“Stood on the bar for a month every day. How did my body change?” Personal experience

Numerous articles and videos on the Web say that the plank is a miracle exercise that helps solve many problems of the body. In particular, it relieves tension in the back, strengthens the muscles of the spine, accelerates metabolism – which allows you to burn more calories, improves posture. Also coaches and sports enthusiasts unanimously say that, in addition to the physical health effect, the bar has a beneficial effect on the emotional state, adds vigor and positivity.

We decided to check on ourselves, whether the recommendations are true and whether there is an effect from daily training.

We warn that any physical activity should be carried out after consultation with a doctor, under the supervision of a trainer and taking into account the individual characteristics of the body.

The time period we took for the experiment was one month. To achieve lasting positive results, the period is small. To be sure of the effectiveness you need to perform training at least half a year daily – trainers note. However, after 30 days of regular activity the result was noted.

The exercises were based on the classic plank for beginners: standing on outstretched legs with the focus on the elbows. The level of physical fitness – a year without sports loads.

How was it?

The first day was the most difficult. I felt a slight tension in my arms, back and legs, comparable to a stretched thread. It was as if my body was in a new environment and was trying to resist it. I held that position for only 20 seconds.

During the next week I realized how to keep my back correctly – it doesn’t need to be arched, as in the “cat” exercise. I managed to evenly distribute the load on my forearms and legs. Every day I increased the time in the plank by 5-10 seconds.

After two weeks, confidence and endurance appeared. Muscles did not tense up, arm twitching due to the load was gone. Standing time confidently increased to a minute. I noticed that my back became more comfortable and involuntarily wanted to straighten it when sitting on a chair at the table. Previously I had not paid much attention to the condition of my spine. The time in the bar was already 1 minute and 30 seconds.

After the third week, I got used to the exercise and felt the need to do it. A feeling of satisfaction and pride in myself appeared. My back began to free itself from tightness. I could stand in the plank for almost two minutes.

After 30 days of daily exercises I developed a habit. It was as if my body was asking me to do the workout. My neck began to feel free, headaches disappeared, my posture began to change – my back straightened. And yes, the physical activity added to the good mood and vigor.

Now I stand freely in the plank for 2.5 minutes. However, it was not possible to lose excess weight.

The figures on the scales remained unchanged. Perhaps I need more time in the bar to get results in this direction.

What does the trainer say?

fitness trainer of FitStars online home training platform

There are a huge number of varieties of the plank – on straight arms, on forearms, lateral, static, dynamic. Yes, indeed, it helps to improve muscle condition. At the same time, posture is corrected, as stretching has a positive effect on the abdominal organs. In the plank almost all muscles are involved – back, abs, buttocks, legs and arms. But it is difficult to lose weight with the help of one plank, for this you need to stand in the stop from 20 to 30 minutes. However, the exercise is a good start in the fight against excess weight.

Before you start doing the exercise, you need to understand the purpose of the workout. If you plan to lose excess weight and strengthen muscles, you will need a dynamic set of exercises, which will include the plank. In this case, warming up is mandatory.

If your goal is to pump the muscles of the back, abs and buttocks, you can perform a classic static plank, where the warm-up is not necessary, but only if the exercise is performed correctly.

Kontraindikace

To plank brought benefit, not harm, it is necessary not only to do it competently, but also to know the contraindications. It is not recommended to perform the exercise with back problems in the acute phase, with pain in the lower back, with diastasis. Not knowing how to control the muscles of the center, all the load will go to the shoulders, neck and lumbar spine.

We recommend performing this exercise for no longer than 30 seconds. Depending on your physical fitness, you can do several approaches. Start with simpler variants – on your elbows and knees. In dynamics.

When you learn to keep your back straight, without falling on your shoulders, you can gradually complicate the variants of performance. Important points: you can not push away from the support, bend in the lower back, raise the shoulders. It is necessary to keep the abs toned and keep a straight line from the top of the head to the feet. In the classic plank do not cross your arms. The arms should be parallel to each other, and the elbows should be under the shoulder joints.