are planks good for your abs
SIDE PLANK WITH QUAD STRETCH. This two-in-one move hits your obliques and improves your flexibility. You'll not only work the muscles on the side of your torso, but you'll loosen your hip flexors, a group of muscles on the front of your hips that allow you to bring your legs toward your chest, says Gaddour. Prolonged sitting can make these muscles tight, resulting in injuries like hamstring strains and back pain. B. Brace your abs and lift your hips off the floor until you're balancing on your forearm and feet so that your body forms a diagonal line. Hold for 30 to 45 seconds. If you can’t hold that long, stay up as long as you can and then repeat until you’ve held for 30 seconds total. Switch sides and repeat. Performing a quad stretch in a side plank is more effective than doing the stretch standing, too. The reason: When upright, it's difficult to fully activate your hip flexors since your lower back can hyperextend, he says. DO NOT work your abs every day, and even every other day can be counterproductive/a less efficient use of your time.. This seems to go contrary to all the planking challenges all over Facebook and the internet that typically do 5-6 days on, 1 day off. The uneven plank is just as much of a core builder as it is a triceps builder. Unlike the standard plank, you'll lift one forearm off the floor, says BJ Gaddour, C.S.C.S., creator of Men’s Health StreamFit. Now your arm is holding the bottom position of a pushup, which instantly activates your triceps.. Why it works: This abs exercise is more challenging than a traditional plank because you're supporting your entire body weight on two points of contact instead of four. As a result, you must work your core harder to stay stabilized. But when you're in a side plank, your entire core is stabilized so your back can't easily move. PLANK SINGLE-ARM ROW. If you want to hit your back while you’re holding a plank, try this move. The single-arm row works your upper-back muscles including your lats, traps, rear deltoids, and rhomboids. Crunches work only the muscles on the front and sides of your abdomen, but it's important to target all the muscles of the core to get more defined abs—including lower back, hips, and upper thighs, says Lou Schuler, co-author of The New Rules of Lifting for Abs. 1. Start in traditional plank position. Raise your right arm and reach out as far as possible in front of your body. Hold 15 seconds and repeat for your left arm. Complete 3 reps, per arm, per set (45 seconds per arm in total). Up the difficulty, up your growth: Lift your opposite leg simultaneously as you reach out in front. Related: For a flat belly and toned bikini body, check out The Bikini Body Diet by SHAPE editor-in-chief Tara Kraft. Trade crunches for these three super-effective abs exercises from The New Rules of Lifting for Abs and you’ll be on your way to a perfectly toned, flatter tummy. The Best Abs Exercises: Side Plank.
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