Plank exercise: what is the effect in a week

The plank exercise is the best thing that was invented for lazy, unathletic women who dream of a good figure. Do you want to lose weight? Need to remove your stomach and sides? Or maybe you're not happy with your back or your arms? Try to do a plank and do it every day.

Fitness for the lazy is not a shame, it is very effective. This is a simple and practical way to get your body in order, while not much is required of you, and the result will be amazing! Changes will begin in a week, but in a month the effect will impress you.

Please note that if you have problems with the spine or are too heavy, you should do this exercise after consultation with a specialist and only under the supervision of an instructor. But if you just gained weight, your body has lost its flexibility and lightness, then “lie down and stand up” is an excellent solution. It won’t be easy at first, but just consider what will happen to you after a week of torment, which, by the way, in a week will already be just a morning procedure. You may not be able to stand for 1 minute in each pose at once (I didn’t succeed). But even if you start with 20-30 seconds, there will be an effect. The main thing is to gradually increase the time. I have some cool tips and tricks. Just don’t be lazy: read, watch, do. And tomorrow too!

Core exercises are one of the most effective ways to lose weight and remove excess fat from your waist. The plank exercise trains these muscles!

Your metabolism will speed up

Planks burn more calories than classic abdominal exercises. Twisting and lifting the body are great, but the plank speeds up the metabolism with less effort and for a long time: even at night the body will burn calories (don’t be alarmed: you won’t have to sleep in the plank, although... who knows what sporting peaks you will achieve in a couple of months).

What will happen to you if you do planks every day?

Bodyweight exercises are a simple and practical way to tone your body. The plank is one such exercise that is unlikely to go out of style. Why? Completing the plank will not require much from you, but the results will be significant. First of all, the bar will improve the condition of the abdominal muscles, but not only. If you start doing the plank every day, at least seven pleasant changes await you.

1. Your core muscles will become stronger.

The core muscles provide support to the internal organs. They also help promote good posture and help avoid lower back injuries. Doing planks every day will primarily help you strengthen these muscles. Moreover, just one exercise involves all the main muscle groups of the core at once: transverse muscle - helps lift heavy weights; rectus muscle - helps to jump better, it is also responsible for the “cubes”; oblique muscles - expand the possibilities of lateral bending and twisting at the waist; buttocks - will support your back and give a beautiful profile.

2. The condition of the back muscles will improve

Doing a plank will allow you to build your core muscles without the risk of putting unnecessary stress on your back and hips. Moreover, regularly doing the plank will strengthen not only the lower part of the body, but also the upper part. This will reduce the risk of back pain.

3. Metabolism will speed up

The plank burns more calories than classic abdominal exercises - crunches and sit-ups. Even 10 minutes of strength training a day speeds up your metabolism. And for quite a long time: even at night you will burn more calories. A nice bonus for those who want to lose weight.

4. Posture will improve

Strengthening the core muscles has a profound effect on the neck, shoulders, back and lower back. Doing planks daily will help keep them in the correct position and improve your posture.{banner_st-d-2}

5. Develop a sense of balance

How long can you stand on one leg? Just a couple of seconds? Then you need to strengthen your abdominal muscles. The plank will help with this. By the way, a developed sense of balance will help you achieve great results in any sport.

6. Improved flexibility

Thanks to the bar, the muscles and ligaments attached to the shoulders, shoulder blades, collarbones, hips, even toes are stretched. You can also work your obliques with the side plank. By increasing your flexibility throughout your entire body, you'll gain additional benefits in all your other exercises and in everyday life.

7. Your psychological state will improve

The plank has a special effect on the nerves, strengthening the muscles that are active in stressful situations. After a whole day in a work chair, your whole body becomes numb and you feel tense. As a result, your mood worsens, you become lethargic and sad. Doing planks daily will help improve your mood and have a positive effect on the nervous system. Just 5-10 minutes will give you a boost of energy for the whole day, and repeated daily will last you a lifetime. Here, for example, is a five-minute complex with which you can start today.

