Reto Plancha: 7 días de planchas abdominales
for a slim & toned waist
If when you think of an ab workout, it conjures up a rocky-inspired montage of endless sit-ups and crunches to the backdrop of an 80s garage, you’re probably not alone
But exercises like sit-ups are far less effective than popular culture would have us believe and if you want to tone up and flatten your stomach as quickly as possible, planks have them beat hands down.
DOWNLOAD THE EXERCISES IN PDF
What is the plank?
The plank is an exercise that involves working your core by balancing your bodyweight on your toes and forearms in a static hold.
What makes the plank such a great exercise?
It works multiple muscle groups at once
The plank works several muscle groups at the same time – all the abdominal muscles (yup…all of them), lower back, hips, glutes, arms and shoulders.
It burns more calories and build more muscle, faster than other ab exercises
Working all these muscle groups at once means that you burn more calories than with an exercise like a sit-up, which only targets one set of ab muscles.
You also build more muscle in more areas, and faster. The more muscle you have, the faster your metabolism gets, and the more calories your body burns, even at rest.
It can improve your posture and your balance
Beyond helping us sculpt a beautifully defined waist, the plank also helps us keep a strong and stable spine, relieving lower back pain and improving our balance and posture.
In short - the plank is one of the best ab exercises you can do.
And when you take it up a notch and start adding variations of this exercise, then you’ll really start to feel the burn.
In this plank challenge, we’re going to be doing 7 variations of the plank to help you shed that belly fat and flatten that stomach.
Stick with these exercises, eat right (see how I just slid that in?) and I promise you’ll be well on your way to a sexy slim waist in no time! So ditch those sit-ups, grab that mat and let’s get planking!
The Plank Challenge
Below you’ll find a list of plank variations that you’ll perform during this 7-day plank challenge and instructions on how to perform them correctly.You’ll start off small and each day add a new exercise to keep challenging your body as you get stronger.
You’ll perform each exercise for 30 seconds three times, with a 15 second break in between.
If you don’t find 3 rounds of each exercise challenging enough, you can perform more circuits. eg. instead of doing 3 rounds of 30 seconds, try 4 or 5.
Ready?
What you'll need
A mat and a strong desire for a rock-hard set of abs!
The exercises
- Forearm plank
- Side plank
- High plank
- Rocking plank
- High plank with shoulder taps
- Side plank with rotation (with our without weight)
- Forearm plank with leg lifts
1. Forearm plank
Let’s start with the traditional forearm plank. To get the most out of this exercise, you have to perform it correctly. Here’s how to do a plank correctly and some common mistakes to avoid:
How to do a plank correctly
- Start on all fours on your mat.
2. Walk your hands forward until your body is in a straight line from your knees to your shoulders.
3. Place your forearms on the mat, palms down, with your shoulders directly in line with your elbows. If flat palms bother you, you can clasp your hands together, forming a triangle base to support your upper body.
4. Now pop up onto your toes, so your body forms a completely straight line from your feet to your neck. Contract your abs, tucking your bellybutton in towards your spine, and squeeze your glutes!
How to avoid common mistakes when doing the plank
1. Keep your core tight!
Contract your abs and glutes throughout the entire exercise. If you’re not feeling the plank right away, you’re not doing it right!
2. Remember to breathe!
When you get into the plank position, take a nice big breath in and exhale as you draw your belly button in towards your spine and bringing your ribcage down.
3. Keep your gaze towards the floor and your neck nice and strong.
Don’t look up or down because you’ll over-extend your neck and you’ll affect your body stability.
4. Tuck your hips
Don’t let your hips sag towards the floor. If you notice tension in your lower back, check your form. Also, don’t have your butt in the air, because that means you won’t actually be engaging your core.
Pro tip: Apretar los glúteos es un buen truco para asegurarte de que estás contrayendo la parte baja de la espalda. De esta manera trabajarás los músculos del core correctamente.
4. Squeeze your shoulder-blades together and keep your chest tall (as much as you can).
In other words, don’t round your shoulders. If you do, you’ll shift the intensity of the exercise towards your upper body and away from your mid-section.
Modified version of the plank
If you find the traditional plank too challenging to begin, you can try the modified plank. Instead of performing the exercise on your toes, you can place your knees to the ground. Just remember to keep that tension in your core and your spine in a neutral position.
2. Side plank
This variation of the plank targets your obliques, which are the muscles that give us that hourglass shape. Ta-ta muffin top!
Lie on your left side with your feet stacked on top of each other and your legs extended. Place your forearm on the mat so your elbow is directly below your shoulder.
Engage your ab muscles, keeping your bellybutton tucked in towards your spine. As you exhale, lift your hips and knees into the air so your torso is in a straight line (no sagging!). Hold the position for 30 seconds. Keep breathing throughout the duration of the exercise.
Modified version
If you find the standard side plank too challenging at first, you can perform the exercise bringing your knees to the floor with your feet directly out behind you. Just remember to keep your spine straight.
3. High plank
The high plank places more emphasis on your arms and shoulders, as well as your core, which makes it a great exercise if you’re looking to get rid of granny arms and get in a good ab workout at the same time.
Start on all fours on your mat. Your hands should be directly below your shoulders and your knees directly below your hips. Step each leg back so your body forms a straight line, resting your weight on your toes, squeezing your glutes and engaging your abs.
If you are struggling to balance, widen your feet slightly.
4. Rocking plank
This is a variation of the elbow plank that adds in a bit of movement and really fires up your muscles.
Start in the forearm plank position. Rock your entire body forward, coming onto your toes even more, and letting your shoulders go past your elbows. Return to the starting position and continue rocking back and forward for 30 seconds.
Pro tip! Keep your core tight and your hips tucked throughout the exercise and push your arms into the floor so you don’t sink into your shoulders.
5. High plank with shoulder taps
This one’s a burner and one of my personal favourites, especially for targeting your obliques (those side ab muscles that help define our mid-section). Start in a high plank position. Keeping your core tight and your body as still as possible, lift one hand off the floor and tap the opposite shoulder. Place that hand back on the mat and then repeat the other side.
6. Side plank with rotation (with or without weight)
Side plank rotations or as I like to call them, muffin top melters, are great for shaping your waist.
Side plank rotations or as I like to call them, muffin top melters, are great for shaping your waist.
Start in a side plank position. Extend your free arm above you. As you exhale, slowly twist your torso reaching your hand under your body and return to the starting position. Repeat this for 30 seconds then move to the other side.
Pro tip! For some extra burn, hold a light dumbbell in your hand as you perform the exercise.
7. Forearm plank with leg lifts
And now for the showstopper… Start in the forearm plank position. Then, lift your leg to about a 45 degree angle out behind you, hold for 2 seconds and then repeat with the other leg. Do this for 30 seconds.
Escrito por
Caty
Caty is an ISSA-certified personal trainer. She loves doing HIIT and core workouts.
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