20 types of irons and how to do them right

20 types of irons and how to do them right

Fitness

Side plank, reverse plank, knee slide plank … If having abs is your main goal, doing planks every day helps to strengthen your abdomen and each muscle group that makes up it.

Creativity has no limits and, when it comes to inventing fitness circuits to Strengthen muscles, personal trainers give free rein to their imagination and from a basic exercise they manage to get different variants depending on the part of the body that we want to work with more effort or the physical capacities of the athlete in question.

For example, the classic squats “of a lifetime” do not have much mystery and it is with this exercise that anyone who wants to get started in fitness begins. However, if your body has been exercising for months or even years, you have surely tried other squats such as isometrics; “goblet” squat, performed with dumbbells or “Bulgarian” squat, much like lunges. In the same way we can find different ways to do abdominal planks, one of the basic exercises if we want to tone our body.

How to do it correctly

For a abdominal plank It is considered as such, it is necessary to follow the indications of the experts. As Alex García, director of Fit Club Madrid says, to execute it correctly we have to take into account that the surface in where we do it do not slip because if not it will not be possible to do them. And after this we have to take into account these points:

– Hands or elbows just below the shoulders.

– Create pressure with both feet equally against the ground. And in the case of the lateral support the greater surface of the lateral of the foot.

– Do not let the hips fall towards the ground and keep it approximately at the height of your shoulders.

– Keep the scapular area contracted.

– Maintain the look aligned with the body.

– And finally, contract the core.

Types of abdominal planks

If have abdominal is your main objective, says the personal trainer Miguel Ángel Peinado that this is what is best for you: «Doing planks every day favors the strengthening of your abdomen and each muscle group that makes up it. In this way you will be able to define and mark abs.

Companies that plates They work the abdomen and strengthen it but, in addition, the fact of not adding pressure to the back and hips will reduce the chances of pain and injury. “By practicing abdominal planks you will be able to carry out other physical activities without setbacks and you will improve the obtaining of your results”, says Miguel Ángel Peinado. And do not think that there are no variants of this exercise … the fitness expert Miguel Ángel Peinado, a face trainer known as David Bisbal or Paula Ordovás, finds up to 20 different ways to do that you are sure already familiar with the athlete Dana Gowlacka, the «queen Plank ”, world record for standing for 4 hours, 19 minutes and 55 seconds in the classic plank position at the International Plank Training Conference in the state of Illinois, USA, in May 2019.

1. Plank with arms extended

It is the classic version of the iron. Miguel Ángel Peinado says that to do it you have to lie on your stomach and then lean on your outstretched arms (the body must form a straight line from the shoulders to the feet). «The legs should be straight, without bending the knees, and take care that your hips keep the straight line (that it does not” go “upwards), the muscles abs should be tight and contracted towards the ribs ”, remembers the trainer. The waist should also be flat, and to increase the pressure on the muscles, try to keep both legs together. “Ideally, hold this position for as long as possible, but if you are a beginner, start by holding this position for at least 10 to 20 seconds, and then increase the duration for another 10 seconds“, advise. This version of the plank is good for working your abdominal muscles.

2. Plank with supported elbows

Lie on your stomach, stretch your legs, bend your arms under a 90 degree angle (for your comfort you can join your hands), and remember that the body from head to toe should form a straight line. To perform this type of plank, place your elbows directly under your shoulders, your hips in place without jumping up, your lower back flat as if you were leaning against a wall. This variation is more complex than the classic iron. In addition to strengthen abdominal muscles it also tones the pectoralis major, the deltoid and the lumbar area.

3. Plank with one arm and / or leg raised

We enter the classic plank position, stretch one arm and lift one leg. You have to take care that the shoulders and hips keep the straight line. “The complexity of this version is not only in the increase in pressure on the body but also in the need to maintain balance and continue in a straight line,” warns Miguel Ángel Peinado.

4. Plank with elbows supported and / or one arm or leg raised

In this variation of the plank you must not only keep your body in a straight line but also remain in balance. The pressure on the abdominal and gluteal muscles will be increased, and the oblique abs and back will be strengthened.

5. Side plank with supported elbow and one arm extended

The body must maintain the line, the abdomen be contracted and the arm that is above you can place it at the waist or extend it above. “Take care that the hips do not” hang “and that the feet are one on top of the other, or one in front of the other,” recalls the personal trainer. With this type of plank, you work the external and internal muscles of the abdomen, the gluteus maximus and the vastus external muscle are also involved.

