Benefits of Reverse Plank
Reverse plank is a variation of the standard plank exercise or the yoga plank pose. The name of this pose is self-explanatory, i.e. it’s the reverse version of the general plank pose. Most people might be unaware of the fact that reverse plank is a better core exercise than the original one. It’s not only more effective but also more intense for people who have got bored with the regular version. While most other workouts are focused on extension, this one works opposite i.e. anti-extension. Here, we will check out the health benefits of the reverse plank and how to do it correctly.
HOW TO DO THE REVERSE PLANK CORRECTLY?
Reverse plank is a great exercise to tone and strengthen glutes, hamstrings, lower back, core, and shoulders. However, many people say that they’re not getting the desirable results after performing the reverse plank exercise. This can usually happen because you might not be doing the exercise correctly. Thus, here are the steps to do the reverse plank pose correctly for better and quick results.
- Sit down on the floor and extend your legs straight in front of you.
- Place your palms on the floor on your sides further than the buttocks. Make sure that your shoulder and arms can be used to lift your body from that position.
- Now generate strength from your core and use your arms strength to lift your body. Thus, you’ll get in a position where your head, chest, buttocks, thighs, and lower legs are in a straight line.
- Hold this position for as long as possible, without letting your body dip down.
- When you can’t hold the pose any longer, slowly lower the body into the initial position.
- Repeat these steps 2-3 times daily.
BENEFITS OF REVERSE PLANK EXERCISE
The reverse plank exercise offers an immense number of health benefits other than core strengthening. Here’s a list of some of the top reverse plank benefits.
Core Strengthening
The reverse plank and every other variation of plank pose are undoubtedly the most effective core strengthening exercises. By combining the reverse plank pose with other HIIT workouts, you can easily eliminate excess fat from the body. So if you’re planning on building rock-strong abs, then this exercise will surely boost the process. Various core muscles are targeted by this amazing exercise, which further offers different benefits. For example, abs help in making the core stronger to easily perform physical activities like athletics. Obliques help in improving the twisting and side-bending movements of the body. Thus, this exercise helps in improving your upper, middle, and lower body.
Improved Flexibility
Reverse plank is a very effective full-body workout that targets all major muscle groups in the body. Thus, it helps in improving the overall body flexibility by extending all these muscle groups. Firstly, this exercise helps in amplifying the range of motion of the shoulders through expansions. Secondly, it targets the obliques to improve flexibility while bending or twisting the upper body. Thirdly, it helps to stretch the lower body muscles and make them more flexible for performing physical activities.
Better Mood
Reverse plank is also known to be a great mood lifter. In medical science, it’s stated that stressed body muscles can often lead to a stressed mind. This happens as a chain reaction between all kinds of body parts. Thus, these chain reactions from various body muscles can often lead to your mind. But don’t worry as the reverse plank is an effective solution for this problem. Firstly, this exercise helps in stretching all major body muscles to relieve the stiffening or pressure from them. Secondly, planks are considered one of the top exercises that boost the discharge of endorphins. Endorphins are mood-improving hormones or happy hormones.
Better Body Posture
Reverse plank is an incredibly effective exercise to improve your body posture. This is because the core and back are strengthened by this versatile body pose. Good posture is very beneficial in boosting your sports performance and overall physique. Furthermore, it fills the person with self-confidence while improving his or her looks greatly. Also, correct body posture helps in keeping the bones aligned and stronger while aging too. Lastly, your body organs and systems work efficiently when you maintain the right body posture.
Alleviating Back Pain
Another amazing benefit of the reverse plank is that it helps to alleviate back pain. Firstly, this exercise helps in stretching the back muscles to release tension and stiffness. Secondly, it helps to improve body posture to maintain the proper alignment of back muscles. This further helps in reducing back-related problems like backache and weak back. Thirdly, it helps to strengthen the core area and allows you to easily perform heavy physical activities. Thus, the chances of back pain are automatically reduced to a great extent. Many medical studies have shown the positive effects of reverse plank for osteoarthritis, neck pain, shoulder pain, and muscle stiffness due to aging.
Enhanced Coordination
Coordination is one of the most important aspects of physical fitness. When the muscles are properly developed and bones are stronger, the human body automatically becomes well-coordinated. For this reason, reverse plank is considered to be one of the best exercises to improve the body’s coordination. Firstly, this exercise helps to strengthen the core region, which is primarily responsible for the overall coordination. Secondly, it helps to improve the mobility, flexibility, and strength of major muscle groups. Thirdly, it helps to build endurance while improving focus and concentration power. Thus, your whole body’s coordination is guaranteed to improve by doing this exercise regularly.
Boosted Metabolism
As an amazing full-body workout, the reverse plank is tested and proven to boost the metabolism. This is because all major muscle groups are stretched and worked upon by this amazing workout. Thus, your body muscles utilize more calories for their toning and development. For this reason, your appetite might also increase due to boosted metabolic activities. Make sure to eat healthy and nutrient-dense foods rather than fried and junk foods.
Weight Loss
One of the most sought after benefits of the reverse plank is weight loss. As explained earlier, this exercise helps in boosting metabolism by burning more calories. Thus, if you eat nutrient-dense foods rather than calorie-dense foods, you can lose weight quickly. Furthermore, reverse plank is an excellent exercise to eliminate excess fat from the body and tone it.
The Bottom Line!
So these were the top 8 benefits of the reverse plank exercise or pose. By combining this exercise with other workouts, you can easily get your desired body shape. Also, you can try other variations of the plank exercise to get even more benefits. However, it’s very important to get a healthy diet plan from a licensed dietician to get better results in a little time.
If you have any queries or suggestions, feel free to write below in the comments section.
