How to do a plank: plan for a month, for 2 months, how often to do a plank, which plank to do after 30 days of training? Plank during menstruation: is it possible? Is it possible to plank during pregnancy?

Many of us lead a sedentary lifestyle, move little, suffer from excess weight, especially for residents of large cities, although many provincials are not at all averse to gaining a slim figure. There is never enough time or money to go to the gym or fitness center, and regular exercise does not give a good effect. This is where the plank exercise comes to the rescue - simple exercises, only 10-15 minutes. a day, at home.

The plank is a very useful exercise that allows you to quickly lose weight, strengthen your body, and straighten your posture. This will be discussed in the article.

Why do you need a bar?

The main goal of this exercise is to lose excess weight and strengthen muscles. It does not require gyms, fitness clubs, expensive equipment, or sports equipment. Planking at home is accessible and useful to everyone - men and women, young and not so young, who want to lose excess weight, and slender women who do not want to gain it.

• In addition, to achieve your goal (losing weight, getting in shape, etc.) there is no need for long, exhausting workouts or exhausting diets. This is a static training, and the result is achieved due to the mobilization of internal power resources.
• The main muscles are activated , from subcutaneous to deep internal.
• This exercise is used by professional athletes, fitness trainers, and those who practice yoga, Pilates and stretching in depth.

The benefits of
Plank have a comprehensive effect on the entire body and allow you to achieve many goals:

• Extra pounds are lost.
• The skin tightens and becomes elastic .
• Back pain stops.
• are strengthened to stabilize the entire body.
• Correct posture is developed .
• osteochondrosis decreases .
• become toned and the legs become slender.
• Cellulite goes away .

This is the significant benefit of this simple exercise, accessible to everyone!

Who shouldn't do planks?

This type of physical exercise cannot be performed by everyone; it has a number of contraindications.

Here are the main ones:

• Presence of protrusions.
• Spinal injuries.
• Increased body temperature.
• Hypertension.
• Herniation of the spine.
• Menstruation.
• Exacerbation of chronic ailments.
• Pinched sciatic nerve.
• Neuropathy of the ulnar and radial nerve.
• Pregnancy with complications.
• Joint problems.
• Glaucoma.
• Phlebeurysm.

After a traditional birth or cesarean section, a woman can start exercising 3 months after the birth of her baby.

The plank is a universal workout that is suitable for both athletes and beginners. The rack is an effective method of shaping the abs, developing endurance, strengthening the entire body and losing weight.

It is necessary to follow all the rules for performing the exercise and consult a doctor who will rule out any contraindications.

How to do a plank correctly?

Review the following recommendations:

Classic

This is the classic plank position . There are other types, we will talk about them a little later. For this exercise to bring real benefits, it is necessary to strictly follow the general rules and procedures.

So, how not to harm your body:

• Always place your elbows and shoulders at the same level, and your hands should be positioned as comfortably as possible.
• The spine is strictly even, it is a straight line without a single deflection.
• The stomach is pulled in, the abs are tense to the maximum, thanks to this the lower back is not overstrained.
• The buttocks are also tense, ideally the whole body is flat, straight, parallel to the floor.
• Under no circumstances should you bend your knees ! All emphasis is on the socks.
• Place your feet randomly. The wider they are, the lighter they are; the narrower they are, the more difficult it is to hold the bar.
• Breathing should be smooth .
• Keep track of the time you spend in the plank, it is advisable to increase it every day, in any case, do not decrease it!

Harm of the plank

This exercise is so great that it has no side effects if you have the right technique. Harm from the plank occurs only if it is performed during contraindications.

When the bar is prohibited:

1. Abdominal hernia.
2. Intervertebral hernia.
3. Joint diseases.
4. Hypertension.
5. During menstruation.
6. In the postoperative period.
7. During pregnancy in the 2nd and 3rd trimester.
8. After cesarean for a month.
9. In the post-traumatic period.

If you do not fall into the category of the above, then feel free to do the plank every day for a month and the result will not be long in coming.

