FITNESS

Planks strengthen your core, upper and lower body

 

How to do Planks properly
Planks are one of the popular exercises in isometric training. While doing planks you contract your muscles against some stationary resistance.
This exercise is common in regeneration or recovery process which helps to prevent injuries. Abdominal muscles, shoulder muscles, back muscles, glutes and leg muscles are the major muscles worked while doing planks.
Many people think that it’s easy to do and it’s a pure waste of time. If you follow the right techniques it won’t be that much easy to do and the end result is a toned and perfect body.
Proper technique:

• Lie on your knees and forearms while facing down the floor. This is the starting position.
• Now push yourself up so that you are resting on your elbows and toes.
• Do not lean inward or outward your body.
• Make sure that your back is straight and in line with your head and toes.
• Pull in your abs and do not push up your butts.
• Now you are in a plank position.
• Hold this position as long as you can. As a beginner try to  hold up to 20- 30 seconds.
• Increase this time slowly on the coming days or week.
• Repeat this exercise at least 3 times.
• You can also try side planks and using a fitness ball.
• While you are in a plank position rotate your body such that you are resting sideways on your one hand. This is the position for the side plank.

Planks strengthen your core, upper and lower body. This exercise also increases the flexibility of muscles and helps to perform other intense exercise with so much of ease. Number of push ups can be increased by doing planks.
It stabilizes your entire body and improves your overall appearance by improving the posture. Apart from the physical benefits it also helps to relieve stress thus giving you a sound mind. If you want a total body workout which tone your whole body then try doing planks.