How Many Calories Does Planking Burn?
Plank burning is one of the most popular fitness topics among bodybuilders, athletes and anyone else who wants to lose weight or get fit. People love to hear about it because they want to know if their favorite exercise will help them reach their goals. However, there are some misconceptions about what exactly plank burns when it comes to losing fat and building muscle. So let’s clear up all these myths!
What Is A Plank?
A plank is simply a position where your legs are bent at 90 degrees and your feet are placed on the floor. You can do it sitting down or standing up. It involves keeping your core engaged while doing so. If done correctly, it will not only increase flexibility but also improve balance and coordination which will lead to better performance in other activities such as sports.
The Benefits Of Planking:
It helps with flexibility and improves balance and coordination.
It improves posture and reduces back pain.
It increases blood flow to muscles and heart rate.
It decreases stress levels, lowers anxiety and makes you feel good.
The Truth About Planking:
There are no studies proving that plank burns any more calories than regular exercises like running or jumping rope. The number of calories burned is directly related to your weight and the intensity of exercise. If you are a heavyweight individual and you perform the plank at high intensity for a longer duration, you will burn more calories than a lightweight person performing it at low intensity for a shorter duration.
However, this does not mean that the plank is superior to other workouts. It just means if you want to get the most out of this exercise you need to push yourself to the limit.
You should perform the plank at high intensity for a longer duration if you want to lose more weight. You should perform the plank at low intensity for a shorter duration if you want to strengthen your core without losing too much weight.
You can lose weight by just doing the plank repeatedly for two minutes or more if you are a heavyweight individual. It may not sound like enough time or effort but just two minutes is enough to release hormones that suppress your appetite and burn fat.
The plank does not just work your abdominal muscles. It involves your entire body and is considered a full-body exercise. It strengthens your core, arms, shoulders, legs and back.
Looking to get fit? Want to burn fat in just 2 minutes?
Then do the plank!
So How Many Calories Does Planking Burn?
There are many factors that determine how many calories you burn while performing a given exercise. These factors include your weight, the intensity of the exercise and the duration of the exercise. Since there are no scientific studies confirming how many calories you burn while performing planks, different sources will give you different calorie burn estimates. Below are some examples to give you an idea.
The average person will burn more calories than a heavyweight individual and a person with more muscle mass will burn more calories than a person with less muscle mass. Also, the more intense you perform the exercise the more calories you will burn. You can burn more calories by performing more repetitions with lighter weights or heavier weights at a slower pace.
If you are looking to lose weight, then it may be beneficial for you to do more repetitions at a lighter weight rather than trying to increase the amount of weight you use and reducing the number of repetitions. This is because you will start to build muscle which in turn increases your metabolism. Increasing the amount of weight you use while reducing the number of repetitions will lead to increased muscular endurance but not increase your metabolism.
If you are looking to build muscle, then it may be beneficial for you to increase the amount of weight you use while reducing the number of repetitions. This is because building muscle increases your metabolism which helps you lose weight even at rest. By building more muscle you are increasing the number of calories you burn while at rest.
The plank does work your entire body so it can be considered a full body exercise. Since it is simple to perform, you can easily incorporate it into your weight loss routine. You can also mix up the type of planks that you do.
Below are some examples of different types of planks:
Side Plank: Lying on your side, prop yourself up using your elbow and toes. This works more your obliques and is great for your core.
T Push Up Plank: Get into a push up position and bring one knee towards your elbow at a time. This works more your shoulders and chest.
Leg Raise Plank: Get into a push up position but lift your knees towards your chest. Keeping your back straight, lift one knee towards the sky then the other. This works more your lower abdominals and helps strengthen your core.
Feeling adventurous?
Try these plank variations while you are at it. Don’t forget to check with your doctor first if you have any health concerns though.
As you can see, the plank is a very basic exercise and can be performed by just about anyone. This makes it perfect for those looking to get fit or improve their overall health. Incorporating planks into your weekly routine can help you achieve your fitness goals.
So remember, the next time you are looking for a quick, effective exercise. Try doing the plank.
The plank is a form of core exercise that works out several muscles in your body. In particular, it targets and strengthens your chest, shoulders, and triceps. It also works out your core muscles, including your abdominal muscles.
Usually performed from a prone position, with shoulders on the floor and fingers clasped together directly beneath your shoulders, the plank can be done in a variety of different ways to suit different fitness levels and different muscle groups. Your body should form a straight line from head to toe in a push-up position during the exercise.
You can hold this position for as long as is comfortable, but try to work up to two minutes or more, if possible.
The plank exercise primarily targets your:
A plank performed with your forearms rather than your palms. The side plank targets your obliques.
Smaller muscles of your arms, shoulders, and abdominals.
The plank is a fairly simple exercise, but you can make it more difficult by lifting your legs or arms at the same time as performing the traditional plank. For example, you could lift your legs up off the floor and onto your toes while keeping your torso elevated on your forearms and fists.
This can be repeated in reverse by lifting your arms off the floor while keeping your legs on the ground.
You can also make the exercise more difficult by lifting one leg or arm at a time while keeping the opposite side flat on the floor. For example, you could lift your right arm off the floor while keeping your left arm and left leg on the floor.
This alternating motion will work smaller muscles that are targeted less with traditional planks, and can be a good way to make the exercise more difficult as you get stronger.
As you get more experienced with this exercise, you can hold the raised position for ten to fifteen seconds at a time, and then switch to the other side.
For an even greater challenge, move both arms and legs at the same time while keeping your torso elevated off of the floor. This is very difficult, so be careful!
Side planks target the muscles on the sides of your body. For this move, you’ll need to lie sideways on the floor with either your left or right side facing up.
From this position, lift yourself up using your elbow and toes only; spine and head should remain in contact with the floor at all times. Hold this position for as long as is comfortable. Keep your body straight from hip to shoulder to elbow in a diagonal line and do not lift your hips too high in the air.
Again, perform this exercise on both sides to ensure an equal workout.
Sources & references used in this article:
Energy balance in critical illness by LD Plank, GL Hill – Proceedings of the Nutrition Society, 2003 – cambridge.org
Sequential changes in the metabolic response in critically injured patients during the first 25 days after blunt trauma. by DN Monk, LD Plank, G Franch-Arcas, PJ Finn… – Annals of …, 1996 – ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
Plank cooking devices and methods by R Digges – US Patent App. 10/908,282, 2005 – Google Patents
Wound healing associated with severe surgical illness by MA Clark, LD Plank, GL Hill – World journal of surgery, 2000 – Springer
Catalytic cracking of hydrocarbons with a crystalline zeolite catalyst composite by CJ Plank, EJ Rosinski – US Patent 3,140,249, 1964 – Google Patents
Practical guidelines for nutritional management of burn injury and recovery by K Prelack, M Dylewski, RL Sheridan – burns, 2007 – Elsevier