Increased flexibility

Well, if you cannot reach the floor with your hands or, while sitting on the floor, you are not able to touch your head to your knee, then the plank will save you (and you urgently need to start doing it).

Thanks to the bar, the muscles and ligaments attached to the shoulders, shoulder blades, collarbones, hips, and toes are stretched. Using the side plank you will work the oblique abdominal muscles. By increasing the flexibility of your whole body, you will be able to easily perform other exercises, and when it comes to sex, you will surprise both your partner and yourself: this is great!

Plank - a fashionable exercise

Today I will talk about a fashionable, yes, yes, fashionable, and not a truly unique exercise, such as the plank. The meaning of the exercise is simple: you stand on your elbows and toes, your body and legs form a straight line - a plank, and in this position you must stand for a certain time. On many Internet sites, the plank is described as a unique exercise for all muscles of the body, which, if performed once a day for four minutes, will give you amazing results. Your body will become stronger and more beautiful: stronger - due to muscle development, more beautiful - because you will lose calories and lose weight.

Moreover, a method is described in detail, thanks to which you will be able to stand for the desired four minutes already on the 28th day, which means that you have not only become more fit, but also significantly toned up your body. So you read articles like this and think, why didn’t I know this before? You can know whatever you want, but the truth is that there is not a single exercise in the world, not a single technique, thanks to which you can get in shape in just four minutes a day. Why? I'm telling you.

Photo: m24.ru/Igor Ivanko

Stop freaking out and being nervous

The plank has a special effect on the nerves, strengthening the muscles that become active in stressful situations. If you have a sedentary job, then you are nervous not only because of contacts with various wonderful people and misunderstandings. The body just becomes numb and tension arises on the physical level, which immediately affects the emotional state and psyche. In just a week you will look at the world differently (just do it every day).

It is very important that the lower back does not sag. The abdominal and buttock muscles should be in constant tension, while the stomach should be retracted. This will ensure the correct position of the pelvis.

Tuck your tailbone inward and keep your body parallel to the floor. If you feel like you can't, stop, rest and do the right thing.

Just 5 minutes a day will give you a boost of energy. In a week the results will be noticeable. They are not measured in kilograms. You'll just look and feel better. If you continue, in a month everything will be even better.

How to plank to lose weight in a month

To make your waist and tighten your stomach in a month, you need to exercise daily. For this purpose, a special super-effective five-minute complex of 6 planks has been developed. But before you start regular training, you need to master the technique and make sure there are no contraindications.

How to do a plank correctly, read this article. Be sure to study this material before starting the exercise. The list of contraindications is at the end of the article.

In a month of daily training, you can lose up to 5 kg of weight and up to 2–4 cm in your waist.

Five-minute complex of 6 planks

Straight arm plank - 1 minute
Elbow plank - 30 seconds
Plank with leg raise (alternate) - 1 minute
Side plank - 1 minute (30 minutes on each side)
Straight arm plank - 30 seconds
Elbow plank - 1 minute.

TOTAL: 6 planks and 5 minutes. Photo tips (below) will help you do everything correctly and not confuse the exercises.

Straight arm plank

Elbow plank

Plank with leg raise

Side plank

Side plank
The plank not only helps strengthen the back and abdominal muscles, but also increases overall endurance and forms a beautiful muscle profile. However, to lose weight, it is important to balance your diet. The plank, like other exercises, only works in combination with a healthy diet.

To lose extra pounds, it is useful to create a calorie deficit (about 10%), as well as give up frankly harmful foods: fast food, sugar and desserts, sauces, carbonated drinks, bread and baked goods, processed foods, alcohol. It is recommended to eat this way for at least 1–2 months. If the excess weight is large, then longer. Standing in the plank and doing other exercises takes longer accordingly.

Three tips to make the plank exercise easier:

Use a watch with a second hand or a timer. During the plank, you need to breathe so that your navel tends to touch the spine. This is if you want to remove your belly. It’s hard to count to yourself at this time. Set a timer!
Play some cool music Music is distracting. And if you pick up something truly incendiary, it will make it easier to stand in the plank.
Make a wish I used the hint from Alexander Palienko. Now, when I’m standing, but want to go somewhere to the shower or to the kitchen, I tell myself: “The longer I stand, the younger and more beautiful I become. The longer I stand, the more money and health I will have. The longer I stand, the more peace and happiness there will be in life.” Or I make a clear wish and then, of course, I don’t give up.

