Let's use static methods - Planck exercise!

Many women and girls buy a membership to a gym or fitness club in order to strengthen the muscles of the whole body and, of course, reduce their waist size, without increasing muscle mass and physical strength. However, not all of them know that this can be done without exercise machines and free weights...

The plank exercise will help strengthen your entire body and significantly transform your abdominal muscles. When performing it, the muscles of almost the entire body work, but it is absolutely unsuitable for the development of solid physical strength and muscles - because it is designed specifically for an untrained body with relatively weak muscles that are not accustomed to heavy physical labor. This exercise is static. It does not help increase muscle mass, but you can definitely strengthen muscles and remove excess fat in the abdominal area.

There are several variations of the “plank” - lying on straight arms, with a raised arm, with a raised leg, on a Swiss ball (the legs are on the ball, not the arms), but the most common option is the classic plank.

Lying on the floor, rest on your elbows, trying to keep your body as straight as possible. Ideally, the body should form a clear, straight line from the top of the head to the feet. The main thing is to achieve a position where the whole body forms a straight line, without pulling your head into your shoulders or spreading your elbows to the sides. Wide elbow support can harm fragile shoulder joints, and pulling the head into the shoulders will “unload” the back muscles, which help the lumbar muscles maintain the desired position. The emphasis should be only on the toes and forearms. You need to hold out in this position for as long as possible.

This exercise primarily works the muscles of the lower abdomen, which are used very little in twisting and hanging leg raises, so it is useful to include it in the training program not only for those who exercise “for themselves”, but also for professional athletes. For example, inserting it into a heavy leg training routine will be extremely beneficial for an athlete who trains with free weights in order to build solid muscle mass.

Those fitness enthusiasts who do not want to develop phenomenal physical strength and have mountains of muscles, but really want to have a beautiful and slender body, can include other plank options in the complex. Which ones exactly? It depends on individual goals and strength level. Women who do not like to squat, but want to get rid of fat in the hips and buttocks at any cost, should prefer the “side” option, or a plank with a raised leg. For those individuals who want to work on their waist, but do not want to do exhausting sit-ups, crunches and hanging leg raises, it is better to do the plank with a Swiss ball (fitness ball), or simply include its classic version after squats and exercises for the lower back.

In general, the classic version is useful for everyone. The main thing is regular training, observing the correct technique and with full training.

For execution side plank Lie on your left side and place your elbow under your shoulder, placing your “non-working” hand on your thigh. Legs should be straight. Keep your body in a diagonal position for as long as possible, supported by your elbow and feet.

In this exercise, the main emphasis is on the muscles of the abdominal region, thighs and buttocks. Of course, squats, leg presses and leg curls will help your lower body transform much faster, but not everyone can afford such loads. After all, as you know, mental fatigue is practically physical fatigue, but such retention does not require significant energy expenditure and is much easier for the psyche, tired of household chores and routine work.

How to calculate the right time to hold? It's simple. You just need to “hover” above the floor for as long as possible. The ideal time is 2 minutes. If you can easily withstand 2 minutes, it’s time to increase the load. To do this, you can do a “passive” workout after a series of crunches to strengthen your abs, or after a few sets of leg exercises to transform your lower body.

In the version with the leg raised, the gluteal muscles are well used. For those who can stand for 2 minutes in this position, with their elbows resting on the floor, you can include special exercises for the buttocks in your daily workout. In this case, the “horse” or “bridge” should be performed first. Otherwise, special movements for problem regions will be simply useless - insofar as the muscles, tired from the static exercise, will not have enough strength for dynamic movements of more or less serious intensity.

This method will provide full exercise not only to the buttocks, but also to all the muscles of the pelvic area, which are used very little during normal walking.

Those individuals who are lazy to perform movements other than those that they need for a full-fledged existence can perform “hanging” exercises after intense walking. In this case, it is necessary to increase not only the “passive” load, but also the footage. For example, walk 2 km for 3 days, and after that immediately start “static”. Every day, add 0.3-0.5 km and gradually increase the time in “holds”. 2 weeks of such training will have a beneficial effect not only on all muscles and joints, but will also increase immunity.

Those who have significant physical strength (there are such not only among men, but also - an order of magnitude less - among women) can also adhere to the above methods, but instead of holding a certain position indefinitely, it is better to resort to additional weights tied to a certain part of the body . Such weights are sold in all sports stores.

For advanced athletes, similar techniques can also be useful. For example, a bodybuilder who trains his calves twice a week can help them recover faster. To do this, it is enough for him, the next day after a hard workout, to perform some version of “hovering” above the floor, in which the muscles of the ankle joint are maximally used. Such training helps muscles that are tired from heavy training with iron recover faster. Simple movements give exactly the same effect if you perform them at low intensity, but when you feel a strong burning sensation in your muscles, you don’t really want to do calf raises.

Women who want to improve their breast shape can also do this through “passive” training. To do this, you just need to combine holds, which maximize the use of the chest muscles, with massage and other procedures to improve the tone of the mammary glands. Experts say that this technique gives almost the same effect as swimming, which is extremely useful for improving the shape and maintaining the tone of female breasts. This method is useful for women of all ages, regardless of body composition and lifestyle.