The plank workout is a useful exercise if you are at the beginning of the training world. After some time, the basic variant begins to lose its effectiveness and is no longer a sufficient incentive to improve.
If you can hold this position for more than a minute it may be a good idea to move on to more challenging progressions.
Below are the 5 best plank workout exercises that can represent a single workout with a focus on the abdominal muscles and beyond.
Side plank workout elevato
Place your feet on a raised surface to create a line parallel to the ground with your torso and legs when placing your hands on the ground with elbows extended.
From this position, rotate the trunk and lower limbs bringing one side towards the ground. You should be in an extended arm side plank position with your feet elevated. The feet, pelvis and lower shoulder must form a single straight line parallel to the ground. Maintain the position for 30 seconds and then return to the starting position and then change sides and hold the position for another 30 seconds.
It is possible to repeat the sequence several times until it is no longer possible to maintain a correct side plank. This variation of the side plank increases
definitely the work of anti lateral flexion by the obliques as a greater percentage of one's own weight must be supported.
The anti-rotation work is also increased as the support base is reduced and the center of gravity is raised; both of these aspects need greater stabilization.
Maintaining proper pelvis alignment should also feel important work from the hip abductors, mainly the gluteus medius.
This muscle is often weak and this exercise is a good opportunity to reinforce its hip stabilizing action.
Finally, the deltoids and shoulder stabilizers also have to work hard due to the increased weight they have to control. The transition between front and side plank and vice versa must be controlled and slow.
Plank workout on barbell
For the plank workout on a barbell you can use a barbell, preferably an Olympic barbell, and place it in a corner in order to stabilize the support. Grasp the barbell with both hands and bring the feet back until the pelvis and trunk form a straight line; the shoulders should also be in line with these: if you can keep them in this position it is better or keep them slightly lower.
This is the starting position. From here carry out a sort of "climbing" by bringing one hand under the other and then descending with the body until you can no longer maintain the plank position.
Maintain the position for a couple of seconds and make a second "climbing" return to the starting position. The decidedly unstable support base and the high lever arm make this exercise really difficult for the entire abdominal wall and also for all the muscles of the trunk.
Plank your disk
Use a cast iron disc preferably of 10 or 20 kg, it is possible to use a 5 kg disc but the difficulty increases further. Grasp the disc diametrically so that your hands are in line with the ground.
Now move into a plank position trying to keep your arms as straight as possible. Maintain the position for the maximum of time. Using a cast iron disc as a support base creates a decidedly important instability and all the core and the rest of the trunk muscles have to work intensely.
Single hand plank workout to the rings
To perform this exercise you need to attach a gymnastic ring and place it at the height of the pelvis. The ring can be lowered if you want to increase the intensity of the exercise.
Grasp the ring with one hand and bring your feet back to create a plank position. The arm can remain perpendicular to the ground or slightly more flexed.
Maintain the position for as long as possible and then switch sides. This variant of the plank requires high core stability and good strength in the shoulder stabilizers as well as important work by the shoulder extensors.
Renegade row
This exercise consists of maintaining a one-handed front plank position while rowing with the other arm. The request for anti-rotation is very high as well as the work of the shoulder of the side in support.
It is possible to elevate the feet in order to maintain constant work on the part of the core muscles.
Plank workout
A good idea could be to perform these 5 exercises in a circuit while maintaining the least possible rest between one step and the next. Performing an exercise should last until technical failure occurs.
For one-sided exercises it is necessary to perform the movement for both sides. At the end of the circuit, take a couple of minutes to rest and repeat for a total of 4? 6 rounds.
