Carpenters might think of them as planks, and pirates might consider them balance beams. But anyone who has attended a group fitness class knows that planks are a seemingly challenging exercise.
The plank is an isometric exercise that requires assuming a push-up position and then holding it in place. When done correctly, the plank is a full-body workout that engages almost every muscle from head to toe. The muscle groups targeted by planks include the core, shoulders, upper body, and lower body.
The best part? Planks are a safe and effective exercise suitable for all fitness levels. Additionally, there are thousands of variations of planks that you can incorporate into your daily workout routine to make them easier or harder, or to adjust which muscles they target the most. Next, we’ll provide a comprehensive analysis of planks—including how to do them correctly, the muscles they work, their benefits, and more.
Which Muscles Do Planks Work?
Planks may not be as intense as full-body exercises like burpees, front squats, or clean and jerks, but don’t underestimate them. As long as you focus on doing planks correctly and mindfully, they are a full-body workout.
Planks primarily work the following muscles:
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Core muscles (transverse abdominis, rectus abdominis, obliques)
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Shoulders (deltoids)
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Upper body (latissimus dorsi, triceps, trapezius, pectorals, biceps, rhomboids)
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Lower body (glutes, quadriceps, hamstrings, calves, foot extensors)
Planks mainly target the core muscles. The core consists of all the muscles from the neck to the pelvis that surround the torso. Unlike other popular core exercises that only work the superficial "six-pack" muscles, planks engage the deeper core muscles, such as the transverse abdominis, rectus abdominis, and obliques.
Planks also work the shoulders, particularly the deltoids, which are the muscles at the front of the shoulders. But planks don’t stop there. They also engage the latissimus dorsi, triceps, and trapezius, as well as the chest, biceps, and rhomboids, though to a lesser extent.
To maintain stability in the plank position, you must also engage all the muscles in your lower body. You need to squeeze your glutes to properly tuck your pelvis, which is crucial for protecting your lower back and preventing your midline from sagging. This also works your quadriceps and hamstrings, as well as all the extensors in your calves and feet.
How to Do a Plank Correctly
The key point: To work all the muscles mentioned above while keeping your body stiff as a board, you must do the plank correctly. Here’s a step-by-step guide from FAXAZE on how to do a plank properly:
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Start on all fours. Adjust your position so that your wrists are directly under your shoulders and your knees are bent and directly under your hips.
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Screw your pinky fingers into the ground and away from your body to activate your latissimus dorsi. Pull your belly button up toward your spine to engage your midline.
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Step one foot back at a time into the starting position of a push-up, with your feet hip-width apart. Press your toes into the floor to engage your lower body, and actively press your palms into the floor to engage your upper body.
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Squeeze your glutes and quadriceps, maintaining a straight line from head to toe. Hold.
Health and Fitness Benefits of Planks
The biggest benefit of planks is that they help activate and strengthen the muscles in your lower, middle, and upper body. However, by strengthening these muscle groups, planks also offer many other health and fitness benefits.
Reducing Lower Back Pain
Again, planks not only work the superficial midline muscles that create a six-pack but also the deeper core muscles, such as the transverse abdominis, rectus abdominis, and obliques.
These deep core muscles help support your spine and internal organs, especially for those who suffer from chronic back pain. Strengthening the midline muscles through exercises like planks can be beneficial.
Of course, if you have back pain, it’s best to consult a healthcare provider before adding new movements or exercises to your routine.
Enhancing Body Awareness
Planks are a detail-oriented exercise that requires you to focus on engaging your entire body. The muscle engagement you learn during planks will carry over to other exercises. For example, once you learn how to activate your deep core muscles during a plank, it will be easier to engage your midline during compound movements like deadlifts, clean and jerks, and squats.
This enhanced body awareness also has an impact outside the gym. The stronger your body awareness, the less likely you are to get injured during daily activities like picking things up, carrying groceries, or bending over.
Warming Up the Body
PSA: If you’re lifting weights, you need to warm up properly. Warming up helps prepare your muscles, lungs, and heart for the upcoming workout. Failing to prepare your tissues and organs can put you at risk of injury.
