February Plank Challenge

Join me?

I’m a big fan of bodyweight exercises.

If you have done any form of exercise with me, you know I love my squats. No bar, dumbbell, kettlebell. Just a straightforward bodyweight squat. They even sneak into my Zumba dance classes.

What’s so great about bodyweight?

Bodyweight exercises are practical, because you don’t need any expensive equipment. They’re pretty simple, as they often follow the functional movement patterns of our everyday activities. And they’re motivating, as there’s something very satisfying in improving your body awareness and control while getting fitter and stronger. Just using your own body!

They’re also endlessly modifiable – for everybody and EVERY body. Reducing the number of repetitions, taking it slow and perfecting form, there are loads of ways to make bodyweight exercises sufficiently challenging for you, your current fitness level, and your ability.

So; I am a big fan of bodyweight exercises.

I’m an especially big fan of the Plank. It is one of the most effective bodyweight exercises you can do.

Planks for a strong back - & maybe even a six-pack!

Planks are often recommended as an alternative to crunches and sit-ups to strengthen abdominal muscles. Old-skool gym crunches only really work the superficial abdominal muscles, and can place repetitive, shearing pressure through the lower back.

Planks work your abdominal muscles, and develop the back muscles, too.

The rectus abdominis (responsible for the six-pack), internal and external obliques (the muscles that cinch the waist and tighten the midsection), and the erector spinae (running the length of the spine and important when we lift anything) are all strengthened by performing regular Plank exercises.

Getting deeper

The Plank is especially efficient as it needs you to use deeper core muscles than most other abdominal and back exercises.

Balancing on your toes and hands/forearms – because that’s where we are going, folks! - moves you out of balance, and this instability encourages you draw on deep core muscles to prevent gravity from dragging your stomach towards the floor and your back from ‘hammocking’.

Those deep core muscles, then: the pelvic floor muscles support the bladder and bowels, and, basically, keep your insides inside; the transverse abdominis sit below and deeper than the six-pack, and the multifidus stabilises and supports the spine are all developed by the Plank.

Each time you practice the Plank, you strengthen these deeper muscles so they form a natural “corset” to give you a flatter and more toned stomach, and a stronger and more supported back.

(If you attend Pilates with me, you’ll hear a lot about “engaging the core”: the multifidus, transversus abdominis and pelvic floor muscles all work together to bring stability to the spine and pelvic girdle, and help us work with control from a strong centre).

Upper back, shoulders, arms and more!

Planks also target upper back muscles (trapezius and rhomboids) and the muscles that wrap around the side of your chest and shoulder (serratus anterior), which help to keep your arms in their sockets and your shoulder blades appropriately flat on your back.

All of this means that regularly including a Plank in your exercise routine will make it easier to keep your shoulders back, stop your posture from slumping, and keep your lower back in a neutral position while sitting or standing — vital for great posture.

You will also tone your pectorals (chest), biceps (arms),  gluteus medius (side of hips), gluteus maximus (butt), quads (front of the thighs), and even the calf muscles in the lower half of your legs.

Gosh, why aren’t we all doing a Plank each day, every day, already?

February Plank Challenge

Fancy a friendly challenge? For a bit of fun during February?

I’ve put together a schedule of rising isometric holds of a Plank as a way for us to challenge our fitness and stamina during February, and hopefully keep us motivated to just keep moving.

You can start by simply getting into a Plank position (and there are lots of modifications to suit every body), and gradually work up to holding the position for one and a half minutes by day 15.

If you’re really up for the challenge, you can continue with me until 28th February and finish on an endorphin high with a 3 minute Plank!

There are no prizes – other than feeling AWESOME – and no charges, costs, or hidden requirements.

Being social

If you use Facebook, and are an existing client of mine, have you found your way to ‘Homework Club’ yet?

It’s a FB Group for people who work out, do Pilates or dance with me – just a private space where we can offer each other some support and motivation to just keep moving.

I’ll be doing a FB live, or opening a room, or whatever the latest FB thing is to beam live from my home to yours – three times a week during February.  A few minutes to say hey, hi, helloooo, to hang out together briefly, share highs and lows of trying to stay fit and strong during lockdown – and then to hold a Plank, together, for whatever the target is for that day.

I’ll also be sharing highlights on Instagram, and will be setting up a WhatsApp group so we can stay in touch.

Being accountable

Don’t use social media? You can join in with the challenge.

The February 3 minute Plank schedule is available in PDF format, so you can download it or even print it to keep it handy.

And if you would appreciate the support, I can keep in touch by text, three times a week, to see how you are getting on with the daily targets. You just need to let me know that this is something you would find useful.

Sharing your daily and weekly targets with someone is a good way to hold yourself accountable. It helps to stay motivated and to keep going.

Modifying the Plank

In our Facebook Homework Club, on day one I’ll be sharing tips for modifying the Plank, including working against a table or chair in an inclined Plank, or ways to change your wrist position to hold the Plank without irritating existing wrist or finger joint problems.

I’ll film that short introductory session, and share it if you don’t use Facebook but do want to take part in our February Plank Challenge.

Or you can have my coaching tips written down and emailed to you.

There’s very few reasons to not get involved!

Things to think about before joining this Challenge

I always remind people to follow any advice from their GP or other health professional when it comes to choosing the best exercise or physical activity for them. Don’t jump into something really strenuous without checking in with your Doc first.

If you have untreated, uncontrolled high blood pressure, isometric exercises like the Plank (where you hold the muscles in a static position, and under tension), can temporarily raise blood pressure. Holding the Plank beyond a minute or so may not be suitable for people with heart or other circulatory problems.

If you have a new episode of acute low back pain, and while the soft tissue is still inflamed, know that the Plank is very probably going to be your long-term friend – but you may need to begin with other calming, stretching and rehabilitating exercises first. (Let me know if you need some help with these).

If, like me, you are carrying some extra weight, especially around your middle, you will need to be aware of the forces pulling your stomach down towards the mat, putting pressure on your lower back to hammock: drawing your navel in towards the spine, and up towards the breastbone, helps to counteract the effects of gravity around your midsection while you Plank.

You might also follow along with the increased timing challenges, but in 10 second increments: so on 10th February (it’s a full one-minute Plank day), you might complete 6 x 10 second Planks with just sufficient seconds in between to step out of the Plank and then reset. I’ll include this option in my short video, too.

The benefits of rising isometric holds.

By applying constant tension to the muscles, we’ll also be improving our muscular endurance over the month, and, without the need to perform repetitive movements, you’ll have the time to check in with your alignment and form during the Plank.

You’ll become more aware of the muscles that are firing up, of where your body is in space, and how a tiny adjustment in muscle recruitment can change the feel of the exercise.

There’s some sports science research to suggest holding a Plank beyond two minutes is not really going to add much to your workout: there are variations that can make the exercise more of a challenge.

But for now, a little “competition” with yourself or others in Homework Club might just be the motivation you need to challenge yourself to moving more this February.