Can plank support exercise abdominal muscles? How to exercise abdominal muscles?

　　Your love for planks cannot be blind, if you want exercise When it comes to abdominal muscles, should you really choose plank support? In addition to plank support, do you know which movements are also suitable for exercising abdominal muscles? You might as well follow the editor to find out, and it’s just around the corner to have a good-looking belly!

　　Can planks train abdominal muscles?

　　The coach said this: It’s impossible to build abdominal muscles just by doing plank support！

　　The essentials of plank support are quite simple: straighten your whole body into a prone position, support your body with your toes and forearms, and hold it for as long as possible. This action seems simple, but it is actually a whole-body exercise that consumes physical energy. It can fully exercise the erector spinae, rectus abdominis, transversus abdominis, trapezius, rhomboids, rotator cuff, deltoid, pectoral muscles, serratus anterior, gluteus maximus, quadriceps, gastrocnemius, etc. It mainly exercises the muscles of the back and abdomen.

　　Plank support is an anaerobic exercise and is resistance training. This action has been around for a long time and is not a new development. It is an action in Pilates, but it has been practiced more in gyms in recent years and is recognized as one of the most effective ways to train core muscles.

　　The best exercises for abdominal muscles

　　1. Weight-bearing sit-ups : Once this move starts to feel easy for you, try making it more difficult and doing chest-weighted sit-ups.

　　2. Sit-ups : Cross your arms in front of your chest, bend your knees, and lift your shoulders toward your knees. Do not lift your entire back off the ground, but only lift your upper torso and bend toward your knees. Be slow when returning to your back. Don't touch your head to the ground.

　　3. Leg lift : Lift your legs straight up, do not bend your knees, and make your legs form a right angle close to 90 degrees. Then begin lowering your legs down and repeat this movement without your legs touching the ground.

　　4. Folding knife sit-ups : Lie flat on the floor, place your hands on both sides to balance your body, and raise your knees and torso so that your knees and face can meet on the imaginary day line. The maximum range of motion is that the mouth can kiss your knees. Gently lower your hands and feet to the floor without moving too hard.

　　5. Butt lift : Start in a push-up position with your elbows and forearms on the floor. Then, lift your hips so that your body is in the shape of a hill, with your butt being the highest peak. Slowly lower your hips back to the starting position.

　　6. Quiet push-ups : In a push-up position, place your elbows on the floor and keep your body flat. This position is also called plank support. This action can train your body's center of gravity (including abdominal muscles). Maintain this position and see how long you can hold on. Novices can last about 45 seconds, and veterans can last about 5 minutes.

　　7. Exercise the oblique muscles : The oblique muscles can be trained through trunk bending, sit-ups, side bends, leg bends and other movements. The picture shows a lying-down sit-up: lift your left knee toward your right shoulder, then lift your right knee toward your left shoulder. Repeat this action alternately. (Reference website: Muscle Network)