How to do the exercise bar

In the struggle for a slim figure, elastic muscles and a toned body, women and men all over the world are looking for a universal exercise that involves all the muscles of the body. And there is such an exercise - this is the bar. Some experienced trainers compare the bar to running - during this physical activity more than 90% of various muscles are involved. Some are satisfied with the static nature of the exercise - you don’t need to run anywhere, just keep the body in the correct position. For others, the bar is a quick and easy way to stay fit. Even if you do not have time for training, do the bar daily and this will help you keep your body in good shape. And that’s just a few minutes a day! But for the result to really be noticeable, the exercise should be performed correctly. So, today we’ll talk about the bar - the beneficial properties and the proper implementation of this exercise.

What is the use of the plank exercise?

Today, the bar is included in the training program in many areas of fitness, usually this is the final exercise, which, as it were, fixes the load on the abs, arms and legs. What is the useful bar for the body, try to figure it out.

1. High-quality "pumping". The load on the muscles in a static position is much more intense, since the person is in an unnatural position, it is much more difficult to maintain the weight of your body in the “plank” exercise. This allows you to better pump your back and abdominal muscles, which can not be achieved with dynamic load.
2. Slim stomach. The bar qualitatively pumps the lower, upper and lateral press, muscles of the back, buttocks, hips, biceps. Using the bar, you can achieve a perfectly flat stomach and embossed cubes, which is important for both women and men. The bar allows you to get rid of the beer belly.
3. Coordination of movements. The bar allows not only to train the muscles, but also to improve the functioning of the vestibular apparatus, because the exercise requires a long balance and coordination of movement. Especially if it is not a classic, but a side bar, it is much more difficult to maintain balance with such an exercise.
4. Back. This exercise is a great workout for the spine. Keeping the body in a horizontal position allows you to work out your back muscles, which gives feasible training loads on the intervertebral discs. The bar is very useful for performing hernias, as it forms a muscle corset around the spinal column, which eliminates the displacement of the vertebrae. But doing the exercise is only after the permission of the doctor. Regular performance of the Planck exercise relieves of back pain.
5. Warm up. The bar is very useful for those who have to do sedentary work all day. This quick but effective exercise can tone the body in minutes.
6. Losing weight. Although the exercise load is static, it is a great way to burn fat. A regular load on the muscles stimulates their growth. Growing muscles need nutrition, they take energy not only from food, but also spend a significant part of the stores of subcutaneous fat that every person has. The bar allows many athletes to dry out and lose weight before the competition.
7. Posture. The bar is right for you if you want to improve your posture. The load mainly goes to the cervical and lumbar spine. Regular training will help to keep your back level for a couple of weeks.

All these advantages make the bar an incredibly effective and versatile exercise that is accessible to many.The bar can be made by men and women, adults and children, professional athletes and novice lovers, for this you do not need special sports equipment. But in order for the exercise to give you the maximum effect, it should be done correctly.

How to do the exercise “plank”

The bar is one of the few loads in which the technique is very important. Many trainers advise - do not chase the duration of the bar. It is better to hold the bar correctly for 10-20 seconds than to keep the body in the wrong position for longer than a minute. Errors in the performance of the bar not only make the exercise useless, but can also hurt - excessive bending of the lumbar spine can lead to displacement of the discs, back pain, etc. Here are some tips and tricks to keep in mind when fulfilling the bar.

