There is a lot of disagreement about daily training: on the one hand, trainers advise to rest and train at least every other day, on the other hand, those who train daily and feel good and look, they say, great. Who is right? To understand this, we need to understand what kind of load we are dealing with. What about the plank - a well-known technique for strengthening all muscles? Let's find out whether it is possible to do the plank daily and what it will lead to.
What happens if you hold the bar every day?
Let's start with the benefits and harms of daily training in general. We already know that after a power load, muscles are injured, and their recovery takes time. After microtraumatization of the muscles, inflammation and swelling are formed, which is called soreness, which is felt as pain in the muscles the next day. Of course, if your muscles are sore, you can’t train them the next day. You need to wait until the inflammation goes away, or train other muscles at this time. But this applies to strength training with weights, usually with heavy or moderate weights. Even if there is no muscle pain the next day, you don’t need to train either. Training and rest should always alternate, not counting two workouts for different muscles in a row - this is still permissible.
Full-fledged cardio training for 40-60 minutes, which affects the cardiovascular system, although it does not cause such inflammation and micro-tears of fibers, is also contraindicated every day, because the heart must also recover.
What if we talk about light morning jogging, which is equivalent to exercise, or a light morning routine? Such workouts can be performed every day, because they are aimed at toning the body, awakening, improving blood circulation and breathing. This is what daily stress should lead to, and not to overwork and overtraining. And if you adapt the plank exercise specifically for such purposes, it can be performed daily. The main thing is to understand what you can expect from these workouts.
How to do?
There are about 100 options for making the plank. Classic: Get into a push-up position, bend your elbows 90 degrees and rest your weight on your forearms. The whole body should form one straight line, the stomach should be tucked, the muscles should be tense.
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Emphasis on the bar. Pumping up your abs for summer
Important:
- The head and neck should be relaxed and free.
- You need to keep your hands straight in front of you or cross them.
- The elbows are strictly under the shoulder joints, so as not to create unnecessary stress on the shoulders.
Photo: istockphoto.com
- The lower back should neither be rounded nor arched.
- The legs should remain straight and tense. Otherwise, the main load will transfer to the lower back, and not to the abdominal muscles.
- Breathe slowly and steadily.
Is it beneficial to do planks every day?
If the plank involves a short five-minute complex, reminiscent of exercise, then it will help improve overall physical well-being, strengthen the cardiovascular system, strengthen stabilizer muscles and most external muscle groups.
The plank also improves posture when performed correctly, as it helps strengthen the deep abdominal muscles.
Another important point is that the plank can be performed statically and dynamically.
- Static plank hold involves an approach for 30-60 minutes without changing body position.
- The dynamic version involves movement while performing the plank, which serves more as a starting position for the exercises. Dynamic variations of the plank engage more muscle groups, increase heart rate and metabolic rate in the body. And all this with its own weight. More about the dynamic bar →
Improve the definition of your abdominal muscles
The plank is an ideal abdominal exercise because it engages the entire core muscle group , including the transverse abdominis, rectus abdominis, external obliques, and glutes. The importance of strengthening each muscle group should not be underestimated because each of these groups has a purpose . If you strengthen these muscle groups, you will find that:
• Transverse abdominis – increases the ability to lift heavy weights • Rectus abdominis – improves athletic performance, especially when jumping. This group is also responsible for the famous six-pack abs. • Obliques – increases the ability to sustainably tighten and twist the waistband. • Buttock muscles – support the back and strong, beautiful buttocks.
How many times a day can you do a plank?
If we are talking about a safe bar that will not lead to negative consequences, then the workout as a whole should be 10-15 minutes, including warm-up and cool-down. It is better to train once a day: in the morning on an empty stomach or during the day 1-1.5 hours after eating.
As for the number of repetitions of the plank, it is important not how many times you perform it, but for how long and with what intensity. Someone will be able to complete the training complex in 10 minutes for 2 approaches, and someone will stand in a static plank for 2 minutes for 3 approaches, and this will also be enough.
Therefore, the degree of stress you feel in your workout is important. Whatever method of doing the plank you choose, a good warm-up before the complex is very important, especially with dynamic techniques.