Types of planks for losing weight and strengthening muscles

Planks are very diverse. It is worth noting that in order to achieve a particular goal, you will need to choose a certain type of bar.

Here we will look at all of their most popular varieties:

• On straight arms. Lying position, head raised, shoulders straightened. The body becomes a straight line, resting on the toes and palms of outstretched arms. The result is a plane parallel to the floor. It is necessary to pull in your stomach , squeeze your buttocks , place your feet as close to each other as possible.

On the handles

• On the elbows. The stance is similar to the previous one, but the upper body is supported on the forearms rather than on the hands. Elbows are at shoulder level, the body is elongated, does not sag, and the back does not hunch. The stomach is pulled in, the muscles of the abs, buttocks and legs are strained with all their might.
• With your leg raised . Performing a classic elbow stand, lift one leg and hold for 1 minute. The leg should be raised at shoulder level or slightly higher, with the toes pulled towards you. The back and extended leg are straight, the stomach is pulled in. This exercise creates a powerful load on the abs.

Raise your leg

• With your hand raised. Similar to the previous exercise, but it is not the leg that is raised, but the arm. You should raise your arm forward so that your body and arm become one straight line. The back is straight, the stomach is tense.

Raise your hand

• Lateral. A more complex stance that can be done with enough experience. It is a good addition to the classic one. It’s done this way: you need to lie on your side, straighten and connect your legs in a straight line with your body, then give support to your elbow and forearm, which are at shoulder level. Once in a stable position, lift your free leg and arm and stay in this position for as long as you can, and then perform the exercise on the other side.

Sideways

• Reverse. This is a twist on the classic. The body finds support on the heels and hands of outstretched arms, the back “looks” at the floor, and the stomach at the ceiling. The pelvis is retracted and tense , the back is straight .

Reverse

Some general tips

• You can lean on straight arms or bent elbows. You should start with the most comfortable position. Before exercising, you should stretch your wrists.
• Hands are placed shoulder-width apart and below them. If you push them forward, wider than your shoulders or backwards, the back muscles are overloaded and you can damage your shoulder joints.
• The back remains flat, not arched, not bent. It is useful to place a mirror nearby. You cannot swing up and down (right and left) during the exercise.
• Straighten your shoulders and move them away from your head.
• Do not hold your breath, inhale smoothly and for a long time through your nose, and exhale for a long time through your mouth.

It is important to correctly master a simple technique and practice regularly.

There are contraindications to exercise: painful condition, pregnancy, PMS period, chronic vascular and musculoskeletal diseases, unstable blood pressure. Significant excess of body weight greatly increases the risk of injury when performing poses. In such cases, consultation with a doctor is required.

Plank: plan for a month, for 2 months

• Now, having understood the benefits of the exercise and having studied its varieties, let’s try to figure out how best to do this stance, how many minutes a day to devote? Of course, you can periodically stand in a plank for a few minutes, warming up your muscles and giving them a load.
• But it would be much more correct to draw up a plan for the month and strictly follow it, since a system is needed in everything.

Here is a plan developed by day, where each day corresponds to the number of seconds spent on this exercise:

This schedule allows you to achieve good results if you do the bar every day. Once you feel an improvement, you can make a similar plank plan for 2 months.

When drawing up such a plan for yourself, you need to take into account the following general standards for different types of planks:

• the classic with half a minute a day, increase it by the same amount of time every 2-3 days. Try to achieve the result indicated in the maximum table .
• With a raised arm or leg - you need to hold in this position for one minute, then change your leg (arm). Do this exercise 2-3 times.
• The remaining types of planks are the most difficult, it’s good if you can hold out in such a stance for a minute. Take a little break and try again.

Complex for 30 days (table)

To progress in the exercise, you can use the following complex:

How often do you do a plank per day?

Many people just can’t decide to start doing planks, much less perform complex time calculations and follow tables.

