30 Days of Planks and Thanks
25th October 2022
30 days of ‘Planks and Thanks’ is our exercise challenge for this month. Part one of the challenge is to practice and progress your plank using good control and technique. I recommend you keep a record of your planks i.e., the number of sets and duration each day so you can note your progress. Part two of the challenge is to write down one thing that you are thankful for each day of the month.
Why plank?
A plank is a great exercise to strengthen the core. It engages the abdominal muscles, glutes, shoulders, back and legs. Doing a plank, a day can help improve your strength, posture and trunk stability as well as contributing to muscle tone and improving your balance.
What are the benefits of a plank?
- Helps strengthen the core (muscles in your stomach and back)
- Helps improve posture
- Aids your metabolic rate – more muscle means a boosted metabolic rate
- Improves flexibility
- Helps with back pain
- Helps builds muscular strength and endurance
- Improves balance and core stability
What is a plank?
A plank is a body weight exercise involving holding your body on your toes and forearms or hands while facing down.
Tips for improving your plank
- Start slowly – start with a basic plank (with your knees on the floor), focusing on good control and technique before you move onto the next stage of the plank.
- Strengthen your wrists – wrist and forearm strength is vital for holding a plank.
- Practice makes perfect – to get better at something you have to do it more often. This includes a plank. To progress your plank this November, I recommend doing 3-4 sets of planks, 2-3 days per week. Why not keep track of your planks and record them in your diary or calender.
- Incorporate other plank or abdominal exercise variations – incorporating variations of the plank will offer some variety and help target other muscle groups to contribute to a strong plank.
- Strengthen other muscle groups – stronger glutes, shoulders, legs and upper back muscles will help you improve your plank. All these muscles work together to stabilize your body. If one is weak, your plank will collapse.
Click here to sign up to our monthly educational ‘how to sessions’ where we will be going through a 15 minute session covering how to perform and progress your plank.
The Thanks Challenge
Write down something you are thankful for each day (no matter how small). You could record this in your diary, calendar or print off a new sheet to keep note of your planks and thanks.
