Want Great Abs – Try the Plank Exercise
First and foremost, I need to be completely honest and just say that I Dislike doing ab crunches. They just seem to bore me to and I have absolutely no patience for the repeated movements. The forward flexion of ab crunches also kills my back and neck (I’ve got an old injury), therefore i have a tendency to just skip them altogether, which isn’t beneficial either.
Ab crunches can be tricky. It is quite simple do them wrong, as it can be tough for a lot of people to correctly isolate the abdominals in this particular position. I see a large amount of incorrect form, particularly neck yanking and/or the use of momentum, which is pointless. It is also easy to train abs in a external fashion, which makes protruding ab muscles and can increase the size of your waistline-very frustrating considering just how unpleasant and monotonous the particular exercise is in the first place!
Great things about the Plank Exercise
The plank exercise, on the flip side, trains you to hold your ab muscles inward, both throughout the exercise as well as in everyday activities. This gives you that slender, compact midsection you seek, together with the great extra of getting quite visible ab tone …provided your body fat levels are minimal enough of course (I’m going to save that for an additional post).
A further advantage with the plank exercise is that considering that all movements starts off with ones core muscles (at least that’s the way it’s should be) it will be easy to apply much more strength and much better form while doing various other exercises. This will lead to improved neuromuscular development, and by extension, better overall tone of muscle.
How to Perform the Plank Exercise Effectively – IMPORTANT
When performed correctly, the plank exercise is very difficult. The fact is, when most individuals first try the plank, they can only hold it for around 15-30 seconds max. If you’re able to hold it for a longer period with accurate form, wonderful! But you shouldn’t feel below par if it appears really, truly hard at first…totally normal. If it feels effortless, be certain your belly button is pulled in toward your spine and that your behind isn’t too high. Make modifications appropriately.
Considering that the plank is really an isometric exercise, it is possible to train them 5-6 times each week or every day if you wish to. Should your lower back troubles you during the exercise, you can start by doing the regular plank on your knees, as well as the side planks with your lower knee on the ground, top leg extended.
Begin with 30 second holds, and build from there.
Posted by admin on February 2nd, 2012 :: Filed under Uncategorized
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