I've been teaching weightlifting for years — and I still prefer this gymnastics plank to build core strength without weights
Of all the best plank variations I've tried over the years, the gymnastics plank is top dollar for building core stability, endurance, and strength. It doesn't just strengthen your core; it hits muscles all over the body, including your shoulders, arms, wrists, quads, and glutes.
I love exercising with weights, and I've been teaching weightlifting for years, but it's a common misconception that you can't achieve an effective workout without lifting heavy. Don't get me wrong, I love picking up a heavy weight, but for my core? Bodyweight blasts can still be top-tier.
How to do the gymnastics plank
You don't need an exercise mat, but if you want to support your wrists better, some of the best yoga mats are great for comfort.
Start in a high plank position with your shoulders stacked over your hands, hips aligned with your shoulders, and a straight line from heels to head
Brace your core, glutes, and quads
Push through your hands to broaden your upper back and create a soft hollow through your torso. Suck your belly button in toward your spine
Roll onto the tops of your feet and send your weight forward over your hands. Your shoulders should pass in front of your fingertips
Keep pressing through your hands and the tops of your feet to avoid dropping your hips
Hold.
This is an intense plank variation, so try a 20-second hold and build from there. The key is to create a little hollow through your upper body, which means tucking your hips and pushing through your upper back, while engaging your core muscles.
You'll feel your forearms and wrists working a lot harder; gymnastic planks also test your ability to keep your hips up and maintain your stature.
What are the benefits?
Gymnastic planks, like other gymnastics moves (the hollow hold, tuck crunch hold, or hollow rock, for example), are functional, core-strengthening exercises that build endurance and stability in your body.
Like a regular plank, the exercise works multiple muscles using isometric contraction; your muscles won't move through any range of motion like flexion or extension, but they will hold tension while you maintain a static position.
Where will you feel this exercise?
Your shoulders, arms, forearms, wrists, core, hips, lower back, glutes, and quads work during the gymnastics plank, and the angle places a whole lot more emphasis on the upper body, namely the shoulders, arms, and wrists.
Placing your weight in the tips of your toes and the tops of your feet will activate more of your front body, like the hips and quads, rather than the glutes and hamstrings. In other words, a full-body burn.
If you suffer from wrist pain, simply drop onto your elbows and perform the same steps above using a forearm plank variation.
Does planking give you abs?
No, planking might help strengthen your core muscles, namely the rectus abdominis (the six-pack), transverse abdominis (a deeper belt of core muscles), and the obliques; the exercise alone doesn't sculpt definition in these muscles.
Lean muscle definition comes from a combination of low fat percentage and muscle that has been built over time, so while adding a plank to your exercise routine can contribute, it won't spot-reduce fat.
I also recommend lifting weights to strengthen your core, plus targeting the various core muscles (read abs vs core muscles), not just the abs, for a strong body.
More from Tom's Guide
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