The plank exercise as part of your fitness program

Posted by on March 18, 2009 under Core Exercises, Exercise, fitness | Be the First to Comment

The plank can be a very useful part of a fitness program.  In the photo in this article, you can see the plank position, also known as the front plank position.  This is one of my favorite core exercises.  For this exercise, one lies facedown on the floor.  Arms will be folded under the body with face looking down at the floor.  Elbows will be by the side and feet will be on the toes.  The exercise done is to raise the torso into a horizontal position as if the body is a board.  Shoulder blades, back, and legs should all be straight.  This position stabilizes the body.  It is very important to tighten the buttocks when doing this exercise, and also to tighten the abdominal muscles.  If this is too much to do, this exercise can be done on the knees instead of the toes.  My choice is to do this exercise at first for 10 seconds, in future days for 20 seconds, after that for 30 seconds, and eventually up to one minute per session.