20 MINUTE PLANK WORKOUT

20 MINUTE PLANK WORKOUT
Planks are my favorite way to work my abs and back (the core). By far more fun that doing a sit-up.
And why do a sit-up when you can do one exercise that works multiple muscle groups? Did you know the plank works the upper body, lower body AND the core? Do a plank on your elbows and you’ll feel your shoulders scream. Your quads are also working hard to stabilize your body. Plus, with so many different plank variations, you’ll work different areas of your core and never get bored.

There are many benefits to doing a plank workout. Here are a few:

Planks are isometric exercises. This means you’re flexing your muscles but going nowhere. Like your pushing really hard to move a wall that will not budge. Isometrics are really great for rehabilitation and reconditioning. They also help you get over a plateau in your strength training.
Surprisingly enough, planks can increase flexibility in your hamstrings, feet and around your shoulders.
Your posture can be improved by doing plank exercises. Your core muscles have a job of stabilizing your spine and hips. By doing planks, you’re strengthening the muscles that support your spine and hips.
Planks can make you mentally tougher. Every time you play the mental game of pushing yourself to hold that plank longer, you are building your mental strength. This can be beneficial in your personal and professional life.
Planks can also help reduce stress. Planks stretch those muscles that tense up while you’re sitting all day at a computer. They can also help calm your brain.Do this 20-minute plank workout to get all those awesome benefits. I just may do it for the brain calming factor alone. Three kids under three can run you ragged.
This workout is designed with the Tabata training method. (I love Tabata workouts!) That means you are doing short repeated intervals of the exercise.  You push hard for 20 seconds and then rest for 10 seconds.  You do this eight times to create a round. Each round should take about four minutes and the entire workout is 20 minutes.

You will need something to track your rounds. You could use a phone but I find it way easier to use the Everlast timer. You can program in the 20/10 intervals and let it go until you are completely done with the workout. The Gymboss is another great and popular timer. Either way you go, a timer is pretty essential for Tabata training.

There are five rounds with two different exercises per round. You do one exercise for four intervals and the other for four intervals. This way you are doing ten different plank exercises to work more of your entire body.  I threw a cardio burst round in the middle of the mix to keep it super fun and challenging.

Round 1:    Regular plank – 4 times (I like to do my planks with my elbows on the ground.  Saves my wrists and I feel it a lot more in my shoulders.)

Extended plank – 4 times (This is a regular plank on your hands but with your hands above your head as far as you can go. May not be very far but you build.)

Round 2:    Right side plank – 4 times (Side planks can be done on your hands or elbows. Again, I like to do them on my elbows.)

Left side plank – 4 times

Round 3:   Plank jacks – 4 times (Regular plank on your elbows and then jump your legs in and out like you do in a jumping jack.)

Mountain climbers – 4 times (Regular plank on your hands, run your knees up to your chest like you’re climbing an extremely steep mountain. Keep your butt down though. Don’t lose your plank form.)

Round 4:   Plank push-ups – 4 times (Start in regular plank on hands, drop down to elbows and push back up to hands, repeat.)

Plank with arm raises – 4 times (In regular plank on hands position, alternate raising your arm up in front of you. You can add a hand weight if you’d like.)

Round 5:   Left side plank lifts – 4 times (Drop your midsection as low as you can and then lift as high as you can while doing these side plank lifts.)

 Right side plank lifts – 4 times

Remember each circuit or time you do the exercise, it’s 20 seconds followed by a 10 second rest. You move immediately into the next exercise and do not stop until the full 20 minutes is up. Tabata training is wonderful for those that have a tight time schedule.

If you’re looking for more try my other Tabata workouts. I also recommend 21 Day Fix. The 21 Day Fix is a great introductory program for those new to strength and/or cardio training. The workouts are 30 minutes long but are broken up into 1-minute exercise rounds. So the interval lengths are longer than the 20/10 in standard Tabata but very doable.