For people who workout on a regular basis, you would often talk about how long can you hold a plank. Some might say 15 seconds, some might say 30 and some might even hold a plank for a whole minute. But did you know that there are chances you're doing it all wrong? It sure is a challenging exercise that works on your entire body. But there are chances that you aren't holding a plank right.
Here are some common mistakes that you might be making while doing a plank:
- Your hips are too low: One common mistake is to drop your hips too low which can result in back pain. To get it right, you need to tighten your core in order to bring your belly up to align with your upper body.
- Your hips are too high: Another mistake is to hyperextend your hips, pushing them up in the air without even realizing how high your hips are. This is when the best thing you can do is to make sure your hips are low, but in line with your shoulders.
- Your hands are in the wrong spot: Always remember that your weight should be evenly distributed across fists, forearms and elbows. Your hands should be about shoulder-width apart. You need to avoid the wide grip that you would otherwise employ if you were doing a push-up.
You have more support if you're on your elbows and forearms. Using just your palms will make holding planks more difficult. Practice will make you perfect this very challenging exercise, so try to do it in front of a mirror.
