Is plank exercise worth anything

Kvothe wrote:

I thought it was supposed to be the definitive core workout, but now I'm reading the world record for plank is over 8 hours long. How can an exercise someone can do for 8 hours be serious? Sure it does something, but so does walking at 2-3 mph if you do for days.

"The definitive core workout". Nope. It is A core workout that address SOME core strength. It does nothing for hip flexors or extensors. It does nothing for dynamic core strength. There are many other important core exercises and if that's all you do you'll have a weak core suspect to injury and inefficiency.

The ordinary plank is a static exercise. When is your core static when running? never. It's a stupid exercise that people think works because it makes you sore afterwards.

Some of the best core exercises I know in terms of activation are bicycle crunches, russian twists, captain's chair, and lifting a yoga ball between your feet.

That 8 thing is stupid.

When people do exercise just because it’s exercise you gotta wonder.

How functional is an 8 hour plank?

Training for a specific goal or outcome that seems different.

I see runners do stuff in gyms all the time cause it’s exercise and exercise is good for you...but does it improve their fitness? Their running?

Exercise just cause it’s exercise seems stupid.

Much better things to do in this world like make $ chase girls...

Hahaha

Quit with the planks awhile ago, aggravated hernia surgery area and mid back. I also cannot stand to just hold a position. I much rather bang out reps. Full situps are totally underrated IMHO

Killer Ab Work Out, the Muay Thai Way

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5xq3YUGBUvQ

I find that doing a 1 minute plank 2-3X per week helps to alleviate/prevent the lower back pain that comes from sitting a lot during the workday. Beyond that, diminishing returns set in pretty quick.

Jerry Maguire wrote:

Quit with the planks awhile ago, aggravated hernia surgery area and mid back. I also cannot stand to just hold a position. I much rather bang out reps. Full situps are totally underrated IMHO

Same. I suffered a sports hernia doing alternating leg planks and it's never really healed 100%

Is running dynamic or static? wrote:

The ordinary plank is a static exercise. When is your core static when running? never. It's a stupid exercise that people think works because it makes you sore afterwards.

Agreed. It teaches your body to be stiff in a posture.

Plankobsverer wrote:

Jerry Maguire wrote:

Quit with the planks awhile ago, aggravated hernia surgery area and mid back. I also cannot stand to just hold a position. I much rather bang out reps. Full situps are totally underrated IMHO

Same. I suffered a sports hernia doing alternating leg planks and it's never really healed 100%

I can feel your pain. I suffered a sports hernia 15 months ago doing kettleball swings for the first and only, and LAST! time.

the plank is along with my core workouts that include crunches, side crunches, reverse sit ups, push ups, etc. i do them after all my recovery days which is about 3-4 times a week. try to work your way up to 3 minutes. after that, it starts losing benefits

sjdlfkjsdklf wrote:

the plank is along with my core workouts that include crunches, side crunches, reverse sit ups, push ups, etc. i do them after all my recovery days which is about 3-4 times a week. try to work your way up to 3 minutes. after that, it starts losing benefits

I can already do 3 minutes. Hell I've done 5 mins before and am pretty sure I could go well past that. I don't have time for hour long core workouts with running though. I need to know the most effective handful of core exercises I can do in 10-15 mins.

More generally, I find the fetishization of core work (over the last several years) puzzling.

As a runner, if you spend more than 30 minutes (total) on core--front, back, sides-- over the course of a week, I suspect that you're not gaining much functional fitness to justify the time and energy spent.

I acknowledge that different things work for different people, but for most it seems that if you can do more than maybe 20 to 30 reps of a given core exercise, then it's too easy. Add weight, or work on an incline--do something to make it more intense! We use the core muscles all day: low-intensity "reps," typically through a limited range of motion. Why duplicate that in our workouts?

I use it as a way to push through mental pain when I am not running. I once went 7 minutes because I had nothing to do for 7 minutes, so I just wanted to see what I could do(I am not a complete stud, I was doing core before this). I was suprised, but the main things that it helped me with were:

1. Lower back strength. Especially helpful if you are a beginning runner. Believe me.

2. If you focus on your breathing, it could become a breathing exercise, just focus on slowing down your breathing. This actually helps me somehow with slowing down my breathing during a long run and some tempos. Magic.

3. Lastly, it becomes both a way to keep your heart rate down as well as a mental thing. I do it when I am feeling out of shape(I have not run for a week), or when I need to push through mental pain(League Finals coming up), it is not really for my core that much anymore.

-EGF

Kvothe wrote:

How can an exercise someone can do for 8 hours be serious?

You do realize, good sir, that people run for 8 hours (or more!).

Kvothe wrote:

I thought it was supposed to be the definitive core workout, but now I'm reading the world record for plank is over 8 hours long. How can an exercise someone can do for 8 hours be serious? Sure it does something, but so does walking at 2-3 mph if you do for days.

You do know that some people run for more than 8 hours, right?

Williamson wrote:

Kvothe wrote:

I thought it was supposed to be the definitive core workout, but now I'm reading the world record for plank is over 8 hours long. How can an exercise someone can do for 8 hours be serious? Sure it does something, but so does walking at 2-3 mph if you do for days.

You do know that some people run for more than 8 hours, right?

Sure, and they don't go very fast!

It's like anything, practice makes perfect. My college coach juiced people who would try to do planks for 10 minutes. After about 4 minutes their form would be gone. By 8 minutes their hips were almost touch the ground. He still juiced them like it was special. I would stop around 3-4 minutes when my form went south. No point to hurt myself. I always said, "I'm not trying to make the plank world championships so I don't care."