Do you want to flatten your stomach by just doing bodyweight workouts? Add some plank exercises to your routine!
Plank exercises are one of the best to deal with a protruding belly while toning your arms and other muscles. However, there are many plank variations, and you need to know how to do planks to flatten your stomach fast and which are the most effective variations to try.
Any fitness trainer will advise you to perform a plank to reduce your belly but without proper guidance, it’s hard to see faster results. Read this blog carefully as it will provide you with all the information that you are gonna need to flatten your stomach with the help of planks. So, without any further ado, let’s get started.
How to Do Planks to Flatten Stomach?
If you want to know how to use planks to lose belly fat, you must first understand what planks do to your stomach. This exercise makes abdominal muscles strong and can be your go-to move to work the core.
This exercise form puts pressure on numerous muscles in the body, and it works the abdominal area, which helps reduce belly fat.
All you gotta do is hold the abdomen tight for some time while maintaining a neutral spine against gravity. To get the most out of this exercise, you need to consider 3 factors:
- Variations – Planks are pretty simple to perform, and that’s why people have invented different variations to make the move more challenging and effective. Additionally, the different plank variations also help target the different areas of core muscles.
- How long you hold the position – How long you hold the plank position also plays an important role in its effectiveness. Generally, the longer you hold, the more benefits you will get. But holding the plank position for much longer can also lead to an injury, so moderation is key.
- How many times a day you do the plank – It is important to know how many planks a day you will need to get a flat stomach. As a beginner, you’ll not be able to do planks for more than 2 or 3 minutes a day. However, to maximize its benefits, you have to increase the number of sets.
Take these 3 factors into consideration while adding plank exercises to your daily workout routine to achieve faster results.
Additionally, to get faster results, also choose those plank variations that hit the abdominal area much more effectively. Variations like pushup planks and side arms raise planks are good but not very effective when it comes to flattening the stomach.
5 Most Effective Plank Variations to Flatten Stomach
To do planks to flatten the stomach, you don’t necessarily need to perform fancy exercises. Just some simple plank exercises with proper form can do the job. Here are some of the plank variations that will help you reduce your belly:
1. The Standard Plank
Standard versions are one of the best planks to flatten the stomach for beginners. This exercise works on your inner core muscles like transversus abdominis, rectus abdominis, and oblique muscle.
Here’s How to Do Planks Step by Step (Standard Version):
Step 1. Put your both palms on the ground with your face down and now lift your body with your toes on the floor. Remember to keep your elbows just under the shoulders. This is known as the plank position.
Step 2. Try to keep your spine neutral and engage your core muscles bringing your navel towards the spine.
Step 3. Hold this position for as long as you feel comfortable, but don’t release it before 10 seconds.
Precautions:
Don’t forget to engage your core muscles; otherwise, it can lead to a back injury. Additionally, it’s also important to engage your core to get the most out of this exercise.
2. Commando Planks
Commando planks work on the same abdominal muscles as other plank variations, but the difference is, it challenges the core muscles more.
Unlike the other isometric plank variations, it has upper body movements that provide extra burn in the abdominal area.
Here’s How You Can Perform Commando Planks:
Step 1. Start with a plank position with your palms on the ground.
Step 2. Tighten your core and muscles and keep the back neutral.
Step 3. Lower both the elbows one by one like you do in a forearm plank.
Step 4. Stay in this position for 2 or 3 seconds and lift your upper body by placing your palms on the floor one by one.
Step 5. Repeat this movement by switching your arms each time.
Precautions:
While performing this plank variation, don’t only focus on your core muscles as it will need more than that for an injury-free set. Focus on your forearms and glutes too to keep your body stable while getting down and coming back up.
3. Plank Twist
Variations like plank twists work on your obliques along with the rectus abdominis. So, it will not only flatten your stomach but will also provide you with a sharper waist.
Steps to Perform Plank Twist:
Step 1. Get in the plank position and make sure your core is engaged and your spine is neutral.
Step 2. Slowly twist your right hip until it touches the ground or is slightly above the ground.
Step 3. Stop for a second and then do the same step, but this time with your left hip.
Step 4. Keep alternating the sides for the desired amount of time.
