The rectus abdominus, or abdominals, make up a large portion of your core muscles and they are important for twisting, lifting, bending your lumbar spine, protecting your organs and stabilizing your body when weight training.
Now, the abdominals are a stubborn and resilient group of muscles like the forearms and calves, since it supports your upper body pretty much all day long. So, you must train with intensity and compound movements to experience the most overall development and functionality. The front plank is a very effective and popular exercise for building abdominal muscles and strength necessary for stabilizing weight during training.
In this Exercise
- Target muscle Group: Rectus Abdominis
- Type: Strength
- Mechanics: Isolation
- Equipment: Mat
- Difficulty: Intermediate
Exercise Instructions
- Get into a push-up position but with your forearms supporting your weight instead of your hands.
- Position your feet shoulder width apart and keep elbows aligned with your shoulders.
- Keep your back straight and core tight.
- Hold for at least 15-20 seconds.
- Rest for 20-30 seconds.
- Return to starting position.
- Repeat
Variations & Tips
- You can perform planks on your sides to target your oblique muscles.
- High planks are performed in a push-up position with your arms straight to support your weight.
- Perform the plank with one leg raised off the ground for increased difficulty.
- Perform the plank on your knees until you have adequate strength to do a standard plank on your toes.
- Keep your back straight and don’t arch it or round it upward.
- Always keep your core tight.
- Take deep breathes during the duration of the plank.
