Think planking is easy? Give it a try! The initial 10 seconds are okay, but then—your arms tremble, your core screams, and time stands still. Can you hold for 60 seconds? Challenge yourself and burn! Planking is an easy exercise to do, but one of the most efficient exercises for building a strong and stable core. The record for holding a plank is a whopping nine hours, 30 minutes, and one second! You don't have to set your sights on such an outrageous target, but adding planks to your exercise routine can yield remarkable rewards. From maintaining good posture and avoiding back strain to building overall strength, planks are an absolute full-body exercise.

Unlike sit-ups or crunches, planks involve multiple muscle groups without the undue flexion of the spine and are a safer option for exercising the core. Planks not only shape your abs, says Harvard Health Publishing, but they also strengthen your shoulders, back, and glutes and should be a staple in every fitness regimen.

How Does Planking Work the Core Muscles?

Planks are an isometric exercise, or they involve muscle contraction without actual movement. The most important aspect of performing a plank properly is to keep the body in a straight, neutral position. Regardless of whether you're doing a basic plank on your forearms or adding advanced variations, keeping proper form ensures you get the maximum benefits.

Planks engage the rectus abdominis, transverse abdominis, obliques, and back muscles when done properly. It improves the stability, balance, and endurance of the core. When done regularly, planking may boost athletic performance, prevent injuries, and even aid in improved breathing mechanics.

9 Plank Variations to Strengthen Your Core

If the classic forearm plank is too standard, there are many variations that can make things interesting and demanding. Here's a rundown of the most useful plank variations:

1. Forearm Plank

Begin in a prone position, with your elbows under your shoulders. Straighten your legs behind you, balancing on your toes. Activate your core, keeping your body in a straight line. Hold without allowing your hips to sag or rise. This variation develops foundation strength and endurance.

2. Reaching Plank

Begin in a forearm plank and extend one arm forward, keeping your hips stable. Return to the starting position and repeat with the other arm. This variation enhances balance and unilateral strength, forcing your core to work harder to stabilize your body.

3. Bird-Dog Plank

From a forearm plank position, lift your right arm forward while at the same time lifting your left leg. Hold for a moment, then reverse sides. This exercise enhances coordination and strengthens the lower back, making it perfect for athletes.

4. Plank Walk-Down

Begin in a high plank (push-up position) and lower one forearm at a time until you're in a forearm plank. Reverse the motion to return to high plank. This dynamic variation strengthens the shoulders and enhances endurance.

5. Plank Kettlebell Drag

Place a kettlebell next to you in a forearm plank position. Extend your arm across your body to pull the kettlebell to the other side. Switch sides, keeping your hips aligned. This version introduces a degree of resistance to enhance overall core activation.

6. Body Saw Plank

Place sliders under your feet and get into a forearm plank. Gently slide your body back and forth, maintaining a straight spine. This movement forces your abs to work harder while engaging your shoulders and glutes.

7. Side Plank

Lie on your side, with your elbow supporting you, and your legs on top of each other. Raise your hips and hold for a moment, keeping your body straight. Switch sides. This exercise tightens the obliques and improves lateral stability.

8. Rotating Plank

Move from a regular forearm plank to a side plank, switching sides with control. This exercise enhances rotational strength, essential for sports and general activities.

9. Side Plank Leg Raise

Holding side plank position, lift your upper leg while activating your core. Slowly return to the original position. Adding depth, this engages the hip stabilizers and obliques.

Avoid These Common Planking Mistakes

In theory, planks are straightforward, yet if form suffers, they may result in strain or injury. Follow are the best mistakes to skip:

Arching Your Back: Keep your core activated to avoid putting unnecessary strain on the lower back.

Looking Up: Have a neutral position for your neck to avoid cervical spine stress.

Hiking or Sagging Hips: Have your body in a straight line from head to heels.

Hunching Shoulders: Let your shoulders relax to avoid tension buildup.

Holding It Too Long: Quality over quantity. The American Council on Exercise (ACE) says too long of a plank can result in fatigue and poor posture.