1. Before a load, be sure to warm up - do light stretching exercises, do exercises, jumps, jogging - all this will help you warm up your muscles. It is very useful to make the bar after the main sports, to consolidate the result.
2. Make sure you have good athletic shoes with rubber soles. This will help you keep your body horizontal, your legs should not slip, otherwise you cannot do the exercise correctly.
3. Another common problem when performing the strap is the skin of the elbows, especially in women. Many women admit that it is difficult to keep the body in balance for a long time, because delicate skin on the elbows hurts, especially if the exercise is done on a carpet or other corrugated, hard surface. To eliminate this, you need to wear elbow pads or simply substitute soft yoga mats under your elbows.
4. Take a horizontal position, with the toes of the feet and palms rest against the floor. On command, when the timer starts to work, you should take the classic position of the strap with a smooth body.
5. The elbows should be directly under the shoulders, the shoulder blades cannot be reduced and raised, they must be held in a static position by the effort of muscles. Do not place your hands too close together, this may result in injuries to the shoulder joints.
6. The head should not be lifted up, the gaze should be directed to the floor or down. Imagine squeezing a tennis ball between your chest and chin that should not fall. Many make a mistake by raising their heads and looking in front of themselves in the mirror - so the load on the cervical spine is significantly increased.
7. The wrists in the correct position should be on the floor, parallel to the elbows. That is, hands should be clenched into fists. Some trainers allow the connection of two hands in the lock, but it is better not to. And, moreover, you should not turn your hand so that your palm is completely lowered to the floor - this is a mistake.
8. The hips and muscles of the abs should be tensed. You should also tighten the buttocks, you will feel special pressure on the tailbone. In no case should you bend your back in the lumbar spine, this is the most common mistake. In some cases, people feel less pressure in this position, which is why they bend their backs. But it is very harmful to the spine.
9. It is important to monitor your breathing - it should not be intermittent, you should not hold it. You need to breathe deeply, measuredly. The body itself will tell you the pace at which you should breathe, depending on energy consumption.
10. Hold the bar for as long as you can. Do not rush to increase the exercise time. Now the body must remember the execution technique, it is much more important. Hold the bar first for 15-20 seconds, gradually increasing the time to two minutes.

In many armies of the world, the exercise bar is a kind of indicator of the level of training of recruits.If a young man can hold the bar for more than two minutes - he is in good physical shape. If the future fighter cannot keep the body in an even horizontal position and 30 seconds, he has very weak and flabby muscles, weaned from the load. If you easily exceed the two-minute mark, then you should modify the bar and consider other ways to perform this exercise.

Varieties of planks

Experienced trainers always modify the exercises to increase or decrease the degree of exercise in order to change the group of working muscles. Here are a few more types of planks that can be performed in conjunction with a classic exercise.

1. Side plank. It is more aimed at the development of oblique muscles of the abdomen. You need to stand on the bar sideways, that is, the supporting leg with the side of the foot and one elbow. You will immediately feel the tension of the peritoneum on one side - you can even feel it with your free hand. The side bar greatly develops the coordination of movements, because for its implementation you will need to maintain balance. As a rule, if you are standing on the right elbow, the right side of the abdomen is pumped, but the left side does not rest. If you maximize the left (free) hand behind the head, this gives an excellent stretch to the oblique muscles of the abdomen on the left side. Be sure to repeat the exercise on both sides.
2. Strap on outstretched arms. This exercise is considered more facilitated, as keeping your own body weight in this position is easier. It is usually recommended for beginners or overweight people when muscles are not prepared for excessive loads. Performing the exercise is not difficult - you need to stretch your arms forward, put your palms on the floor, lean on the toes of your feet and palms, without bending your elbows. The most difficult thing in the exercise is not to protrude the buttocks, but to make a straight line from the back and legs.
3. Inverse bar. This is a very complex variation of the exercise, which is given to not many. The bar in this case is done in the opposite direction, that is, you need to lie on your back, and then raise the body and lean on straight arms or bent elbows, the second fulcrum is the heels. Socks should look up, the whole body should be a straight line. In this position, a special load is placed on the cervical spine and buttocks.
4. Plank with raising arms and legs. Making this exercise is also very difficult. After you get into the position of the classic bar, you need to simultaneously raise the right hand and left foot to the side, keeping them in a straightened state. Then you need to change the anchor points and raise the opposite arm and leg. Exercise should be done slowly, straining the press, keeping the body in a static and even position.

Exercise strap in no case can not be done during pregnancy, no matter what its duration. Excessive stress in the early stages (especially if you did not exercise before pregnancy) can lead to uterine tone and miscarriage. Also, do not perform the exercise after injuries of the spine - this is quite a serious load, which can lead to problems of the musculoskeletal system.

Remember, the bar is not a panacea. But with its skillful implementation, in combination with proper nutrition and cardio loads, the bar will help you make the figure beautiful and your body taut.

Video: Top 5 Common Mistakes in Exercise Plank