Who says you have to load up more weights for the deadlift, overexert yourself by pounding away at the gym and being drenched in sweat to improve your physique? Sometimes simple weight-bearing movements like doing a plank everyday work wonder for your body and mental strength. For those “sloths” with a sedentary lifestyle, doing planks is the best way to kickstart your workout routine and then slowly build momentum from there. Don’t ever underestimate this simple workout movement as it fires up more core muscles than any other movement. The posture of a plank looks ostensibly straightforward and as easy as pie, but actually, it takes immense strength and endurance in your core, abs, and hamstrings. And even better, you can do planks remotely without any types of equipment. You’re guaranteed to see changes in your body and strength if you do it regularly and incorporates it into other strength-based and cardio driven workouts.
It Strengthens Your Core Muscles
Core strength is extremely vital in your golden age as it prevents you from falling and getting strain injury. Bodyweight exercises like planks can help you keep your spine in alignment and improve the strength of your skeletal system. Doing planks is also instrumental in achieving the classic six-packs by toning your abdominal muscles. But of course, you’ll need to ditch the love handles first before you gain the six-packs!
It Improves Flexibility
If you’ve done yoga before, then you might wonder why the plank seems to be an important element in yoga routines. Yoga is known for improving flexibility and guesses what, planks don’t just help fire up your abdominal muscles or help you get a toned belly, it also helps grow and stretch your collarbone, shoulder, and the entire muscle group in the back of your body with continued planking. Variations like side plank or side plank knee to elbow crunch can improve your flexibility even more.
You, Will, Have Better Posture And Balance
To do the proper form of the plank, you need to engage your core muscles and stay uptight to support yourself up. If you do it regularly, you’re guaranteed to have a better posture and have your hunchback fixed. Planking is a weight-bearing exercise that is modifiable and versatile, meaning you can change it up and challenge yourself to get better results. For instance, you can do side planks with one leg up or planks with extensions to build stability.
It Improves Your Mood
You might have heard that virtually all exercises cause a release of endorphins, the feel-good chemicals in our brains. The same goes for planks as mind and body go hand in hand! Besides, the muscle group’s planks target are the ones that are often knotted or strained. Depression and anxiety can make you prone to physical diseases, which is known as a psychosomatic disorder. Doing planks can release tension in your body, feel more confident, and reduce the risk of getting diseases.