You may imagine a six-pack and strong arms when you think about planks. You may also see a lot of plank challenges online. Do you know what benefits those six-pack abs have, other than just showing them off?
The Physical Benefits of Planking Everyday
Planking also works other muscle groups. Since most of these muscle groups are part of your core they are vital to your health and wellbeing.
A side plank targets the glutes, hips and back muscles. These muscles will strengthen and reduce your risk for several health problems.
Planking is one of the best exercises to boost your metabolism and lose body fat.
Additional Benefits of Planks
Planking is a great way to increase flexibility and overall stability.
The planks greatly increase the flexibility in all the muscle groups at the back of your body. This includes your glutes. Included in this group are the muscles around and within your collarbones, shoulder blades and shoulders. These muscles will contract and expand with continued planking. This is great because they are often ignored in traditional training programs.
You can improve your coordination and focus by planking. To maintain balance, the body’s core muscle groups are engaged. It is obvious when exercising, whether it’s jogging, biking or dancing. While it is true that your extremities help you maintain balance, the center of your body is where you are most stable.
A strong core will help you avoid injuries in specific muscle groups which could be overworked when trying to maintain your balance during vigorous exercises. Snowboarding, for example, puts a lot more strain on your calves. A strong core could reduce this strain.
Strengthening your core will not only help you understand how your muscles and body interact but it can also allow you to control one muscle at a given time, rather than trying control multiple muscle groups simultaneously.
