Why planking is the only exercise you need to build strong abs and even progress to a six-pack. It’s a superpower position.
You don’t need to waste your time with any other ab exercises or abdominal machines in the gym. Planks are all you need to do, using your body to build strong abs. There are several planking variations; however, the “classic plank” is the one we want to practice to build a strong core and abs.
How Often Should I Plank?
You can and should plank every day until you have built a decent base and can plank for up to 2-minutes a set. Your goal per planking session is three sets for 2 minutes each, with a 1-minute break in between sets. Once you’ve reached this level, you can progress to the plank variations, which I’ll list below.
Don’t Overtrain!
I don’t believe in strenuous exercise every day, simply because it’s bad for your heart. Strength training, running, spinning, body pump, cross-fit, and F45, to name a few, are bad for your heart and joints, as it is. If you do this stuff every day, you are overtraining and are asking for a heart attack!
Overtraining is a serious problem. Gym’s and personal trainers don’t like to talk about this problem as it could affect their business. For this reason, I founded Rob’s Health Crunch to help educate people about how to exercise, move, and eat healthily and to build your heart health.
Why then do I recommend planking every day?
A full session of three 2-minute sets takes only 10 minutes to complete. You are using small muscle groups for a short time, and your heart rate should stay within the aerobic zone, which is 180 BPM, minus your age.
Stress to the heart, in the form of excess cortisol production, happens if your heart rate is elevated to and stays in the anaerobic zone for more extended periods.
Therefore, a short and targeted planking session will not cause stress to your heart. Instead, a daily planking session will significantly support your overall health.
The Benefits of Planking:
- Strengthens your Core, Arms, Lower Back, and Shoulders
- Increases Muscle Definition
- Burns Fat
- Improves Metabolism
- Reduces Back Pain
- Improves Posture
- Boosts Your Mood and Reduces Stress
- Promotes Bone and Joint Health
- Improves Resilience and Determination
The Plank Varieties.
- Sideways Elbow Plank
- Sideways Handstand Plank
- Up and Down Plank
- Reverse Plank
I’ll talk about the benefits of the planking varieties in the next post.
Plank Every Day and Watch the Fat Melt Away, and Your Abs Display!
Thank you for reading.
Rob Hourmont
Former Olympic Athlete, certified Health Coach & Writer
“It is my mission to educate people on how to lose weight, how to build a healthy, strong heart, body, and mind, supporting a longer life.”
