Planking - The "New" Craze

Okay, who wants to plank with me?

If you're unfamiliar with the new craze sweeping the globe, it's high time you got on board. (Board! Plank! HA!) For the uninitiated, planking is the act of lying in a prone position, arms to your sides, in a "stiff-as-a-plank" style. It has apparently become a fad overnight. See the wikipedia article here. People are finding more and more unusual - and occasionally dangerous - places to plank. It can be irreverent, fun, childish, daring, or artistic. But what I like best about it as a fitness enthusiast, is that it's a damn good core exercise!

Planking, in the exercise sense, has been around for awhile now, friends. Yep, it's not just your average hipster trying to make a name for him/herself who invented this behavior. Fellow fitness junkies who want a rock hard core have been planking for years now, since your basic crunches and sit-ups are just not "cool" enough. What's so great about this isometric (aka: stationary, non-moving) exercise? Um, how about EVERYTHING. It targets the core without overworking hip flexor muscles (as you might in a sit up), can be modified to make it more or less intense, and requires very little space and no additional equipment. Rad!

Here's how to perform a plank in your own home. Unlike the current trendsetters, you want to start in the quadruped position with your forearms on the ground, your feet behind you, and the rest of your body straight as can be. No drooping midsection, no butt in the air. Now, hold it. Should look something like this. Try for 30 seconds to start with, gradually progressing to 60 seconds or more.

You can make this exercise a little easier by putting your knees on the ground, as you might in a non-military (aka: "girl") pushup, or you could make it harder by alternating punching out with your arms as you hold the plank. There are a ton of variations out there. Side planks, planks with arms or legs on a stability ball, planks with one leg raised in the air, etc. The possibilities are endless.

So go ahead and plank! Plank in the park! Plank in your room! Plank at the gym! And feel cool knowing that you're not only rocking out to the newest, hippest trend - you're getting a great core workout to boot! Yeah!