“I’m holding the bar.” Diary of an experiment on a living person

Day 19 . Wild hunger. This is the first thing I feel when I wake up for the last week and a half. It looks like planking actually improves your metabolism. Today is another day of rest. I feel great. The muscles don't hurt like they did in the first days. The body is weightless. My favorite thrift-skin jeans hung loosely on my hips like boyfriend jeans. Let's move on!

Day 22 . The day before I stumbled and sprained my ankle a little. It almost doesn’t hurt, but I’m still afraid that the injury might interfere with the experiment. Although in the plank the load on the knee joints is minimal. Let's begin... My knees seemed fine, but my shoulders began to tremble for about a minute and a half. The press is also hot. How can I last another 75 seconds?

Day 24 . For some reason, the three minutes before yesterday and yesterday were easy. It seems that she has just taken the desired position, and already there is a signal for the end of the exercise. Maybe I'm used to it? Today again an increase of half a minute. I hope I can handle it. Unexpectedly, she literally collapsed at the 187th second. About 20 seconds before, my back began to cramp, then my arms began to go numb from the elbows up. It's a shame to fail an experiment just a week before its end. Second try tomorrow.

Day 25 . After yesterday's failure it's scary. I stand on my hands and knees for a long time, gathering my strength and thoughts. For more than three weeks I entered into the exercise automatically, and today I check the position of each part of the body twice. Let's start! A minute... Two... Three... My abdominal muscles are trembling. The whole body begins to vibrate. I really want to bend my lower back at least a little, but this is absolutely forbidden. There are only 25 seconds left to hold out, but they last an incredibly long time. To distract myself from the growing fatigue, I begin to count out loud the remaining moments: “Five, four, three, two... Hurray!”

Day 27 . Yesterday's day of rest is unnecessary. It disrupts the work rhythm. The timer has just started counting down, and I already want to lie down on the mat. Maybe I just got off on the wrong foot? I'm standing. Another whole minute and a half. I want to give up. And try tomorrow. Or the day after tomorrow. And better - never! And why did I just sign up for this?! The hair on the temples and back of my head became wet from tension. Minute! I breathe calmly and measuredly! According to fitness instructors on YouTube, you cannot hold your breath while doing a plank. Inhale for a second, exhale for a second... Gong!

Day 30 . No thoughts. I’m just glad that today my experiment with the plank will end. The weight has practically not decreased, but the volume, judging by the clothes, has gone by several centimeters. Normal warm-up. Half a minute to mobilize all your strength. Go! A-and-and... yes! Five minutes! I did it! Is it just me or did the gong sound particularly victorious today?

Some day there. Six in the morning. Rug. Warm up. Get on your knees and elbows. Forearms are parallel to each other. Check your back for sagging. Pull your stomach towards your ribs. Straighten your legs, standing on your toes. Look down. I'm back in plank. And I stand, stand, stand...

Plank program for a month. Illustration by Lyubov Turbina

How often do you do a plank per day?

Many people just can’t decide to start doing planks, much less perform complex time calculations and follow tables.

For such people, we will give general recommendations:

At the very beginning, you don’t need to chase a large amount of time - 30 seconds is enough. But it is very important not to miss a single day!
Once you get used to this norm, you can add 5-10 seconds every day.
In the end, a good result for beginners would be 2 minutes, but not at a time, but in 2-3 approaches.
Do not strive for complex exercises - the classics are quite suitable for a start, then you can raise your arm and leg. The rest are for those who have already practiced and gotten the hang of it.
Try to always do the exercise at the same time.
It is better not to do planks immediately after meals and a couple of hours before bed.
The most optimal time is immediately after morning exercises.
Increase the load gradually, monitor your well-being, and do not overexert yourself.

Half minute start