Check out the 10-Minute Plank-a-Thon Workout For Abs: Can you hold a plank for a long time? How long is that? A moment? Two moments? 10 minutes, perhaps?
Even while the aforementioned 10-minute plank workout doesn’t require you to hold a plank for 10 minutes, your abs will still burn.
Cassey Ho, a Pilates instructor and the founder of Blogilates, guides you through a sequence of planks in this video workout, varying in difficulty from easy (knee plank) to challenging (full plank) (single-leg Spiderman plank). Your abs, obliques, back, and glutes will all be burning by the time you’re done!
Why do planks? They give you countless amount of opportunities to strengthen and stabilize your midsection from different perspectives.
Additionally, your core is responsible for sustaining and maintaining the strong, healthy alignment of your spine, hips, and shoulders. A meta-analysis published in Physical Therapy in Sport in January 2017 found that stabilizing activities like planks can even lessen back pain.
Thrilled by a challenge? Let’s start planking, so grab your mat.
10-Minute Plank-a-Thon Workout For Abs
Play the video and follow along as Ho leads you through this plank-a-thon exercise to strengthen your core. Here is what to anticipate.
- Knee Plank: To begin preparing your core for the remainder of the workout, start in a modified plank position on your knees.
- Knee touches: Before returning to a high plank, lower your knees toward the ground. Be careful not to lose your form.
- Elbow Push-Up: From your high plank, lower one arm at a time into a forearm plank, then press back up.
- Take a little pause by returning to the yoga position known as the “Downward Dog” and extending your core.
- Dogging Cobra: A smooth transition from Downward Dog to Upward Dog.
- Soldier Crawl: To work your obliques, pull one leg, then the other, up to that side’s elbow while holding a forearm plank.
- Butt-Up: To fully feel the burn, raise your hips into the air while holding a forearm plank, then lower them back down.
- Hover: While holding a forearm plank, sway your body forward and backward. Your abs will burn like crazy!
- Knee Touch: You performed this exercise at the start of the program. Continue here!
- Spider-Man with one leg up Press into the downward dog position while elevating the other leg. Another way to perform the oblique crunch is to draw that knee near the elbow on the same side.
- Plank Butt Pulse: While balancing in a forearm plank, alternately lift and lower your legs by a few inches to activate your glutes.
- Plank: Hold a forearm or high plank for the final 10 seconds. You can do this.
Tip
Drop to your knees or take a breather in the downward dog position if you are having problems keeping good form. Ho advises that if a high plank causes you any wrist pain, you should switch to a forearm plank.
