Planks are great exercises because they engage multiple muscle groups simultaneously, making them highly efficient and effective. They also don’t require any special equipment and don’t take much time to do. Here are some of the benefits of adding a plank or two into your workouts or at the end of a cardio session/run:

Core Strength: The primary focus of the plank is to engage and strengthen your core muscles, including the rectus abdominis (six-pack muscles), transverse abdominis (deep abdominal muscles), and obliques. These muscles play a crucial role in stabilizing your spine and maintaining good posture.

Back Strength: Planks engage the muscles in your lower back, helping to improve back strength and stability – great for posture and stability.

Shoulder Stability: As you hold a plank you are also working your shoulder muscles which helps improve shoulder stability and upper body strength.

Glute Activation: Planks engage your glutes which contribute to better hip stability and overall lower body strength.

Low-Impact Exercise: Planks are a low-impact exercise, which makes them suitable for people of various fitness levels.

Can Be Done Anywhere: Planks are a bodyweight exercise that requires no equipment. You can do them virtually anywhere, making them a convenient option for home workouts or when you have limited space and time.

Versatility: Planks can be modified and progressed to suit individual fitness levels. You can perform variations like side planks, plank with leg lifts, and plank with arm raises to add variety and target different muscle groups.

Do you already do planks? It took me a while to get them right as for years I didn’t realise that I needed to squeeze my glutes! 🤦🏼‍♀️ Now I do a few in each strength workout and at the end of some of my runs – my favourite are side planks with hip dips. What are yours?