Beyond chiseling your abs, doing planks will strengthen your entire core, which can help prevent back pain and improve your posture, according to Harvard Health Publishing.
Planks are also relatively straightforward to learn, and you can do them just about anywhere. And if you’re getting bored with the standard plank exercise, you can try any of these other plank variations to break up the monotony.
Tip
If you’re new to planks (or just haven’t done them in a while), chances are you’ll start to shake when you get tired. But don’t let that intimidate you! Keep holding until you can’t hold your hips up anymore.
When you can’t maintain proper form anymore, stop. Do three sets, holding as long as you can each time. When you can hold it for more than one minute, it’s time to move on to something more difficult.
Tip
This variation requires more core stabilization because you’ll be moving your arms. Once you can do at least 10 reps with each arm, move on to a more advanced variation.
Tip
This move requires balancing on one arm and one leg. This is a very challenging plank variation, and you’ll need lots of balance and strong arms and legs to hold yourself up.
Can’t hold this variation without wobbling your hips? Start with the standard bird-dog exercise (where you’re balancing on your knees instead of holding a plank) and lift your opposite arm and leg from there.
Tip
If you’re rotating too much in the hips, move your feet out a bit wider to give you a better base of support.
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It may help to have a mirror in front of you for this exercise because you’ll want to make sure your body stays in a straight line. Letting your hips move forward or back or sag is one of the most common plank mistakes.
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Once you can hold a side plank for at least 20 seconds on each side, you can move to a harder variation like the options below.
Tip
If you’re having trouble keeping your hips straight, try doing this plank exercise a few inches in front of a wall. If you feel your butt touching the wall, it means your hips need to come forward.
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