to tear off the toe of your right foot from the floor and linger in this position. Then change legs, and hold the body, lifting the left leg above the floor.

If you have been doing the plank exercise for a long time and want to diversify your workouts a little, then we offer you a full-fledged video complex based on a static load, with various variations of the pose for weight loss. The results of people who are engaged in this video are impressive: minus 1 kg and minus 4 cm in the waist in 1 month.

Training is suitable for men and women who have been fully engaged for at least 6-8 months.

100 Variants of the Plank exercise (video)