Duration of the plank - intense training or exercise for the body? Plank: why is it needed, how long to hold it and how to improve results

The plank exercise is known to many, but not everyone understands how effective this exercise is. It strengthens the muscles of the abs, arms, back, buttocks. The problem is that doing it one hundred percent correctly is not so easy. Let's talk about what the ideal plank should be and what common mistakes are made when performing it.

Plank exercise: technique

To perform the straight-arm plank exercise, lie on your stomach on the floor (or mat). Pull your arms to your chest and place your palms on the floor. Straighten your arms and lift your body off the floor. Pull your stomach in and tighten your buttocks. The heels should not touch, the knees should be straight. Pull your head up and your shoulders down.

The plank on the elbows is performed in the same way.

There are two ways to check if you are doing the exercise correctly. The first is visual. Try doing a plank in front of a mirror. If you are in the gym, ask the trainer to monitor you and point out mistakes. The second method does not require a mirror or outside help. When performing the plank correctly, you should feel tension in your abdominal muscles. Please note that the back muscles are involved, but not as significantly.

Common mistakes when doing planks

1. Rounding the back
This error occurs if a person has weak back muscles. Also, rounding of the back can be associated with shortened chest muscles (most often in men who frequently bench press). To prevent this from happening, it is necessary to work the back muscles and stretch the back muscles.

The rounding of the back when doing the plank can also be associated with weak abdominal muscles.

2. Incorrect pelvic position
"Sinking" or lifting of the pelvis can occur due to weak arm muscles or weak transverse abdominal muscles. Try training these muscle groups, and then see if your plank has improved.

3. Knee bend
Most often, this mistake is due to the fact that you do not have enough control over your position. This is carelessness, and such an error is easy to correct.

4. Incorrect head position
Don't lower your head down, don't lift it up. Your head should be pointing straight forward, just like your body. The neck muscles should not be tense.

5. Incorrect palm position
The palms should be strictly under the shoulders. If you do a plank on your elbows, your elbows should also be under your shoulders.

If you find it difficult to perform the exercise perfectly, start training with the simplest thing - with a plank on your knees.

How to learn to stand in the “plank” longer

It is difficult for a beginner to hold out even for a couple of minutes in this position. But over time, if you practice, it will get better and better. Develop all muscle groups and combine a regular plank with a side plank.

You can start with 1-2 minutes. If it doesn’t work, try the plank on your knees, and only then move on to the classic plank on your elbows or straight arms. 10 minutes in the plank is already an excellent result worth striving for.

How long can you stand in a plank position? Share in the comments!

What a cool exercise! The plank is both effortless and makes you feel every second as if it were your last. However, despite its simplicity, many people do it wrong. We've chosen three ways to help you improve your bar and make it even cooler!

Test yourself

Proper technique in fitness is everything! If you do it wrong, then your exercise is not only ineffective, but also potentially harmful. Of course, in the case of a plank, you are unlikely to get injured, but it’s better to do the exercise correctly, right?

So here is the correct procedure:

Take a lying position.
Bend your elbows and place your forearms on the floor so that they lie parallel to each other. Clench your palms into fists.
Straighten your body into a string, but do not overstrain your neck and back.
Tighten your abdominal and buttock muscles. These are the two main muscle groups that are worked in this exercise.
Hold the plank until your muscles start to burn. Look at the floor in front of you and do not raise your head up.

Time yourself

When doing a plank, many people don’t hold it long enough. I'm not arguing that this is a hard exercise and sometimes the burning becomes unbearable, but I'm sure you want to improve and become stronger. And to do this, you need to time yourself and hold the bar a little longer each time.

Use a timer on your smartphone or watch to keep track of time. I don’t recommend keeping your eyes on the timer all the time, as every second will seem like an eternity. :)

Breathe

One tip that will noticeably improve your bar is to breathe. After the first 20 seconds, breathing correctly becomes more and more important. At first it will be quite difficult to pay attention to breathing, but after a while you will understand that by inhaling and exhaling correctly, you can significantly increase the time in the plank.