If you are a beginner at planking, begin with short sessions, keeping it up for 20–30 seconds. Increase the time as your muscles grow stronger. It's not about holding a plank for hours but sustaining proper form as you increasingly engage your muscles.

One good reference point is being able to hold a plank for a minute. When you pass that, incorporate variations for more difficulty instead of stretching time without bounds.

Planks are a must-have exercise that helps to construct core strength, rectify posture, and attain fitness overall. Whether you're a beginner or an experienced fitness buff, planking is one of the most effective methods to attain a rock-hard core.

Good posture is super important for a healthy spine and strong upper back muscles. But simply sitting up straight isn't always enough to prevent or fix upper back pain. That's where yoga poses can really help!

Everyday habits, things like texting, typing on a computer, or carrying a heavy bag can worsen your pain. Medical experts also point to overusing your back muscles or pressure on your spinal nerves from a herniated disc as other common causes.

Yoga Poses For Upper Back Pain

While yoga can definitely help ease upper back pain, it's important to practice safely to avoid further injury. Claudia Jasper advises that when you do these stretches, always be mindful not to let your shoulders roll forward. Instead, actively roll your shoulders back throughout your practice. This movement helps your shoulder blades slide down your back, opening your chest and keeping your spine long and healthy.

If you have ongoing (chronic) upper back pain, always talk to your doctor before starting any new exercise routine.

Cat Pose (Marjaryasana) and Cow Pose (Bitilasana)

This gentle flow is a fantastic way to warm up and energize your upper back. Make sure to move slowly and smoothly between the two poses. You can do this classic pair on your hands and knees (Tabletop position) or even while sitting comfortably in Easy Pose.

Thread the Needle Pose (Urdhva Mukha Pasasana)

This calming pose is excellent for opening your upper back and releasing tension in your shoulders. It encourages your shoulder blades to move away from your spine, creating more length and space. Start from a Tabletop position to enter this pose.

Eagle Arms (Garudasana)

Eagle Arms is a great stretch for your upper back and shoulders. You can do this arm position on its own, while sitting in a chair, or as part of the full Eagle Pose. You can also combine it with Hero Pose for added benefits.

Extended Puppy Pose (Uttana Shishosana)

Can't decide between the relaxation of Child's Pose and the stretch of Downward-Facing Dog? Extended Puppy Pose combines elements of both! It helps to lengthen and stretch your entire spine. Claudia Jasper loves this pose for opening the chest and shoulders, which is key for relieving upper back pain. You can even place a block under your forehead for extra comfort.

Camel Pose (Ustrasana)

Camel Pose is a favorite of Jasper's for upper back relief. This gentle backbend opens your heart, chest, and shoulders, allowing you to breathe more deeply into your upper body. You can adjust how deep the stretch is by keeping your hands on your lower back or placing them on blocks.

Supported Reclining Bound Angle Pose (Supta Baddha Konasana)

Give your upper back some much-needed relief in this supported, relaxing pose. Claudia Jasper particularly likes using a bolster (a long pillow) for an extra chest stretch. To set up, place the bolster along your spine at the top of your mat. Sit down at the top of your mat, bring the soles of your feet together with your knees spread open, and gently lie back onto the bolster so it's aligned with your spine.

You've just finished a long trip, whether by car, plane, or train, and your body feels stiff and achy. Being cooped up in small spaces can leave you feeling tense and uncomfortable. But what if you could stretch out and feel better right from your seat?

Yoga is a fantastic stress reliever. Through deep breathing exercises and mindful movements, it helps calm your nervous system, lowering stress hormones like cortisol. This shift from a "fight or flight" state to a more relaxed one helps your body restore itself, leading to feelings of tranquility and mental clarity.

Regular yoga practice can also significantly improve sleep quality. By reducing stress and calming the mind, it prepares your body for a deeper, more restful sleep, which is essential for feeling truly rejuvenated.

How Yoga After Travel Helps

Yoga helps your muscles and joints in several key ways. Its gentle stretches increase your flexibility and range of motion, allowing your joints to move more easily and reducing daily stiffness and aches. Poses to Ease Travel Aches and Pains

Here are shares easy yet effective yoga tips for long car rides and other travel, even when space is tight. These simple motions can help you feel much better and make your journey more comfortable.

