There’s a reason planks are in nearly every ab workout (and why there always seems to be a plank challenge going on). Effective and simple to understand, this isometric exercise (meaning static, no movement) is a major multitasker, working your entire body while increasing your metabolism.
“Planks focus primarily on your core, but also the stabilizing muscles in your upper body, like your shoulders,” Judine Saint Gerard, a certified personal trainer and fitness coach based in New York City, tells LIVESTRONG.com. “But, believe it or not, if you are performing the plank properly, your quads, pelvic floor and glutes will also be engaged.”
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A solid core, tighter glutes, powerful quads: Practicing planks daily sounds like an ideal full-body exercise routine. But there are pros and cons of planking it out every. single. day. Here’s what to expect.
Your Core
If building a sculpted middle is your goal, planks are the most important ingredient in your ab routine. They activate the core muscles better than other ab exercises that solely target the core, according to an older May 2011 study in Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise.
“Planks recruit the rectus abdominis — those deep muscles in the abdominals which are responsible for that six-pack,” says Heather Fletcher, an exercise physiologist based in Tampa, Florida.
This isometric exercise also strengthens the transverse abdominis — the deepest layer of abdominal muscles that are responsible for spinal stability — and the obliques, the ab muscles that help with rotation.