At rest, we breathe 12 times per minute. And with intense exercise, this number increases to 80! This is a good reason to start thinking about proper breathing.

Plank is a great way. And, remembering the sensations that accompany this exercise, I want to repeat it again and again. And you?

You can’t help but witness how new trends capture the minds of hundreds of millions of people around the world. How new trends penetrate everywhere and find their followers. Then it becomes a panacea for everything in the world, for stress, for headaches, for extra pounds and for “cockroaches” in the head...

This happened with the simple, at first glance, exercise of asana kumbhakasana / plank / popularly known as “plank”. Now this is a global trend, and only the deaf have not heard of the bar.

Remember - the world record is 8 hours. Do you understand me? 8 hours of planking without a toilet, internet, coffee or facebook.

Without a doubt, this is a unique exercise, and the benefits from it are significant; there are hundreds of articles on this topic on the Internet. Surely you have tried to stand in the plank many times, even for more than one minute, and each time you wanted it longer, some things worked, and some didn’t.

If you still want to stand longer, it is better to use a reasonable and systematic approach to training. I have collected a lot of effective tips for you and tested them personally. Trust me, it works. Each point in itself is very valuable, and by applying them in practice, you can improve your results from a few seconds to a few minutes.

stay in plank longer

It is better to do the plank in the morning after 1.5 hours after waking up. First you need to wake up properly and start all the body systems.
Before the plank, be sure to do some warm-up and exercises to warm up your whole body.
During the warm-up, pay special attention to your elbows, knees, shoulders, lower back and ankles.
Be sure to stretch your lumbar region by leaning forward on straight legs, head down, and also using circular rotations.
Stretch your feet, toes and stretch your Achilles tendon, you can still stand on them.
Choose the correct position of your elbows; they should be under your shoulders and perpendicular to your body.
Do not clasp your hands and fingers, but lightly clench them into fists and bring them slightly closer to each other.
The closer your feet are to each other, the harder it is to perform the abdominal exercise.
Before starting the exercise, you need to breathe and saturate your body with oxygen. 15-20 deep full breaths and exhalations. Proceed to the plank only after your breathing has completely recovered.
Place a terry towel under the mat where your elbows will be, this will reduce the load on your joints.
20-30 minutes before the start of the exercise, drink water and be sure to go to the toilet.
To track time, use a stopwatch (in any smartphone), not a timer. The timer demotivates you at the very end, you want to quit and the seconds drag on forever.
Make a wish and tell yourself “The longer I stand in the plank, the younger and stronger I will be, the more beautiful and successful, the more money, better relationships,” etc.
For convenience, turn on music, classical or meditation, choose to your taste, but so that later you don’t switch anything, it’s distracting.
While running, you can watch a movie or any other interesting content.
Put your phone on silent mode or airplane mode. The plank is sacred. And let the whole world wait.
You can additionally inform that no one touches you for 30 minutes. Let them protect your peace.
Be sure to learn to meditate - this is the most important thing in the plank. Otherwise, you won’t move further than a few minutes.
Before doing a plank in a room or indoors, be sure to ventilate it, you will need oxygen. Lots of oxygen!
Monitor the room temperature in advance, the ideal would be 18-20 C and air humidity 55-60%.
To increase your results over time, train according to the 3+1 system (3 days of work, 1 day of rest), before reaching the maximum, rest for 2 days.
Head: keep it level, don’t twist, don’t lower or raise it. Before the plank, do gymnastics and stretching for your neck.
Breathe correctly, find your pace, neither fast nor slow.
If you are participating in a marathon for 30 days, add 10 seconds to each workout, this is where you will need a timer. Remember! Turn on the timer and don’t look at it again until you hear a signal.
The plank itself does not replace all other exercises; in order to stand for a long time, you need to work on improving your entire physical fitness, and not one specific area. Of course, it is absolutely fair to remind you that the plank, like any physical activity, is performed in comfortable and comfortable clothes, the same applies to shoes.