For such people, we will give general recommendations:

• At the very beginning, you don’t need to chase a large amount of time - 30 seconds is enough. But it is very important not to miss a single day!
• Once you get used to this norm, you can add 5-10 seconds every day.
• In the end, a good result for beginners would be 2 minutes, but not at a time, but in 2-3 approaches.
• Do not strive for complex exercises - the classics are quite suitable for a start, then you can raise your arm and leg. The rest are for those who have already practiced and gotten the hang of it.
• Try to always do the exercise at the same time.
• It is better not to do planks immediately after meals and a couple of hours before bed.
• The most optimal time is immediately after morning exercises.
• Increase the load gradually, monitor your well-being, and do not overexert yourself.

Half minute start

Plank exercise plan for 30 days for men and women, before and after photos

This lesson plan is suitable for both men and women

As you can see from the table above, after a month of active training with short breaks, you should increase your endurance from thirty seconds to five minutes. Of course, you won’t be able to achieve an ideal body in a month with just one plank, but in combination with an elementary diet and other types of physical activity (for example, long walks, intense cardio or going to the gym), your body will noticeably become toned and slimmer.

With your arm and leg raised

What kind of plank should I do after 30 days of training?

So, the first month of doing the plank exercise has passed, and the first results have been achieved. If you were not lazy, performed the exercise daily, followed the recommendations about the time and complexity of the stance, then the results should be obvious. Now your muscles have become stronger, you are slim, your health has improved, and excess weight has begun to disappear. Isn’t it time to ask yourself “what kind of plank to do after 30 days of training” and move on to more complex exercises?

After 30 days of training, you can do a reverse plank. How - shown in the picture and in the description below it.

Legs straight

• Take the same position as for the classic version.
• Roll over onto your back, stomach up, so that your hands are directly under your shoulders.
• The fingers should be turned towards the feet.
• The body rests on the heels and hands, making a straight line.
• The back is straight, the pelvis is retracted and tense.
• You need to stay in this position for a minute, and if possible, more. Then rest a little and do 2-3 more approaches with breaks.
• After the first month of exercises, you can complicate static stands not only by lifting your arms and legs, but also by bending them and turning your body. All this will give a significantly greater load to the muscles and enhance the healing effect.
• By the way, it is useful to do the bar not only for women, but also for men.

What results can you get in 30 days?

There are many photos that show the results of the exercise in 30 days. Often these are commercial or “unreal” photographs that took much longer to obtain. However, if you combine the 30-day plank with weight loss and diet, you can radically change your figure. Even 3-4 kilograms of fat removed, together with strengthened abdominal muscles, can create an aesthetic and beautiful body.

If you are doing a 30-day program for the sake of a challenge, then to create maximum results you will need:

• Low carbohydrate diet. About drying nutrition for girls →
• Regular cardio training (performed separately from the press).
• 2-3 strength training per week (a strength complex will complement the effectiveness of the plank and tone the muscles of the whole body). Workouts for girls to lose weight and for weight loss for men →
• Fat burners (only when focusing on maximum results in a month).

Even if you do the plank for 30 days for weight loss and not a challenge, one month will be enough to make a significant difference. This does not mean that you need to quit training after this. In this case, the monthly scheme will serve as a starting point, after which it is necessary to complicate the exercise for stable progression.

Read more about the plank exercise and its types with complications →

Plank for losing weight on the abdomen and sides for beginners

In order to get rid of a hanging belly, you first need to pump up your abs. Some types of planks are ideal for this purpose, and in this situation, a plank with arm and leg raises is best. How to do it?

Complex

• Stand in a classic , regular plank: rest on your toes and hands, or forearms, body parallel to the floor, back straight.
• The feet can be placed wide apart - this is an option for beginners, or together - for more experienced ones.
• After standing in a static position for a while, lift your legs one by one.
• Next, do the same with your hands.
• The back should be straight, the abdominal muscles, which are responsible for the appearance of the abdomen, should be tense.
• You can do arm and leg lifts alternately , at once, or you can take short rest breaks between approaches.
• If you can already do a reverse plank , do that too. Start with a few seconds.

Don’t forget the main thing – the abs must work, the muscles must be tense. Increase the load gradually.

