My new friend Lea of RunningforDummies does this thing called #plankaday.  She does a plank every day and times herself to see how long she can stay in the plank.  She tweets and posts her time and a pic with the hashtag #plankaday.  It is really cool to see (when done daily) how much stronger you can become when you are dedicated and practice regularly.
I have decided to give this challenge a try because it will help me to improve my pushups (so I don’t have to destroy my knees like this at cross fit.) YUCKY!

You may be saying to yourself, “What’s the point of doing planks?”.  Planks are challenging both mentally and physically and they work a lot of muscles while staying perfectly still.  Plank exercises are a great way to build up your core strength while also working your back, arms and abs.  It will also help improve your pushups and by strengthening your stabilizing muscles it will also help reduce the risk of injury.  A plank is like a push-up except you do not move up and down.  You want to make sure you keep your body in straight line.  You do not want your hips to sag and you don’t want your butt up in the air either.  You should have your body in one long line – like a plank!  Imagine that!

How to do a proper plank:

1. Get a mat or soft surface and get into pushup position but instead of your hands you will want to use your forearms.
2. Be sure to have your elbows in line with your shoulders and keep your back flat (like a plank). Your body should be resting on your elbows and forearms and your toes.
3. Keep your back flat (no butts in the air and no sagging pelvis).  Tilt your pelvis upward and keep your abdominals contracted as if you were preparing to be punched in the stomach.
4. Hold this position for as long as possible and try to hold it even longer once your silly mind tells you that you can’t.
5. Time yourself but don’t look at the time (remember your mind is a big trickster).

Here is my first #plankaday

Today was my first timed plank.

Notice I am wearing the new, super cool and fabulous Protokolo Tie Dye Leggings in black and white. I love these LEGGINGS!

I always get distracted.  Aren’t they distracting though?

This is not my first time doing a plank, I’ve done planks in gymnastics, yoga, Pilates and cross fit but not for #plankaday.  I was having “mind” issues (my mind is such a liar) and I kept hearing “you can’t do this just stop”. So today I listened to my mind (I am human, it happens) my excuse (NO EXCUSES) was that I just returned home from an hour of cross fit.  Tomorrow I will try to do my #plankaday before the workout and I will DEFINITELY have something to read to keep my mind at bay.  I get bored very easily.  If you are like me, a distraction is a good idea.  You may also want to read Lea’s post “#PLANKADAY – 5 Tips for Holding a Longer Plank“.

I will be better prepared to go “the long haul” tomorrow and improve my time. NO EXCUSES!

Are you up for the challenge?  If so, get going and be sure to post your results, comments, ramblings both here and on Lea’s Fabulous Blog Runningfordummies.  Don’t forget to tweet your pics and time – hashtag #plankaday . Can’t wait to see who’s up for the challenge!

Kristen Lemoine