Best Time to Plank?

[smazzon1]

One of my fitness goals for the six week challenge is to do a three set of planks that are all at least 1 minute long. Now, I've been doing them at the end of my workouts (usually when I lift) and superset it with leg raises or another abdominal exercise. Is that the best time to do a plank?

[TurtIe]

If your goal is to do 3x60sec planks, then the best time to plank is whenever you can fit it into your program. As long as you do it, it's a good time.

If you want to improve your planking time, I'd recommend doing it at the start of your work out simply because you'll have more energy and focus. You can also do them every morning before you shower, planks are an isometric exercise (isometric meaning the muscle doesn't move during the contraction) so your body will recover from them fairly quickly, therefore doing them a couple of times are week will not be counterintuitive to your goals.

[Jcannon98188]

Anytime is a good time to plank! Do it when you wake up, before you eat, after you eat, while you watch tv, do it 24/7!

[161803398874989]

Actually, if it's your main goal, put it in the front of your workouts. That way you are fresh, so you make the most progress.

[Animalben]

while in theory you can put it at the front of your workouts to make the best gains on it do you really want to lift with a prefatigued core?

I would do a little grease the grove on planks. maybe every night do 1 set to failure as you watch the tv or do 2 sets of 90

[Waldo]

Planks are an easy enough exercise that you can do them whenever. You don't need to be warmed up or in a workout setting.

[Gainsdalf the Whey]

When I'm being forced to do them, typically by a challenge someone else is in charge of (you will never see them in mine), I do them at work during the day.

[161803398874989]

while in theory you can put it at the front of your workouts to make the best gains on it do you really want to lift with a prefatigued core?

...planking isn't exactly the hardest of core exercises.

[Animalben]

...planking isn't exactly the hardest of core exercises.

Clearly dint say planking was hard but it would be a pre exhauster for the core if you then went and did some heavy squats.

My 2 cents

[thatgirljj]

While I would generally agree with the sentiment that any time is a good time to plank (it's not exactly the easiest, but it doesn't require a warm-up)... I would also argue for an advantage to putting them at the END of your workout... even after your post workout stretching, as long as you're starting with a good strong plank. Partly this is because you're pre-fatigued, but also because a plank done with good alignment can help engage your muscles back into good alignment. Think of it this way, by the time you've finished your weight lifting sets, or your stretching or whatever, you've fatigued those muscles... the last few reps are probably not clean and precise, your shoulders are a little lopsided or you cheat the last rep just a bit. A long plank hold gives you an opportunity to pull everything back together into alignment.

That's how I use it at least... 1 minute plank holds at the end of a workout have pretty much eliminated the transient soreness I used to have from back bending.

-jj

[andygates]

8:23. AM or PM, doesn't matter.

Or: try 'em first and try 'em last, you'll soon see what feels right. You might need to be well warmed-up and worked before really feeling it; you might want to come at them clean. The internet will sound convincing for all cases except the obviously dumb.

[thecrutch]

I always do my core exercises at the end. Agree that you don't want to fatigue your core early on.

Also, are you interested in doing something more interesting? Once I hit one minute on regular planks, I was bored to death! What about one-handed planks? I do them like this, but I touch the wall in front of me instead of putting my hand on my hip:

http://www.livestrong.com/video/5505-single-hand-planks/

[Razor]

When I started doing core exercises, I did 3 sets of 90 sec planks and 3x45 sec side planks on each side. One minute should be pretty easy, I think anybody can push themselves to 90 seconds if they have the willpower. The best time to do them? When you see a group of people taking a photo, and you want to pohotobomb the background. My personal favorite is planking between a pickup truck tailgate and a mailbox.

[thecrutch]

The best time to do them? When you see a group of people taking a photo, and you want to photobomb the background.

Hah! That's amazing.

[Kishi]

Fight conditioning training usually has you do core work as a supplement, or as something at the end of the workout. I've never gotten a good explanation as to why, except as a 'finisher' - something that reaches deep into you and pulls out the last of your strength before you start to draw on the truly desperate reserves.

I dunno if that's useful for your purposes or not. An alternative is to plank throughout the day.

[thatgirljj]

I always do my core exercises at the end. Agree that you don't want to fatigue your core early on.

Also, are you interested in doing something more interesting? Once I hit one minute on regular planks, I was bored to death! What about one-handed planks? I do them like this, but I touch the wall in front of me instead of putting my hand on my hip:

http://www.livestrong.com/video/5505-single-hand-planks/

Once you get good at those you can do front plank to one hand plank, hold, then rotate up to side plank, hold, then lower back to front plank and repeat on the other side.

God I love planks!

-jj