Along with extra pounds on the stomach, fat deposits on the sides cause a lot of trouble. But even in this case, the plank exercise can give excellent results. Here, simple classic planks will not be the most effective, but the best solution for us would be a side plank.

So:

• You need to lie on your side and stretch out your legs, which lie one on top of the other, forming a straight line with your body .
• Place one of your forearms (let's say the right one) on the floor. Make sure your elbow is exactly under your shoulder joint.
• After a few seconds, lift your left leg up - straightened , with tense muscles.
• Then extend your left arm, also tense, up.
• You should feel the muscles working on your sides well.
• Try to stay in this position longer.
• After a short break, repeat the exercise on the other side.
• Gradually, you can perform not one, but several approaches per day.

On the side

If you perform this exercise regularly, the results will become visible very soon.

What is a plank

Particular emphasis is placed on the abs and back; it is the muscles of these areas that receive the greatest load when the bar is performed in the usual classic form. But the muscles of the chest, shoulders, hips, and buttocks are also actively involved in the work.

Features of the exercise

Classically, how to do a plank correctly? Focus your entire body on your elbows and feet, your body should not sag, your muscles should be tense. The rectus abdominis muscles are especially tense, supporting the body in the most vertical position.

The lower back is extremely tense, the pecs and deltoids work well, the glutes, quadriceps, and calves are activated. All muscles work to keep the body straight, like a taut string.

If we analyze all of the above, we can safely say that the plank uses almost all the muscles of the body.

What muscles are involved?

There are plenty of benefits from the plank exercise. It is performed statistically, in time from 30 seconds to five or more minutes. During training, almost all muscle groups work.

• The abdominal muscles get the most tension. If you modify the classic type of exercise, add twisting and alternate leg lifts, you can end up with the perfect six-pack abs.
• The back and neck muscles are also well worked out in the plank. People without physical fitness will immediately notice how heavy their head is. In this case, the abdominal muscles, lower back, latissimus dorsi, and neck muscles are also involved.
• With the correct technique, the gluteal, quadriceps, and front thighs also work actively. Regular planking will bring them into excellent tone.
• The chest, arms, and shoulders are significantly strengthened through training. At first, you may feel some discomfort in your shoulders, but with regular exercise everything will go away.

Plank during menstruation: is it possible?

The plank is an exercise that requires daily practice. Therefore, many women wonder whether it is possible to do the plank during menstruation?

• There is no definite answer “it is possible or not”; it all depends on how you feel.
• Some women endure these days quite easily, without experiencing severe discomfort, for others it is a difficult time of malaise and stress.

Here are some simple and effective tips for doing planks during your period:

• At the beginning of the cycle, avoid strong tension - instead of achieving the results of several minutes of standing in the plank, perform this exercise for 30 seconds.
• If you do not feel weakness , dizziness , or other unpleasant symptoms, you can gradually increase the load, still leaving it less than on normal days.
• If it’s really hard for you, then it’s better to reduce the load to a minimum, or even give the body a couple of days of rest.
• Remember that there is no general recipe, each body is individual, and it is best to consult your gynecologist on this topic.

Only half a minute
Well, you should definitely refuse in such cases:

• After recent gynecological (as well as other) operations
• If there is too much bleeding
• For intense pain
• For cysts of internal organs
• For hyperplasia and endometrium

Incorrect plank

You already understand how to do this exercise, but I want to show the incorrect plank technique so that you can quickly recognize it if you are guided by the mirrors.

Common mistakes:

1. Sagging of the body.

2. Lifting the buttocks upward.

3. Bringing the shoulder blades towards each other.
4. Raising or lowering the chin.

Is it possible to plank during pregnancy?

• If a pregnant woman has no contraindications to performing physical activity, then doing the plank is acceptable. But it is important that the pregnant woman does not have back problems. Since in this case permission for physical exercises from a vertebroneurologist or neurologist is required.
• If before pregnancy a woman’s preparation left much to be desired, then during a wonderful situation, there is no need to take risks. In addition, muscle tension can cause bleeding or poor nutrition of the fetus.
• In addition, the first trimester is a period when the expectant mother needs to take care of herself and the unborn baby. Therefore, you should refrain from doing the plank. And from 7 to 9 months, such an exercise can cause premature birth.

