8 Reasons to Do Plank Pose Every Day
If you’re not practicing plank pose every day, you should be!
Plank Pose is a strength training pose that works all your major abdominal muscles, simultaneously strengthening your shoulders, chest, neck, glutes, quadriceps and back. The pose works to contract the muscles by holding one steady, fixed position. Plank Pose has many benefits for your body. It can improve your strength, physique, mood and more. All you need to do is add the pose to your daily yoga flow to see the results!
Below are the top eight reasons to do Plank Pose every day. Proper form is key, so be sure to keep your elbows directly under your shoulders, engage your abdominal muscles, contract your quadriceps and glutes to firm your legs, and keep your shoulders drawing away from your ears, and heels over the balls of your feet. Try to hold the pose for at least 15 seconds, if not longer.
1. Strengthens Your Core
When it comes to building core strength, Plank Pose reigns supreme due to its ability to work all four muscle groups in the stomach . . . oh, you thought you only had “abs?” Plank strengthens the rectus abdominis (visual “six-pack” muscles), transverse abdominis (deep core stabilizing muscles), and the internal and external obliques (hip and back mobilizing muscles).2. Increases Muscle Definition
Along with your abdomen, Plank Pose also strengthens the muscles in your shoulders, chest, legs, and back. The functionality of this pose combined with the isometric hold helps strengthen and build lean muscle to increase overall muscle definition on the body.3. Heightens Metabolism
The muscle strength and mass that can be attained through Plank Pose offers another incredible benefit to go along with those stronger and more defined muscles . . . a faster metabolism! When you increase your muscle mass, you boost your resting metabolic heart rate, in turn resulting in greater calorie burn, according to Exercise Physiologist Katie Heimburger.4. Reduces Back Pain
As your abdominal muscles become stronger, the body becomes less reliant on the overuse and overextension of the back muscles. Instead, your body resorts to the now stronger core for everyday activities and exercise, which reduces pain in the lower back.5. Gives You Better Posture
Achieving better posture is most easily done by ensuring the spine, mid, and upper body muscles are strong and healthy. As you practice Plank Pose, the back, chest, shoulders, abs, and neck engage and work hard to organically adjust your body’s natural alignment.6. Improves Balance
The isometric hold used during Plank Pose encourages your body to manifest stability as a whole. This, in turn, creates an overall improvement in your balance and coordination. Learning to keep your body stabilized during this difficult horizontal hold ultimately enhances your ability to stabilize in the more natural vertical state.7. Enhances Bone and Joint Health
Plank Pose allows you to engage in weight-bearing physical activities while reducing the harsh and painful side effects often associated with exercises such as jumping and running. When you perform Plank, new living bone tissue is created, resulting in both healthier and stronger bones. The physical activity done during this exercise also promotes circulation in the joints, which allows the bones to move past one another in a smoother fashion.8. Boosts Mood and Relieves Stress
Practicing Plank Pose, or any physical activity, releases a neurochemical substance in the brain called endorphins, which are known to increase feelings of happiness and decrease feelings of stress. This pose can also aid in tension relief, as your body is encouraged to stretch and lengthen when performing the pose.