6. Side plank with two support points

We enter the position of the side plank, lift one leg and one arm, trying to keep the muscles contracted. We take care that the hips do not drop. «In this way we work the external and internal abdominal muscles, the outer hip muscle and the gluteus medius muscle ”, says Miguel Ángel Peinado.

7. Side plank with abs (crunch)

The starting position is side plank. Take care that the hips do not drop and that the abdominal muscles are tight. The feet are placed one above the other or, if it is too difficult, one in front of the other. From this position you start doing sit-ups (the famous crunches). By doing this, keep your line. With this exercise you train the oblique abdominal muscles, the arms and increase your resistance.

8. Reverse iron

The reverse plank uses, in addition to all the muscles we have already identified, the glutes and calves. The hands are under the shoulders and the palms face the heels. We stretch the balls of our feet, “push” our hips up, and keep our back straight.

9. Reverse plank with arms extended and knees bent

We take care of the shoulders, hips and back. “The difference between this exercise and the previous one is in the legs: you must bend them at the 90-degree angle,” says the fitness expert. It is very important not to lower your hips, nor your head back and keep the line. This type of plank strengthens the muscles in the arms, abdomen, and legs, but it also stretches the muscles in the shoulders.

10. Plank «The dolphin»

From the plank with elbow support we move to the “Downward Facing Dog” position, keep it for a few seconds, and return to the starting position. This type of plank trains the muscles of the back and shoulders.

11. Plank with knee slide

The starting position is the classic plank with arms extended. Then we slide the left knee towards the left elbow, and the right knee to the right elbow. We try to keep the line straight, the abdomen contracted and the gaze forward.

12. Side plank with “push-ups”

From the low position with the elbows bent we enter the position in which the body must be parallel to the ground. We hold this position for a few seconds and return to a low position. «Now we transfer all the weight to the right side and raise the left arm entering the side plank», Indicates Miguel Ángel Peinado.

13. Plank with jumps

The starting position is the classic plank with arms extended. The personal trainer explains that from this position, keeping the straight line, with a jump you make an open angle with the legs and place the feet a little further apart at the distance of the arms. “If it’s too complicated, you can replace the jump with a side step,” he advises. This type of iron intensifies pressure on abdominal muscles and it is very important to take care of the hips and the knees should not bend.

14. Side plank with downward hip movement

The starting position is a side plank. Slowly we lower our right hips to the floor. Then we return to the starting position without forgetting to keep the straight line, the hips are already aligned with the rest of the body. This type of plank, in addition to training the oblique abdominal muscles, increases the pressure on the shoulders.

15. Squat plank

From the classic plank with a jump we enter the position of a squat. “This exercise increases the tension for the buttocks and calves,” reports Miguel Ángel Peinado.

16. Plank by bending the knees

This type of plank works the straight and transverse abdominal muscles. The starting position is plank with alean on the elbows. Then we bend our knees a little without forgetting to take care of our hips, we keep the abdomen contracted, the neck and spine form a single line. We remain in this position for a few seconds.

17. Plank with elbow lift

The starting position is a classic plank. We raise the right arm bent at the elbow, hold it that way for a few seconds, and then repeat the same with the other arm.

18. Plank supported by a fitness ball

Miguel Ángel Peinado says that to do this type of plank we place the elbows and forearms on top of the fitness ball in such a way that the elbows form a 90 degree angle, and keep the hands together. Move the ball forward, stretch your legs and form a straight line with your body. The elbows must be under the shoulders, the chest separated from the ball, the neck and the spine must form a single line and try to move the ball to the sides, “he explains. To stay on the ball, perform the movements with a short radius.

19. Plank with your feet on the fitness ball

For this exercise, we place ourselves in the initial position of a classic plank, lift the body and keep it upright, supporting ourselves with our toes on a fitness ball. “It is very important to take care that the hips do not drop, that the muscles of the abdomen and buttocks are tense and keep the abdomen contracted”, says the expert.

20. Plank with weights

Sounds familiar, right? We start in the position of the classic plank, we strain the muscles of the abdomen and in one movement we move to the left side, lifting the right arm with a weight upwards. The arms must be extended. We return to the starting position and repeat the same on the other side, ”says Miguel Ángel Peinado.

How many calories are lost

To calculate this, you would have to look at the weight and age of each person to be able to say exact calories. «If we propose that a person is fit and can endure 20 minutes without stopping, he will be able to burn about 400 calories», Says personal trainer Alex García.

Benefits

• It is a simple exercise.
• Define your abs.
• Reduces the risk of injury.
• Improve your metabolism
• Improve posture.
• It does not require equipment or a lot of space.
• Strengthens the locomotor system.
• It favors your general balance.
• Increase your flexibility.