Theres more to an effective plank than it may seem.
The forearm plank is deceptively simple.
Kind of, but also not exactly.
Katie Thompson
Heres what you better know to make your forearm plank more effective.
Master these two moves before the plank.
You want to build a solid core foundation before you take on the plank.
Your back gets feedback from the ground the whole time, she says.
Its a little more dynamic in terms of your limbs moving, but your core is staying stable.
Step away from a resistance band secured to an anchor point and press it in front of you.
Youll be resisting the pull of the band, which boosts core stability.
Use this breathing exercise to verify youre actually engaging your core.
Before you take to the mat, you want to verify you know how to breathe correctly.
If youre like many of his clients, your first attempt will just be a shallow exhale.
Do it 10 timesyoull feel like your core has been put to work.
You should maintain that brace during your sets.
3. double-check youre feeling the tension throughout your whole body.
So, altogether, you are training multiple muscles for endurance, stability, and strength.
So how do you do it?
Then work on creating that tension throughout your entire body.
Then imagine that you are bringing your toes and your elbows closer together to really feel the burn.
Remember: If youre not firing up your glutes, youre doing it wrong.
Think of cracking a walnut between your cheeks, Gentilcore says.
To verify your glutes dont shirk their duty, you should warm them up before you plank.
you could also warm up with a couple sets of glute bridges orband walks, Gentilcore says.
Measure your plank in seconds, not minutes.
Weve all heard about people who can hold their plank for minutes on endor sometimes even hours.
In fact, theGuinness World Recordfor the longest plank held by a woman stands (er, planks?)
at 4 hours 19 minutes and 55 seconds.
When you focus too much on time, your form will inevitably start to break down.
As a result, you’re able to be left withlow back painafter your planks.
So focus on starting small with the plank.
When youre talking full-body tension with the planks, even 10 seconds feels hard.
The idea is we are going to add time each week, says Gentilcore.
When its time for a greater challenge, add variations, not time.
After that, you’re free to add locomotion to the mix, says Genticore.