Walk The Plank
The Ab workout consists of different plank positions, it is a good ab workout on shoulder or chest days because it helps work the stabilizer muscles in the shoulder and it also helps with tone and definition in many areas of the body including the shoulders, chest, parts of the back and the core.
The plank positions can be done in many different ways. If planks are very hard for you then you can start on your knees and work up your strength until you reach the point where you can hold yourself up without the help of your knees.
There are different names for Planks; also called bridges or ab stabilizers. They are all basically the same thing. You are face down on the ground, normally your elbows and wrists are on the ground providing support or stabilizing you as you hold your torso up off the ground. Keep your abs active and flexed throughout the work out to get the most out of the exercise. Depending on the surface you are using you might want to use a pad or yoga mat for your elbows and wrists for comfort.
The plank positions will be held for a certain amount of time then you will rest in between plank positions. Remember to breath while you are holding the position, some people prefer long steady breaths while others like shorter quick breaths. Try both and find a style that works for you. Also try your best to keep your back flat, there is a natural tendency to want to bring your butt up into the air, don’t do it! Proper form is worth maybe taking a 5 second break then finishing the amount of time which you are shooting for.
Plank #1- Normal Plank- Start on your toes and your elbows with your hands below your head but keep your hands separated or just make sure that your hands are not touching each other. Flex your abs and keep your back flat, hold this position for 30 seconds then come to push up position with arms extended in front of you and hold here for 15 seconds. 45 seconds total.
Plank #2-3- Side Plank*- Turn on your right side, extend your arm so that your humorous bone (the bone which goes from your shoulder to your elbow) is at a 90 degree angle to your torso. Find a comfortable spot on your feet to support your self and hold your self in a side plank, trying to keep your the side of your body in a straight line. Hold this plank for 45 seconds. After you finish 45 seconds on the right side turn over to your left side and do the same thing.
*If you would like to make this side plank harder there are a few different variations that are possible.
First- Extended Arm Side Plank- Extend your arm all the way so that only your hand and foot are supporting your body. By doing this you will also require more of your shoulder muscles to support and balance you during the exercise.
Second- Reach Under- While holding yourself with a straight arm, take the arm which is on top of your body or the arm closest to the sky and extend it making a T with your arms and your midsection. Take the arm which is higher and reach underneath your stomach and try to touch your spine. In most cases touching your spine will not be Walk the Plank Ab-workout possible so just reach as far as you can and then return your arm to the extended T position. You can continue to do the “reach unders” until your have held yourself for the desired time.
Plank #4- Extended Arm Plank- After you have completed the side planks for the left and right side assume push-up position and hold there again for 30 seconds.
Once you finish the fourth plank you can start over and do two more sets of the same exercises or you can use the first 4 planks as a warm up and try a more advanced plank ab workout.
Advanced Plank Workout- Start once again on your elbows hold for 20 seconds, after 20 seconds rise up to push-up position and hold here for 20 seconds. At the 40 second mark from push-up position keep your head looking down towards the ground lift your right arm up and bring it in front of you parallel to the ground. Right now you should be holding yourself by both your feet and your left arm. Hold this position for 15 seconds, then bring your right arm back to the floor and lift your left arm up. Remember to keep your core flexed and back straight. Hold your left arm off the ground for 15 seconds, at the 1:10 mark lower your left hand to the ground and lift your right leg off the ground. Flex your foot so your toe is pointed, hold your foot off the ground for 15 seconds then bring it back to the ground. Switch feet so that your opposite foot is off the ground and hold for 15 seconds. the time now should be 1 minute 40 seconds. Lift your right arm and left leg off the ground so that you are balancing yourself with one arm and one leg hold for 10 seconds, switch arms and legs and hold for 10 more seconds. At the 2 minute mark lower yourself onto your elbows and hold the normal front plank for 15 seconds. The time should be around 2:15 rest for 1 minute then repeat the exercise one more time. =