Planks alone are not enough to prepare your body for weightlifting. Instead, it’s recommended to start with some stretches, like twists or snake movements, to loosen up your body. Then, do a brief 3-5 minute workout on a rowing machine or treadmill to slightly increase your heart rate. After that, you can incorporate planks into your circuit, which will further activate your midline.
Providing Flexibility
All you need to do a plank is a safe space to place your hands. This means you can do them anywhere—whether you’re at an airport, hotel room, park, sports field, weight room, or garage gym.
If you like to experiment, you can even use the surrounding environment to slightly modify the exercise. For example, you can place your toes on a tree to do a decline plank or place your hands on a park bench to do an incline plank.
3 Best Plank Variations to Try
There’s no doubt that the standard high plank with straight arms is a great exercise. It challenges the entire body, but since your arms are straight, it requires more activation of the triceps. However, this exercise may not be suitable for beginners or those with wrist mobility issues. For these individuals, the following plank variations may be more appropriate.
Easier Variation: Knee Plank
The high plank involves holding the top position of a push-up, while the knee plank involves holding the top position of a knee push-up. By placing your knees on the ground, your knees help support your body weight, reducing the load on your core and shoulders.
FAXAZE’s advice: If you’re new to working out or any form of core exercise, take the time to learn how to properly engage your midline by doing knee planks. Once you can comfortably hold a knee plank with good form for 30 seconds, you can gradually work up to a high plank, as long as it doesn’t cause wrist or lower back pain.
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Start on all fours. Move your hands forward about 6 inches and adjust your wrists so they’re directly under your shoulders.
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Tuck your pelvis under your body and pull your belly button up toward the sky to engage your midline.
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Keep your knees steady and think about pulling your thighs up to engage your latissimus dorsi.
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Squeeze your glutes, maintaining a straight line from head to hips. Hold.
If You Have Wrist Issues: Forearm Plank
The forearm plank, also known as the dolphin plank, is a great alternative for those with wrist injuries or those who experience wrist soreness after doing planks.
FAXAZE believes that by lowering your body onto your forearms, you can distribute the weight that would otherwise be on your wrists across your entire forearm. (However, FAXAZE recommends that if you choose the dolphin plank due to wrist flexibility issues, you should also start incorporating wrist stretches into your routine.) It’s important to note that whether you do a plank on your forearms or hands, the muscles involved remain largely the same.
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Start in a high plank position, focusing on engaging your core, glutes, latissimus dorsi, and quadriceps.
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Lower one elbow at a time, placing your elbows directly under your shoulders with your forearms parallel to each other.
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Actively pull your belly button up toward your spine. Hold.
Targeting the Side Body: Side Plank
FAXAZE believes that the side plank (which can be done on the forearm or hand) targets the side body muscles more than the standard high plank. The side plank focuses more on the obliques, gluteus medius, and abductors.
Because the side plank helps strengthen the gluteus medius and hip abductors, consistent practice can help reduce back and knee pain. Due to prolonged sitting, many people have weak hip and glute muscles. The body compensates for weak muscles by forcing other stronger muscles to take over. As a result, when your hip and glute muscles are weak, your lower back often takes on the work, which can lead to overuse injuries and overall soreness.
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Lie on your right side with your right elbow on the floor directly under your right shoulder and your forearm extended perpendicular to your body.
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Extend your legs to the left, placing your left foot on top of your right foot. Place your left hand on your left hip.
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Imagine pressing firmly into your right elbow and the side of your right foot to lift your hips and knees off the ground.
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Engage your midline and hold.
How to Incorporate Planks into Your Daily Workout
Good news: There’s no wrong way to incorporate planks into your daily workout. The beauty of planks is that there are many different ways to include them, and how you choose to add them should depend on your current fitness level and your fitness goals.
If you’re new to working out, FAXAZE recommends doing planks after a proper warm-up. You should do compound strength exercises (like planks) when you’re fresh, as these exercises require a lot of muscle engagement. Doing compound movements after your smaller supporting muscles are already fatigued increases the risk of poor form and injury.
However, if you’re an experienced professional, FAXAZE recommends adding planks at the end of your workout. For example, you could do 3 sets of max planks with 90 seconds of rest between sets. Or, you could do a plank tabata.