I must warn you that long does not mean good. Recent research in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning has led scientists to the conclusion that several short sets of 2-3 minutes are much more effective than long planks. But how would you like to announce somewhere in the company about 30 minutes! Excellent records are still needed!

Enjoy every workout, increase your results in the bar, regular exercise, self-confidence and useful tips will help you with this.

I believe! YOU can go longer!

There are simply a huge number of secrets of youth that will also help you maintain a good figure. However, many of them require endurance, iron willpower and a considerable amount of time, which is not always enough. But there are some ways that can be captivating because they seem accessible. And the “Plank” exercise for the abs, arm and leg muscles is one of them. It is becoming more popular every day as it can help in keeping weight under control. With it you can get a toned and slender figure. Is it really?

What are the benefits of the plank exercise?

Today, the plank is included in the training program of many areas of fitness, usually it is the final exercise, which, as it were, consolidates the load on the abs, arms and legs. Let’s try to figure out how the bar is beneficial for the body.

High-quality “pumping”. The load on the muscles in a static position is much more intense, since a person is in an unnatural position, maintaining the weight of his body in the plank exercise is much more difficult. This allows you to pump up the back and abdominal muscles more efficiently, which cannot be achieved with dynamic loading.

for weight loss and health

Slim stomach. The plank qualitatively pumps the lower, upper and lateral abs, back muscles, buttocks, thighs, and biceps. Using a plank, you can achieve a perfectly flat stomach and sculpted abs, which is important for both women and men. The plank allows you to get rid of the beer belly.

Coordination of movements. The plank allows you not only to train your muscles, but also to improve the functioning of the vestibular apparatus, because the exercise requires long-term balance and coordination of movement. Especially if we are talking not about a classic, but about a side plank, maintaining balance during such an exercise is much more difficult.

Back. This exercise is an excellent workout for the spine. Keeping the body in a horizontal position allows you to effectively work out the back muscles, this provides feasible training loads on the intervertebral discs. The plank is very useful for performing hernias, as it forms a muscular corset around the spinal column, which prevents displacement of the vertebrae. But you should do the exercise only after your doctor’s permission. Regularly performing the Plank exercise relieves back pain.

Warm up. The plank is very useful for those who have to do sedentary work all day. This quick but effective exercise can tone your body in a matter of minutes.

Losing weight. Despite the fact that the load in the exercise is static, it is an excellent way to burn fat. Regular exercise of muscles stimulates their growth. Growing muscles need nutrition; they take energy not only from food, but also consume a significant part of the reserves of subcutaneous fat that every person has. The plank allows many athletes to dry out and lose excess weight before competitions.

Posture. The plank is for you if you want to improve your posture. The load is mainly placed on the cervical and lumbar spine. Regular training will help you get a straight back in just a couple of weeks.

All these benefits make the plank an incredibly effective and versatile exercise that is accessible to many. The plank can be done by men and women, adults and children, professional athletes and beginner amateurs; no special sports equipment is needed for this. But in order for the exercise to give you maximum effect, it must be done correctly.

How to do a plank correctly?

Get into a floor rack position—a push-up position. Bend your elbows 90 degrees and shift your weight to your forearms. Your whole body should form one straight line, your stomach should be tucked, your muscles should be tense.

What to pay special attention to:

Head and neck: should be relaxed and free. Look at the floor, don't raise your head up.

Hands: keep them straight in front of you or cross them. Place your elbows strictly under your shoulder joints so as not to create unnecessary stress on your shoulders. Keep your shoulders down, don't raise them towards your ears.

Lumbar: It should neither be rounded nor arched. Imagine that your lower back is pressed tightly against the wall.