Seated Cat-Cow Pose

This gentle movement helps your spine become more flexible and lubricated, creating subtle space between your backbones. It also increases blood flow, which can help you feel refreshed. Remember to coordinate your breath with the movement, exhaling as you lean forward and inhaling as you round your spine.

Seated Spinal Twist

Even in a cramped airplane or car seat, you can give your back a good stretch. These twists gently stretch your middle body, ribs, and the muscles you use for breathing. They can even provide a light massage to your internal organs, helping you feel more relaxed and comfortable on your journey.

Neck Rolls

Simple and effective, slow neck rolls are easy to do on any trip. They loosen tight muscles, helping to ease tension that often builds up in your shoulders and neck during travel. Just imagine your nose drawing a slow circle on a clock in front of you, letting the weight of your head guide the stretch.

Shoulder Rolls

Release tension and loosen up your shoulder muscles with these easy, yet impactful, rolls. Slightly scoot forward in your seat so your back isn't touching the seatback. Then, draw circles with your shoulders, first in one direction (thinking "up, back, and down"), and then reverse. Keep your breath steady with each roll.

Seated Forward Fold

This simple stretch is excellent for your lower and upper back. While it might require a little more room to lean forward, it's perfect for getting some movement in at the airport terminal or on trains and buses. Remember to keep your feet flat and breathe deeply as you fold forward gently.

When you're on the go, the main idea is to move your body in different ways and pay attention to what it needs. Try to move as much as you can to help your blood flow, and always remember to breathe deeply.

Everyone has their own goals and understandings of why they wish to exercise in the gym. Some people do so because they wish to lose weight, others do it to gain weight and increase muscle density. However, many people believe that building muscle takes time and a lot of effort.

But do you actually need to spend hours at the gym to build muscle or get stronger? A recent study from Florida Atlantic University suggests otherwise. Researchers indicate that just a few focused sets might be all you need to see significant progress this summer.

Volume vs. Frequency

Published as a preprint on SportRxiv, the study reviewed numerous earlier investigations into training volume (how many sets per workout) and frequency (how often you train each week).

The findings suggest you don't need super long gym sessions to get stronger or build muscle. There's a point where doing more doesn't really help, and it might even work against you, especially when you think about getting tired and how much time it takes. This goes against the common idea that doing more always leads to better results.

Finding the "Just Right" Amount for Gains

The team looked at how the amount you train affects both how much your muscles grow and how strong you get. They found that doing more exercises can help, but only up to a certain point.

For muscle growth, the benefits kept increasing until about 11 sets that involved the muscle indirectly or directly in one session. For strength, the best number was even smaller: just two sets that directly targeted the muscle or movement.

What's the Difference Between Set Types?

It's helpful to know the difference between two kinds of sets:

Fractional sets count all the work for a muscle group, whether it's the main exercise or not. For example, exercises for your triceps (the back of your arm) help with chest strength because they assist in pushing. So, even if you're not directly doing a chest exercise, triceps work can count.

Direct sets, on the other hand, focus specifically on the muscle or movement you're testing. Think of doing bench presses to build chest strength – that's a direct set for your chest.

Discovering the Point of No Extra Benefit

The study brought up a new idea: the Point of Undetectable Outcome Superiority (PUOS). This is the moment when doing more sets doesn't really add much extra benefit. The researchers believe this idea can help people create more efficient workout plans, saving them time while still getting results.

If you're mainly looking to get stronger, the main takeaway is simple: doing just one to two tough, dedicated sets in each workout can really pay off!

Instead of just adding more sets to a single workout, if you want to get stronger, you might get better results by working out more often but with shorter, more focused sessions.

One thing you must keep in mind is that this study has not yet undergone peer review, and its findings should be considered preliminary. Of course, some people want to get every last bit of muscle growth they can, no matter how much effort it takes. For them, trying out higher amounts of sets makes sense, as long as they pay close attention to how well their body recovers.