What Are The Benefits Of The Plank Exercise? Find out in this article.

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Personal/Fitness Training Blog

The plank exercise is one of the simplest exercises which you can do. It’s very straightforward in its appearance and the number of steps that are involved in doing one. However being simple does not mean that doing a plank is easy – far from it.

Getting into plank pose can be quite easy. Holding the plank exercise can even be easy, for a few seconds, however since the plank is an exercise position which can be held indefinitely, its difficulty can range from easy, short-term planks to excruciating tests of endurance. A heads up: easy, short-term planks aren’t the type which are going to provide you with much strength improvement.

What Is The Importance of Core Strength?

There are many sites and blogs which detail ways to build your core muscles or core strength – something which the plank exercise is brilliant at. However, these sites often neglect to properly explain what your core muscles actually are as well as why building them is very important.

This is quite astonishing, as core muscles are quite simple to explain.

Your core muscles are a sequence of muscles that are found in your midsection and are utilised in most forms of movement. Though they aren’t located in your arms or legs, your core muscles can help to shift force from one limb to the other or are made use of in addition to muscles in your arms or legs to boost their effectiveness. As such, a strong core can significantly improve your ability to move as well as exercise more effectively.

Also, your core muscles are great for assisting other muscles in your midsection, such as your abdominal muscles. Your abdominal muscles are very important for supporting your back as well as spinal column. This means that they are important aids in preventing injuries. However, in order for them to be most effective, you need to spend a lot of time developing your core muscles.

What Are The Advantages Of The Plank Exercise?

A weakened core may cause serious injury if ignored and not exercised properly. The plank exercise helps to target the core muscles as well as give them a good burn in order to build muscle strength.

The core muscles groups that are engaged in the plank exercise are the following:

  • Transverse abdominis:

These are abdominal wall muscles which are responsible for stabilising the lumbar spine as well as pelvis before the movement of limbs (raising your arms, bending forwards, etc.). Building this muscle increases our strength for lifting heavy weights.

  • Rectus abdominis:

This is the muscle that gives you your six pack! Working this long strap muscle can assist with improving high jumps as well as kicks.

  • Oblique Muscles:

These are the muscles which make side bending, waist twisting as well as turning possible.

  • Gluteal Muscles or Glutes:

This is the most powerful muscle of the body. It is responsible for the movement of the hip and thigh. It is attached to the tailbone and maintains the shape of your back as well as buttocks.

Holding the plank exercise can fire up all these muscle groups at the same time so giving us these benefits:

  • A Healthy Posture

A bad posture is when we hunch and also have slumped shoulders. This takes place because of poor alignment and sitting for long periods of time. A good posture is where the weight of your body is evenly distributed. It lowers the stress on our spine and gives us a straight, well-aligned body while walking, standing as well as sitting.

The plank position engages all the muscles from your neck, shoulder and back up to your pelvis, thighs and legs. Slowly, this results in a strong posture and gives you the confidence to walk tall.

  • Balance And Coordination

Our core muscles are responsible for assisting us with balancing while riding a bike or standing on one leg. Even dancing necessitates engaging the core muscles in order to achieve the right balance in form. Planks hold the core muscles taut so teaching your muscle to endure. This builds muscle stability as well as increasing body balance.

  • Improves Body Alignment And Helps To Avoid Illness

Many of us, even at a very young age, experience back pain as well as lower back issues. This is owing to bad posture and incorrect alignment of the body. Regular planks can help to improve posture and rid you of back pain.

This is as planks help to build strong abdominal muscles which lower the strain on your back, shoulders and neck. Planking down after a long, hard day of sitting on your computer can assist to relieve neck and shoulder knots too and assist your body come back into alignment. Planks and regular exercise can help to prevent degenerative muscle atrophy that is caused by osteoarthritis too.

Contact Trifocus Fitness Academy

If you want to learn about more benefits of the plank exercise, as well as other Pilates exercises, then you need to become a Pilates instructor. Follow this link to find out more about our Pilates Instructor Course.

Trifocus Fitness Academy - Mind Body Specialist