Legs: Should remain straight and tense. Otherwise, the main load will be transferred to the lower back, and not to the abdominal muscles.

Buttocks: Should also be tight and level with your back. Don't arch your pelvis or lift your buttocks up.

Abdomen: pull in, and then (already pulled in) try to pull it towards the ribs. Keep it taut throughout the exercise, but do not hold your breath.

Feet: can be joined together, can be slightly apart. The closer you place them to each other, the greater the load on the abdominal muscles.

Breathing: Be sure to remember to breathe deeply throughout the exercise. Inhale and exhale slowly and steadily.

Hold the plank position for as long as you can. Beginners can hold the plank for 15-30 seconds, intermediate level - 30-60 seconds, advanced - 60 seconds or more. When you feel that it is becoming difficult for you to maintain proper form, end the exercise. Never increase the duration of an exercise at the expense of technique! Better take a break and repeat the exercise in 3-4 circles with short stops.

The plank is suitable for all fitness levels because you can always increase or decrease the duration of the static position depending on your fitness level. Also, this exercise can always be modified and complicated. If you are a beginner, do the plank on your knees. If you are an advanced practitioner, you can raise your arm or leg and hold the bar in that position.

Plank exercise options

for weight loss and health

Straight arm plank

The basic plank pose has several features.

Don't pull your head into your shoulders - you are not a turtle to stick your head into its shell! On the contrary, straighten your neck and straighten your shoulders.
Firstly, the hands should be located strictly under the elbows, and the elbows should be directly under the shoulders. If you place your hands wider than your shoulders, a large load will fall on your shoulders - this should not be allowed!
Secondly, the angle between the wrists and hands should be 90 degrees - this is very important to prevent joint injuries.
Tighten your abs and do not lower your lower back: imagine that your body is a straight line.

How to do: standing, feet together or shoulder-width apart, stomach pressed against the spine, buttocks squeezed, tailbone pulled forward (to avoid arching in the lower back).

As you exhale, begin to lower your body down, vertebra by vertebra, until your palms reach the floor. Then move your arms forward until your body is parallel to the floor. Place the bulk of your weight in your hands. Close your eyes and try to feel how your abdominal muscles support your entire body.

Important: Your wrists should be level under your shoulders, your elbows SLIGHTLY bent, your stomach pressed against your spine, and your buttocks squeezed throughout the exercise.

Side plank

What's the secret: This ab exercise is more effective than a traditional plank because you keep your entire body weight on two points of contact instead of four. You have to work harder to maintain your balance.

How to do:

Starting position: lying on your left side, place your elbow directly under your shoulder, legs straight. Place your right hand on your right thigh. Legs are straight.
Tighten your abs and lift your pelvis off the floor until you form a diagonal, balancing on your forearm and feet. Don't forget, your body should form a straight line! Stay in this position for 30-45 seconds (or as long as possible). If you can’t stand it for that long, do the exercise again for a total of 30 seconds. Switch sides and repeat the same steps.

Variations of planks

As they say, you can make your life more difficult in two ways:

By reducing the number of support points (raising an arm or leg).
By adding dynamics (by doing push-ups with your hands or stepping with your feet or doing crunches).

You can diversify the load you receive by changing your body position, that is, by doing:

side strips;
back slats.

Let's look at how to perform all of these options correctly to get the maximum effect from your workout.

We raise our hands in the plank

This variation of the exercise will increase the load on the core and upper body muscles, in particular the shoulders. In addition, small stabilizer muscles responsible for maintaining balance come into play here.

Take a classic plank pose with your arms outstretched (easier) or on your elbows (difficult). Shift your body weight onto one arm, lift the other off the floor and extend it forward. Lock yourself in this position and try to hold it as long as you can.
Lower your hand, then repeat the movement with your other hand.

Do you want to lose weight? Then these articles are for you

Raise your legs in a plank

Here, additional load falls on the gluteal muscle and the back of the thigh. The core stabilizer muscles also work.