Precautions:
Try twisting your hips in a slow and controlled manner as overdoing it can cause damage to your lower back.
ALSO READ: Do Plank Twists Make Your Waist Smaller?
4. Plank with Leg Lift
This plank exercise mostly works on rectus abdominis and transversus abdominis but also engages obliques to some extent.
It’s much harder to perform than the previous plank variations and also puts extra pressure on the abdominal area.
Follow these Steps to Perform Plank With Leg Lift
Step 1. As usual, start with the plank position with your elbow just below your shoulder and with a neutral back.
Step 2. With a tight core, raise your one leg to hip height and keep your other leg flexed.
Step 3. Stay in this position for a few seconds and focus on your abdominal muscles.
Step 4. Put the lifted leg back to normal position and repeat it with another leg.
Precautions:
While raising your leg, try not to arch your back excessively as it can lead to an injury. Also, keep your hips parallel to the ground.
5. In In Out Out Plank
In In Out Out Plank is a dynamic movement that works on the rectus abdominis and transversus abdominis muscles. This plank not only strengthens the core muscles but also helps in burning calories more effectively than other plank variations.
Steps to Do In In Out Out Plank:
Step. 1 Be in a plank position, but this time put your forearm on the ground instead of your palms.
Step 2. Step your left leg out in the left direction and do the same with your right leg, simultaneously.
Step 3. After that, put both legs in the center, one after another.
Step 4. Repeat this movement at least 10 times if you are a beginner.
Precautions:
While doing In In Out Out planks, focus on your elbow position as not placing it below your shoulder properly can lead to injury.
Add these plank variations to your daily workout routine to reduce your belly and flatten stomach. Those who think that they don’t have the strength to perform any of these planks should do keen supported or flat plank exercises as they are much easier for beginners.
We believe now you are aware of how to do planks to flatten your stomach, but for better results, one should also know how long the plank should be for a flat stomach.
How Long Should I Plank for a Flat Stomach?
Well, honestly there’s no such specific time frame to perform planks for a flat stomach. The more you will perform them, the more calories you will burn and strengthen your core muscles, which will result in flattening the stomach.
Just remember to not hold the position for less than 10 seconds as giving less time than that will have no effect on your abdominal area.
At least perform 3 sets of planks, each of 10-second holds, in a day to see results. Also, try to focus on your form while performing any of the plank variations as it will help get the most out of these exercises.
If you have chosen which plank variation you are going to use, then you must go through the following FAQs section to get more information about doing planks to flatten the stomach.
FAQs
Planks are easy to perform, but they can also lead to injury if not done correctly. This is why one should be aware of all the details related to this exercise as it may save them from an upcoming injury.
1. Should I hold my stomach in while planking?
Yes, it’s advised to pull your stomach in as it tightens the abdominal muscles which provides stability and also helps to flatten the stomach area.
2. What is the best plank position to lose belly fat?
Numerous types of planks are helpful to lose belly fat. However, a variation of standard pushups is more effective as they work specifically on the front abdominal muscles.
3. Is 1 minute plank a day enough to lose weight?
If your goal is to lose fat from the belly area, you should do more than 1 minute of plank a day in combination with another exercise.
4. How long should I plank a day to lose belly fat?
As long as you are performing the plank right with full attention, anything not less than 30 seconds is good. Try to adjust this time frame according to your strengths and goals.
5. Why does my stomach bulge when I do planks?
There are two reasons behind it; first, gravity is pulling down your belly to the ground and the second reason could be that you are not pulling your stomach toward your spine, which is recommended while performing the plank exercise.
6. Where do you put your weight when planking?
While planking, you hold your whole body onto your shoulders, elbows, and toes. You don’t have to put your weight on a specific muscle. But instead of that, you try to distribute it properly.
Final Note
While exploring the topic of how to do planks to flatten stomach, we got to know that there are 3 factors that everyone should consider while performing planks to flatten stomach. Among all three factors, choosing the right plank variation is one of the most important one.
There are numerous variations of the plank exercise, but not all of them are effective in flattening the stomach. In this blog, we have mentioned 5 plank variations that will help you with your goals. We have also talked about how long one should perform planks for better results. Tell us how long you think one should perform planks for flattening the stomach.