It is important that the expectant mother has good physical fitness

Benefits of plank exercise

Why is this exercise so beneficial for the body? The effect of the plank can be divided into different parts of the body, as it affects different zones. The plank strengthens the muscles of the abs, back, legs, and arms.

Back

The most vulnerable part of the body of people who are engaged in “sedentary” work and do not lead a very active lifestyle is the back. Back muscles are often weakened, and spinal discs can become displaced over time. Therefore, we feel severe pain or get tired quickly. Weak core muscles can be a cause of injury in the gym for both amateurs and professional athletes. It is the plank exercise that is aimed at strengthening this group of muscles, which are responsible for stabilizing the body. When you stand in a plank position, you tense all the main muscles of the back: rectus, vastus, lumbar, and also the muscles of the neck.

The load that the bar puts on the body is as correct and uniform as possible. Therefore, your posture is correct and your abdominal muscles are tightened. If you do planks every day, you will not only improve your appearance, but you will also become much healthier. Back pain and the risk of spinal injury will be dramatically reduced. Strong and strong back muscles will hold it securely. The plank is also an excellent exercise for preventing osteochondrosis. This is especially true for those people who spend a lot of time sitting.

But we should not forget that all this can be achieved only if the exercise technique is done correctly. Otherwise, you may worsen your back problems or injure yourself. If you already have any diseases of the back or cervical-collar area, then consult your doctor before performing the plank.

Plank options

Legs

This exercise uses almost all leg muscles. Depending on what kind of plank you do, the gluteus medius and maximus muscles are tensed. The calf and thigh muscles are also affected. Once you start doing the plank for a few minutes every day, you will notice how your legs and buttocks become toned. For girls, it will be a pleasant bonus that the bar can reduce cellulite. By improving blood microcirculation in problem areas, the bar allows you to make your body more toned and your skin elastic and smooth.

Don't forget the contraindications. If you have ankle problems, then you should refrain from doing the plank. But, in any case, it is considered one of the most gentle exercises for “faulty” knees, since the load on them is minimal.

Weight loss

If you want to lose weight, then include a bar in your “diet”. Thus, you will get rid of those annoying extra pounds much faster. Everyone has long known that subcutaneous fat is lost only in case of a calorie deficit. In order not to torment yourself with “starvation” diets, it is better to simply increase your daily energy expenditure. The bar will help you with this. It can also speed up your metabolism, which means you can burn even more calories. The bar also saves you from sagging skin, which affects many who lose extra pounds and decrease in size. The exercise perfectly tightens the muscles along with the skin.

Plank for five minutes a day

Weight loss plank: reviews

• Marina, 21 years old: “I have a sedentary job, I don’t move much, I began to gain excess weight, and I became loose. I read about the plank exercise and became interested. I’ve been working out regularly for almost a month now, I feel more energetic, and my weight is gradually decreasing.”
• Tanya, 18 years old: “I don’t have problems with being overweight, but I decided to try the plank as a preventative measure, and I was right! My posture has improved, my muscles have become stronger, and I have a flying gait! And the guys started paying more attention to me!”
• Igor, 32 years old: “I always thought that this bar was a purely feminine problem. But at the request of my wife, I decided to try it to lose some weight. It takes a little time, but there is a result. Even after two weeks of training, I began to feel much better, my abs became stronger, and things are going to the point that soon the treasured “packs” will appear in place of the abdomen.
• Inna, 28 years old: “I just started doing the exercise, I’ve only been doing it for a week. There is no visible result yet, but internally I have become much more cheerful, more collected, stronger. There was a desire to continue, and confidence in the result!”

We introduced you to a very simple, accessible and at the same time very effective plank exercise. Its regular implementation helps to improve well-being, strengthen muscles, lose weight, be slim, and at the same time does not require material costs and does not take much time.

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