Stand in a plank position on your elbows or straight arms. Maintaining a stable lower back position, lift your straight leg off the floor and lift it up. Lock yourself in this position. Raising the leg is performed without a jerk, in a controlled manner.
Return to the starting position and repeat the exercise with the other leg. Two-point support

Two-point support

This exercise is a synergy of the previous two. You keep your support on just two points - this is a pro level.

Take a classic plank pose. Extend your straight arm forward and lift your opposite leg up. It is quite difficult to maintain balance in this pose, so it will require not only physical preparation from you, but also mental concentration.

Lower yourself to the floor, switch legs and arms, and repeat the movement.

Plank with push-ups

Doing the plank exercise this way adds dynamic work to the exercise. The load on the pectoral muscles and triceps increases.

Take a plank pose with straight arms and fixate.
Without changing the straight position of your body, lower yourself onto your elbow with one hand. Then do the same with the second hand. So, you are already standing in a plank position with emphasis on your elbows.
Now you need to rise back to straight arms. That is, sequentially do push-ups with each hand. Straighten the arm that you bent first, then place it on your palm and straighten the other arm.
Repeat the exercise as much as you can.

Plank on fitball

To make it more difficult, use a Swiss ball by resting your elbows on it or placing your feet on the ball.

What's the secret: With this multi-functional exercise, you can add some movement to a simple plank exercise while training your balance by working on a balance ball. The main trick to this exercise is to avoid pulling into your shoulders. If you feel that you cannot balance on the ball, lean it against a wall for greater stability and stability, or practice this exercise on the floor first.

How to do:

Starting position – on your knees, elbows resting on the ball. Roll the ball forward until your back is completely straight. Then, keeping your back straight, straighten your knees. Make sure that your ears do not press into your shoulders.
Hold the resulting plank position for 1-2 seconds, lower your knees to lightly touch the floor before returning to the plank position.

Perform 1-3 sets of 8-16 repetitions.

Correct plank: the most common mistakes

Sagging or raising the pelvis. This occurs due to insufficiently strong transverse abdominal muscles, as well as weak arm muscles. To stand in the correct plank position, a person must be well stabilized, that is, all his muscles must be well trained together. This can be achieved by standing in a plank position on an unstable surface, such as a Bosu platform or balance board. And also when periodically performing exercises on all muscle groups, and not just on one specific one.
Rounding the back. First of all, a round back may be due to kyphosis. It appears when a person has weak back muscles and shortened chest muscles. Most people (especially men) who start working out in the gym pay a lot of attention to the barbell bench press. In this case, the chest muscle shortens and pulls the shoulders forward, rounding the back. And the back muscles are rarely given attention. Because they are weak, the shoulders seem to “go” forward. To prevent this from happening, you need to stretch your chest muscles and strengthen your back muscles. Another reason for a rounded back is weak abdominal muscles. This is why a person begins to shift his body weight forward, because the upper part is stronger than the lower part.
Bent knees. This comes from the fact that you may not control yourself. The muscles on the front of the thigh are always strong, so bent knees are the result of inattention. You can avoid this by looking at yourself from the outside. Just be careful - if you straighten your knees, you may fall if your abs are not strong enough. In this case, it is better to start practicing the plank from your knees.
The palms are anywhere but under the shoulders. Another mistake due to inattention, which a trainer or a mirror will help correct.
Incorrect head position. It is important not to lower it, not to raise it, not to pull it to the chest and not to twist it to the sides. The head should take a stable position: the top of the head should be stretched and pulled forward, and look down at the floor, without straining the neck muscles.

The versatility of the plank is amazing. Most physical exercises target specific muscle groups and ignore others, often leading to comical results. The plank allows you to evenly strengthen and heal the body; it does not neglect either the back or the legs.

1, 5, 10 minutes of planks - what will happen to the body?

