Alternative Abs - Plank

If you want a rock hard 6-pack, banging out a thousand crunches a day is a pretty solid way to get it. But if you want a super tough core that’s going to assist you in just about every other exercise there is, skip the sit ups and work the plank.

Sit ups work by forcing your abdominal muscles to bear and move a load – the rest of your upper body. It’s a great workout, but it incorporates only part of your core’s natural function: to provide stability and support for the rest of your muscles. This is where the plank comes in. It forces you to hold a stationary position that is difficult to maintain, and requires some serious abdominal input, both from your external abdominals (the 6-pack) and your internal abdominals, or “core stabilizers.” It’s a great way to challenge yourself and mix up your workout routine, especially if the thought of 1000 crunches is a little too overbearing.

Executing a proper plank requires real attention to form. Lie down on the floor with your arms bent under you, hands under your shoulders. Now lift yourself up on your toes until you’re basically in a push-up position, but still resting on your forearms. Make sure to keep your back straight the whole time so you engage the most muscles. Tighten your abs and glutes and hold the position as long as possible, keeping in mind that when you first start out, it won’t necessarily be that long. Try to shoot for 45 seconds to a minute, working your way up to a minute and a half.

When you feel like you’re ready for more of a challenge, try some of these variations.

1) One Armed Plank - Spread your feet out to shoulder-width apart, then put one hand behind your back. This will force you to engage your abs even harder to make up for the loss of stability provided by the other arm. Hold this position for 30 seconds, then switch arms. As you get stronger, try to move your feet closer together.
2) Plank Rows - Put a pair of medium weight (15 – 20 lbs) hex-dumbbells on the floor, then hold onto them in a push up position. Spread your feet out to shoulder with apart and slowly lift the dumbbell in one arm up to your chest. Without losing form, lower the dumbbell back to the ground and lift the other one. Raising the weights will have a similar effect of the one armed plank, but will force you to constantly shift tension.
3) Mountain Climbers – Assume push up position. Keeping your hips and back as straight as possible, slowly bring one knee up as close to your chest as possible. Lower it back down, then raise the other one.