Hey Kelly!
I was wondering if you have any tips on how to make plank more challenging. I can hold a full one (meaning with my arms straight for 60 sec.), so I am looking for something to make it more difficult. I own a stability ball, a step, but not a bosu. Would bosu be the best? Please bear in mind I am not very coordinated. I once tried a pushup with my feet on the stability ball and belly flopped! Katie
Oh, Katie, I would have paid money to see that.
You can make anything more challenging without equipment, so for today’s purposes, you do not need anything.
Planks work the core, which helps balance and coordination, so you are in luck, my rug burn-faced friend. In order to make planks more challenging, you need to make balance harder to achieve.
I consider a plank to be on your forearms, thusly:
I know a lot of people consider a plank to be up on your hands in pushup position. i dont really think its right or wrong, but just so you know, thats my idea of a plank.
ANYWHOOZLE
To test you balance a bit more, you gotta start removing limbs. From the ground, not your body. So start out slow and remove one hand, and try and get your balance back. Then the other hand (put the first hand down, of course, or you’ll end up looking like Katie.) Then one foot, then the other foot. Increase the time you hold your limbs off the ground as you go.
After you have mastered that, you can try lifting one arm, opposite foot. This one can be pretty tricky so it may take a while to be able to hold it.
For a little upper body work, and increased core activation, you can do travelling planks. Travelling planks are where you go from plank position, up to pushup position and back down again, over and over.
So start in plank
Push up with one arm, and then the other to push up position.
Then lower down back onto one forearm, and then the other.
Do this a few times, and then switch to starting with the other hand. Make sure your hips and shoulders rock as little as possible.
You can also do side planks:
you can do these on your forearm or you hand- up on your hand is more challenging.
When planking (new verb) you always want to make sure your hips are even (not bent or sagging) you core is tight, and your belly button is pulled in.
Oh, and Im sure Katie is a gorgeous, rug burned free girl. Those stability balls can be ruthless, though. one time I was trying to balance on my knees on one (good core and quad exercise) and i fell on my face, too. And got a rug burn.
***My mom is in the hospital right now, so I might be in and out for a while. I will still post and answer questions regularly, but I’m probably not going to have too much time to comment on your guys’ sites. Hopefully, it it will only be for a few more days.***