Let's look at the beneficial effects of the plank using a specific example. As a sample for research, let's pay attention to the classic bar, because most beginners start working with it. Note the results depending on the duration of the sets. They will tell you how many minutes you need to stand in the plank to lose weight or work muscles.

1 minute

You read the instructions and learned the correct technique, stood up and were surprised to find treacherous quivering abs and wobbly legs! This is not surprising - an unprepared person will very quickly get tired of the colossal tension directed at all muscle groups at once. But let's talk about something pleasant - in 1 minute of planking you burned 5 calories, stretched and surprised your muscles. Blood circulation has improved, the muscle corset is strengthened and receives more oxygen. Beginners should stop at this mark so as not to overstrain unprepared muscles.

5 minutes

5 minutes of perfect planking is a result worthy of respect. During this time, you burned 25 calories, warmed up and tensed every muscle fiber in your body. Speaking of muscles. After 5 minutes in the rack, they should begin to “clog,” which signals that you have received sufficient load and can stop the exercise.

10 minutes

We sing a song to the madness of the brave! Standing in a plank for 10 minutes is a severe test even for a trained body. You got rid of 50 “extra” calories, your abdominal muscles work at full capacity, your posture becomes straighter, and your movements become more confident. It’s worth stopping at this point so as not to inadvertently damage muscle fibers. That's all for today, rest, you deserve it!

Advice: do not chase the duration of the approach. Short but regular exercise will bring more benefits than long and tiring exercise.

Optimal exercise time

“How long do you need to hold the bar?” - probably the most common question that fitness instructors or simply experienced and trained people face. There is no definite answer to this, since the duration of the approach depends on the capabilities of your body - where someone can easily stand for 3 minutes, another cannot stand it for 30 seconds. By soberly assessing your strengths, you will choose the best option that will bring not only benefit, but also pleasure.

We make a schedule for the month

Despite the fact that the duration of the approaches is selected individually, general recommendations for a monthly training schedule still exist. They consist of gradually increasing the volume of training and its duration. By following this method, you will achieve excellent results and make your body stronger and more resilient. Let's start with the classic plank and short approaches. Looking back at the end of the month, you will be surprised to find that you have increased your approach time several times.

Here's another example of a monthly training schedule (with rest on certain days):

1 day - 20 seconds	Day 16 - 2 minutes
Day 2 - 20 seconds	Day 17 - 2 minutes
Day 3 - 30 seconds	Day 18 - 2 minutes 30 seconds
Day 4 - 30 seconds	Day 19 - rest
Day 5 - 40 seconds	Day 20 – 2 minutes 30 seconds
Day 6 - rest	21 days - 2 minutes 30 seconds
Day 7 - 45 seconds	Day 22 - 3 minutes
Day 8 - 45 seconds	Day 23 - 3 minutes
Day 9 - 1 minute	Day 24 - 3 minutes 30 seconds
Day 10 – 1 minute	Day 25 – 3 minutes 30 seconds
Day 11 - 1 minute	Day 26 - rest
Day 12 – 1 minute 30 seconds	Day 27 - 4 minutes
Day 13 - rest	Day 28 - 4 minutes
Day 14 - 1 minute 30 seconds	Day 29 - 4 minutes 30 seconds
Day 15 – 1 minute 30 seconds	Day 30 – 5 minutes

While you are standing in the plank, your body is working!

Don’t be under the illusion that the plank can replace a full range of sports exercises or save you from the need to go to the gym. Defined muscles and a slender figure will have to be achieved through labor and sweat, but know that the plank not only facilitates this process, but also turns it into a kind of game. By devoting a few minutes a day to the plank, you provide an invaluable service to the body, prevent diseases of the digestive and excretory system, and also get rid of back pain. Standing in the plank in the mornings or evenings will not become a painful necessity for you. Remember that your health is your treasure, and sports are the best way to preserve it.