This past summer I attended a five day wellness course titled, ” The 7 Powerful HEALERS”, which was conducted by husband and wife team, Curtis Eakins, N.D. and Paula Eakins, M.S.  One of the components discussed was EXERCISE.

The first day of  class Curtis told us that during the week he would share how we could condition our core; tone the legs and thighs; strengthen our arms and shoulders; and shrink and tighten our abs; all WITHOUT MOVING A MUSCLE!  He had us hooked!  Of course we kept coming so we wouldn’t miss out on learning how to do all of this toning without moving a muscle.

Friday came and he shared with us an exercise that looks deceptively simple but in reality takes some practice to build up the endurance and strength to maintain.  This “simple-looking” exercise is called the “PLANK”.

Generally little to no movement is involved in planking; yet, it can greatly benefit your fitness routine.  No equipment is required and very little space is needed. You don’t even need a lot of time.  Just a few minutes a day can be effective.

You may be wondering; “If I’m not moving my muscles and not using any equipment, how will I get toned?”  The answer:  Planks work by using the weight of your body coupled with gravity.  The plank is a great way to condition your core but also tones your hamstrings and glutes.  In fact, planks, with variations, work the chest, abs, lower back, bottom, thighs, hamstrings, calves, and shins.  Other benefits of doing planks include reduction of back pain, increased flexibility, elevation of mood, and improved posture and balance.  There are variations of the plank which engage different sets of muscles.  In this article I want to introduce you to the Basic Plank.

Steps to Perform the Basic Plank (from the American Council on Exercise)

• “Hold your elbows directly under your shoulders and place your wrists in line with your elbows.

• Push your body up into your upper back and hold your chin close to your neck (like you’re holding an egg between your chin and your throat).

• In this position, brace your abdominals-contract them like expecting a punch in your stomach, squeeze your gluteal (tailbone) and thigh muscles simultaneously while continuing to breathe normally.

• Hold a plank at least 20-30 seconds. (When using correct form, it is not necessary to hold it for longer than this amount of time.)  Rest for approximately one minute and repeat three to five more times.

•  Start doing the plank using your elbows and toes (feel free to drop to your knees if necessary) and progress up to a high plank when you feel you have developed the necessary strength.”

Prior to attending “The 7 Powerful HEALERS” course I had already started an exercise routine and had recently added planks but didn’t really know the many benefits. I was doing a 1- 2 minute plank before taking the class. Post class I was ready to take it up a notch.  I just recently reached the 5 minute mark. I’ve only done that once though.  (There are various plank challenges and as I previously shared in the information from the American Council on Exercise, 30 seconds at a time with a short rest and several repetitions seem to be sufficient if done correctly.)

What really movitated our class was that instead of Curtis demonstrating how to do the plank he asked his MOTHER, who is well into her eighties, to demonstrate it for us.  Yes, she held the position for a full minute.  We were impressed and left with few excuses for not planking!

My encouragement to you is to go ahead and add planks to your exercise routine if you haven’t already.  Start slowly, by following the schedule outlined above.  You may also want to try another challenge and start by holding the position for 30 seconds the first day and add five additional seconds each day over the next thirty days.  Eventually work up to five minutes. Later on, let’s add some variations to the basic plank.  (I haven’t graduated to the plank variations yet, but I’m headed there soon!)  Gotta get this body toned! HAPPY PLANKING!

(The picture above shows me doing my basic plank.)