With summer fast approaching, the requests for core exercises is coming in hot.
Diet is the way to reveal your abs, assuming you’ve done a few exercises to help build your core in the first place.
These single arm plank variations have quickly become one of my favorite ways to really challenge my core and work more than just the rectus abdominis (“6 pack muscle”).
One Arm Plank (Hand)
This is the most beginner friendly variation (make sure you master the plank with two hands first).
Two things that will help make this exercise a little easier starting out: 1) A wide stance with your feet and 2) Slightly centering your hand.
Two things that will make this exercise more challenging: 1) A narrow foot stance and 2) Shifting your weight forward.
With this and the elbow variation, you want to keep your hips facing the floor (not opening up to the side).
One Arm Plank (Elbow)
This is just like the plank above, but a little bit more challenging.
Again, take note of how I square off my hips and shoulders at the start of the exercise. This makes it so much harder, but it worth it!
Side Plank with Leg Lifted
This variation gets a little bit more glute involved and falls somewhere between the two above planks in terms of difficulty. You could easily do this on your elbow or knee for an easier modification.
Bonus tips
- With all planks you want to be actively pushing away from the floor so that you are not “hanging out” in your shoulder socket.
- Think about pulling your belly button in and squeezing your glutes to keep things tight and it will give you something to focus on other than the pain.
- Don’t let your hips dip down towards the floor. We want a straight line from your shoulders to your hips.
Are you going to try these out? Take a video and tag @hellostrength1 on instagram!
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