Benefits of planks
Mostly those who really want to lose weight come to the bar. Surely you've heard about the guy who organized a flash mob throughout Russia. His name is Evgeny Senkov, and he encourages everyone, everywhere to do the plank. He himself is the record holder in our country for this asana: he stood in it for 1 hour and 45 seconds! I started exercising a couple of years ago because I was overweight and had a swollen tummy. He says that he heard somewhere that to quickly lose weight you only need to stand in the plank for 4 minutes a day. “Only” – it was said loudly. Evgeniy admitted that the first time he could not stand it for even a few seconds. But the guy had a goal, and he achieved it. Now it is promoting the bar to the masses.
What other beneficial properties does asana have besides weight loss? It is believed that if a person starts doing the plank every day, at least seven more pleasant changes will await him:
- Exercise improves the condition of the muscles of the back, lower back, neck and shoulders. This is an excellent prevention against back and neck pain.
- Strengthens and tones the abdominal organs.
- Strengthens the abdominal muscles. Planks burn more calories than classic abdominal exercises. This is back to the question of losing weight.
- Makes arms and legs strong.
- Strengthens and tones the upper and lower respiratory tract.
- Removes stoop and makes your posture beautiful.
- Improves psychological state. Here I would like to dwell in more detail.
If you feel lethargic, apathetic, fatigued, or realize that you are depressed, start doing planks. Of course, in the above states it is very difficult to start doing even regular exercises, let alone a plank. But if you don’t gather your strength now, if you don’t realize that the best thing you can do for yourself is to start moving and moving in the right way, you can drive yourself into more serious conditions. Therefore, through overcoming, 30 seconds at a time, but every day, and you will see that you will get better. And after this exercise, other help will follow. Remember, water does not flow under a lying stone.
And the asana also has a good effect on the child’s body! Feel free to involve your children in activities. Just read below about contraindications.
Photo: this_is_nastya_, jetdevice1, leralogunova
Results when doing the plank every day and the effect on weight loss
Let's delve a little deeper into the theory of the weight loss process. What conditions are necessary for fat to begin burning? The most important thing is the calorie deficit and the duration of the exercise.
- A deficit means that the number of calories consumed should not exceed energy expenditure during the day - this is the first condition for losing weight, without it the weight will remain the same. Of course, this does not mean that a daily diet of 1000-1200 kcal consists of simple carbohydrates, for example, two pieces of cake or two burgers.
- The second, no less important condition is the duration of the workout, which is at least 40 minutes. This means that in order to burn fats, the body needs to spend the main source of energy - glycogen, also known as carbohydrate. Glycogen will burn for 20 minutes, and only then fat. As we understand, this will not happen in 5-10 minutes of training, so you should not hope for weight loss from short daily exercise.
You will become more flexible than ever.
Flexibility is a key benefit of doing planks regularly. With this form of exercise, you broaden and stretch all muscle groups in your back —shoulders, shoulder blades, and collarbones— while tightening your hamstrings , legs, and toes. If you incorporate a side plank into your workout plan, you can work your obliques, giving you additional benefits.
So what effect can you get from doing the plank every day?
Since the exercise strengthens almost all the muscles of the body, especially the deep abdominal muscles, regular training for 1-2 months will significantly reduce the size of the waist and hips. The whole point is not about fat burning from exercise, but from the fact that the muscles become toned, tightened, and become denser, which is what causes the loss of volume. If you adhere to proper nutrition, the effect can be accelerated by reducing the amount of adipose tissue.
Reduce the risk of back and spine injuries
The plank is an exercise that builds muscle mass , and you can be sure that it doesn't put too much pressure on your spine and hips. According to the American Council of Exercise, planking not only reduces back pain , but also strengthens muscles and provides strong support for the entire spine , especially at the top.
Who should not do the exercise?
If you have
- there was an operation
- pelvic pain
- I recently gave birth
- have a herniated disc
- weak bones
Remember that you should consult your trainer and doctor before performing any exercise.
Now you have all the information about the planks. There is no reason for you to stop anymore - set a goal, write it down and start doing the plank. You will see visible results within two weeks if you exercise correctly. Challenge yourself because physical fitness is just as important as intelligence. But remember that no matter how effective all types of planks are, the main thing is your motivation. Good luck!
