Planks and the mistakes you should avoid doing them

Planks are proven to be the best exercise for strengthening the core. They are superior to sit-ups in many respects and are the best way to acquire a six-pack. They also help prevent back pain. But only if you avoid these mistakes with Planks.

The right motion for planks

Planks train all the 150 muscles in the core area through permanent tension. The exercise is simple: get down on the floor and support yourself on elbows and toes. Your back, legs, neck, and head are in the air and form a straight line. To keep this straight line, you have to tense your muscles properly.

Pay special attention to your body tension

Correspondingly strong core muscles are required to hold the correct position when doing planks. If your abdominal muscles are too weak, you may need to compensate. Your hips sag, or you push your bottom up. You should avoid this because the wrong position puts terrible pressure on your back. Here are a few tips:

• If you want to avoid mistakes with planks and have no one to control, you should train in front of a mirror.

• If you are not yet able to hold the correct planks position, you can modify it.

• It is best to place your forearms on a raised surface and gradually reduce the angle of inclination.

You shouldn’t hold planks too long

Although Plank Challenges are viral – the world record is over 8 hours – it is not wise to hold the Plank position too long. A maximum of two minutes is entirely sufficient. A longer duration makes no sense. It is neither functional nor is there a sport that benefits from it. Tip: If you can hold the plank position for 60 or even 120 seconds without problems, you should instead do variations.

You should avoid weight shifts

Another common mistake with planks is weight shifting. You push your body too far forward or slide backward. Here again, the fault is too weak core muscles. And it doesn’t get stronger either, because the abdominal muscles are hardly recruited by the incorrect posture. Besides, shoulder and neck pain can occur. Tips:

• Make sure your hands and elbows are relative to your shoulders.

• It is optimal if the shoulder is in line with the elbow when planning the forearm.

• The shoulder should be in line with the hands for the long sleeve plank.