My Plank Discovery
I am five months postpartum right now and a stay-at-home mama for my two-year-old toddler and five-month-old daughter. Immediately following my daughter’s birth last Autumn, I decided to begin working out nearly every day, in some capacity. My favorite workouts are ab strengthening exercises and because of that, I’ve been implementing forearm and classic planks. I increased my 30-second plank hold to just over 2 minutes in about 2 months. Although thrilled with that incremental win, I am challenged to focus my energy further by setting an achievable goal for myself in this area.
Karl Pearson writes: “When performance is measured, performance improves, when performance is measured and reported back, the rate of improvement increases”. Utilizing this principle for my own personal strength training and development, I am determined to be able to hold a 7-minute plank by January 1st of 2025. I’d like to share my journey with you so that, regardless of where you are on your journey, you can be inspired to create your own achievable goal!
Elements of a Proper Plank
I have discovered some excellent resources for improving my plank. I hope that these will be mutually beneficial to you as you consider your personal body strength goal! Remember, improving yourself is absolutely achievable. It just takes one little actionable step at a time!
Elements of a proper plank include form, breathing, and endurance. Form is essential, and proper form means focusing on your body’s alignment. Be sure your body creates a straight line from your head to your toes. Be sure to engage your core during this time, receiving the tension there first and foremost. Straighten your neck especially! Relax the rest of your body as much as possible!
Next, focus on your breathing. Maximizing your inhale and exhale assist in relaxing your body and improving circulation to your muscles, permitting them to work as hard as possible. Practice deep breathing!
Finally, planks are all about endurance. Essentially, you’re in a competition against yourself! Don’t sell yourself short, your body is incredible and can go to incredible lengths. Improving your plank means improving your muscle stamina! Be sure to increase in increments, even just one second at a time!
The Keys to Lengthening the Plank
Okay, you’ve got your plank down, but now you want to reach your goal. Maybe, like me, you dream of a 7-minute, 10-minute, or 15-minute one. Regardless, Kudos! So, what’s next?
Consistency
The first key is consistency! Like any muscle building exercise, the plank is working areas that need to be strengthened. Your body isn’t used to burning out your abs through endurance, and the more frequently you are able to plank, the more your body learns what is expected of it!
So, make sure you select a time every day to drop into that taunt position. Furthermore, it can be beneficial to utilize a combination of static and dynamic plank positions. A dynamic plank is one that changes positions over time to engage different muscles and allow breaks while still holding true to form. For example, you may begin your plank but stretch it longer by rotating through a forearm, classic, and/or side arm plank. Transitioning through various positions, allows the muscles to remain engaged while focusing your mind and energy through rotations.
A static plank is holding one position until you are unable to hold any longer. For example, you begin in a forearm plank and remain that way until you expend your energy. Check out some different plank positions here at https://facty.com/lifestyle/fitness/10-of-the-best-plank-exercises/9/
Stretch
The second key is to stretch! Yup, you heard me right! You can’t expect your body to expend its energy and strength if the muscles are locked up due to lack of proper prior workout movement. It’s vital to expect the best of your body, but you can only do so when you equip it with the circulation to do so! Stretch out whichever muscles you are getting ready to use, based on the plank(s) you choose. For example, if it’s a classic plank, stretch your neck, your wrists, your shoulders, your butt, your hips, and your ankles.
Target Workouts
The third key is to utilize target workouts to build the muscles necessary for your plank. Seargent Michael Eckert identifies these clearly in his video How to Plank Longer https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8o7VKEpv5Wk.
Other target workouts beneficial for lengthening your plank include pushups, crunches/sit-ups, and dips.
Final Notes
A good reminder is to have some hype music or a good show while you are planking as a mental distraction when your muscles are burning! Also, don’t watch the clock. 😉 Flip your stopwatch over so that you don’t see the seconds tick by. Another helpful note for when you feel like you’ve reached your maximum is to choose a number and count backwards from it, not allowing yourself to give up until you’ve reached ZERO! 🙂
Happy Planking and Good Luck!
Check out some postpartum workout plans at https://www.nourishmovelove.com/postpartum-workout-plan/
Check out more from me at https://purposefullyput.com/2024/04/01/building-implementing-and-activating-successful-morning-habits-for-2024/
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