Most physical exercise experts have long recommended the plank exercise to strengthen the abdomen, giving it priority over traditional sit-ups. In fact, the front plank (and its variants) They have ousted, or at least, cornered, the traditional abdominals.

It has been proven that regular plank practice is one of the most effective exercises to tone, not only the abdomen, but also the lower back, glutes, arms and shoulders.

Among the best known, we find the spiderman iron, superman ironwave inverted plank. All of them are an excellent option to strengthen the abdomen with a minimum risk of injury. In addition, each of these variants has specific benefits that make it ideal for achieving certain objectives.

Thus, the side plank is a perfect version for the development of the oblique abdominals, which results in a flat stomach and a marked waist. In addition, it helps (a lot) to eliminate the fat accumulated on the hips, the well-known love handles.

What is the side plank for?

As we already mentioned, the main benefit of the side plank is the one it shares with the center plank, that is, core toning. Now, the strong point of this version is that it strengthens the oblique muscleswhich translates into a flat stomach and a marked waist.

Of course, it is also a perfect tool to strengthen the arms, as well as the shoulders, or the glutes. To do this, it is important to perform the exercise correctly, which involves attending to the instructions and advice from a personal trainerAt least the first few times. In this way, we will avoid the risk of suffering injuries, and we will make the most of the benefits of exercise.

How do you do the side plank?

This is a quite demanding exercise. So much so that, if you have never practiced it, it is best to go little by little. That is, the ideal is that you stay in the posture about 20 seconds the first few timesand little by little, increase the time. Before you know it, you’ll be on your arm for a full minute.

These are the main steps to perform the side plank:

• First of all, lie on your side on a mat.
• Support the forearm and extends his arm.
• Maintain the posture by doing strength with the abdomen.
• Don’t forget to breathe slowly.
• Try to hold on at least 20 seconds and lower to the starting position.
• Now turn around and repeat the position supporting the other arm on the ground. In this way, the other oblique muscle is activated.
• Return to the starting position and rest.
• Do the exercise 3 or 4 times on each side.
• Then relax. For this, the best are some stretching. For example: stand up, raise your arms, put your fingertips together, and lean sideways and up for about 7 seconds on each side.

Most common mistakes

It is not one of people’s favorite exercises, since it requires significant physical effort. Furthermore, precisely due to this effort and the exercise technique itself, it is common for some mistakes to be commented on. These are the most common:

1. Drop the hip: It is normal that the first few times inertia makes the hips fall to the ground but the posture should always have the trunk straight and tense.
2. Keep the greatest load at the bottom: The weight must be balanced throughout the body without overloading the legs.
3. Resting the elbow too far from the body. When we do so, we exert force poorly despite having greater balance.

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