Know everything about plank exercise
After gorging on your favourite food during the festive season you may be keen to shed some ounces of calories and look fit and fabulous. There's no denying the fact that routine physical exercise is a cornerstone of a healthy life. And one such activity which has made its way into the fitness regime of 2022 is the planks. From your favourite Bollywood celebrities to your fitness freak friend, almost everyone is seen doing it. But most of you wonder what are the benefits of this simple-looking workout exercise. Considered as a core exercise, during planks our shoulders, glutes, triceps, calves and chest muscles all get active when our entire body is undergoing rigorous physical activity.
Know how to do planks
To perform this exercise, place your hands and feet on the floor in such a way that your hands and the pads of your toes are pressing into the floor. Do ensure that your body is in one straight line (from your head to feet), as per WebMD. If you are on your toes, press them back through your heels and keep your hips in line with your spine. An important thing is to make sure that you breathe and keep your stomach pulled in. Tilt your chin away from your chest so that your neck stays long. Also, take good deep breaths. If you come down to your knees, do make sure that your hips are in line with your body.
Let's have a look at some major benefits of doing planks:
Help strengthen your core
Plank exercise helps in building the strength of the core as it works on four muscle groups in the stomach.
Helps reduce belly fat
Yes, you read it right. Plank exercise does help in losing belly fat. Although it demands a lot of patience planks provide a tighter tummy as it works on the core.
Help reduce back pain
During plank posture, the spinal cord is in a straight position which helps make back muscles stronger and resistant to joint pain. It puts less pressure on the back and more on the stomach muscles.
Help improve metabolism
Plank exercise plays a major role in improving the body's metabolism. Although it looks simpler It helps burn more calories than sit-ups and crunches.
Improves your posture
Doing planks will have you improve your posture as you will be aligning your body due to which your back, chest, shoulders, abs and neck are in one line making them stronger and helping you improve posture.
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Helps improve overall flexibility
Since planks involve a lot of stretching of body parts, it makes our muscles more flexible apart from making our core strong.
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(Disclaimer: Tips and suggestions mentioned in the article are for general information purpose only and should not be taken as professional medical advice. Please consult a doctor before starting any fitness regime or medical advice.)
