There are several exercises to engage your abdominal muscles and burn belly fat. DO PLANKS BURN BELLY FAT However, if you’re looking for a workout routine that is not only easy and effective to do and that you can perform anywhere – at home or at the gym – it is definitely a plank.

A plank or different variations of it helps target your core and reduces the fat in the stomach region. There are not many steps to follow, but it is important that you get your posture right. That said, here’s a list of plank exercises you can do in order to cut down on your belly fat!

Fat burning around the waist is difficult. As much as you try, losing the bulging belly fat remains the number one goal for most people. However, there are specific exercises that you can do to burn the fat around your waist. Among the exercises said to be highly effective is the plank.

But first, let’s address the obvious doubt.

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Does Plank Reduce Belly Fat

Planks are perfect for burning belly fat because they engage multiple muscles at once, boosting the metabolic rate and benefiting core strength. All in all, a plank is an excellent choice to stimulate the whole body. Overall, a plank is a good exercise for facilitating the whole body.

Plank Regime to Follow For Weight Loss

Planks should be done each week, progressively increasing the time and switching with other exercises. If they seem too hard at first, make sure you get enough rest and do not overload your body. Remember, every step you take leads to progress.

• For the 1st week, begin at 20 seconds and gradually increase to 60 seconds.
• During Week 2, slowly increase the time from 60 seconds to 90 seconds.
• Increase the duration from 90 to 120 seconds in week 3.

How To Do Plank For Weight Loss

• Place yourself facedown on the mat.
• Raise your torso up so your elbows are directly under your shoulders and rest on your forearms.
• Tighten your glutes and inner thighs.
• Bring your toes together.
• Engage your core by bringing your belly button in and up.
• Bend your knees and keep your back straight.
• Maintain your body in a straight line, keeping your head slightly forward and your neck relaxed as though you were pressing into an imaginary wall.
• Fix your gaze on the ground.
• For 20 to 30 seconds, hold this position as long as you can with a flat back. If possible, hold this position for up to one minute.

Also Read: 6-bedtime-drinks-to-burn-fat

Mistakes To Avoid While Doing Planks

Now, let us take a look at the mistakes you must never make while performing this exercise.

1. Do not lower or raise your back

• You must align your shoulder, back, and butt.
• Toes should be tucked inwards as you lie on your lower body.
• You should not lift your head or dip your back.

2. Do not push your belly downward

• Since the plank is primarily designed to burn belly fat, lowering your stomach while holding the plank position won’t be effective.
• Thus, make sure your stomach is in the air and your shoulders, back, and butt are aligned.

3. Do not try to hold longer

The plank is a highly effective isometric exercise that burns approximately two to five calories per minute, based on body weight. Isometric exercise involves contraction of a particular group of muscles in a static position.

What planks don’t provide through calorie burning they more than make up for by toning and strengthening your core, the area of the body which encompasses your:

• abdominal muscles
• lower back
• glutes
• pelvis
• hips
• diaphragm

Planks also target the muscles in your arms and legs.

Calories burned

The amount of calories you burn while planking depends on several factors. These include body weight, metabolism rate, and muscle-to-fat ratio.

The more repetitions you do, the more calories you will burn. If you have a high muscle-to-fat ratio, you will also burn more calories during rest periods between plank reps.

Weight	Calories burned
110 lbs.	2 calories per minute
150 lbs.	3 to 4 calories per minute
175 lbs. or more	4 to 5 calories per minute

Several plank variations are more challenging than the basic plank. These may burn more calories as well.

How to do a plank

When done properly, the plank will activate all of your abdominal muscles, including the following:

• rectus abdominis
• transverse abdominis
• internal obliques
• external obliques

It’s important to maintain good form while doing a plank not only to get maximum results, but also to protect your lower back. Doing a 20-second plank while maintaining proper form is more effective for building muscle than doing a one-minute plank if your body is in the wrong position.

No equipment is needed for a plank, although you may be more comfortable working out on a mat rather than carpet or hard flooring. Here is a video followed by instructions for how to do a basic plank and several variations:

https://youtube.com/watch?v=ql8qf61rCDo%3Fenablejsapi%3D1%26origin%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Fwww.healthline.com%26widgetid%3D1

To do:

1. Lie facedown on the mat.
2. Raise your torso up so that you’re resting on your forearms, keeping your elbows directly under your shoulders.
3. Squeeze your inner thighs and glutes together.
4. Curl your toes under.
5. Draw your belly button in and up to engage your core.
6. Raise your knees, keeping your back flat and straight.
7. Hold your entire body in a straight line, with your neck relaxed and the crown of your head stretching forward slightly, as if you’re pressing into an imaginary wall.
8. Keep your gaze on the floor.
9. Hold this position for as long as you can with a flat back for 20 to 30 seconds to start. Try to build up to holding this position for one minute or longer.

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If you feel your form slipping at any time, lower your body down to rest. Don’t let your lower back sag or your hips rise up.

To continue oxygenating your muscles, remember to keep breathing while holding the plank position, as well as during rest periods. DO PLANKS BURN BELLY FAT

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Plank variations

To increase the plank’s difficulty, effectiveness, and calorie-burning potential, try these variations:

Leg-raise plank

To do:

1. Get into the basic plank position.
2. Alternate raising your legs without bending your knees for one minute.

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Side plank

To do:

1. Lay on your right side in a straight line.
2. Keeping your right forearm on the floor, raise your entire body up, keeping your feet together.
3. Lift your left arm up over your head in a straight line.
4. Hold this position for 30 seconds to one minute.
5. Repeat on the left side of your body.

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Resistance plank

To do:

1. Place the ends of a resistance band around your wrists.
2. Get into a basic plank position.
3. Stretch out one wrist at a time, holding the position for several seconds to increase the muscle burn in your biceps and upper body.
4. You can also do a resistance plank by placing the ends of a resistance band around your ankles and stretching out each ankle one at a time.

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Also Read: 6-bedtime-drinks-to-burn-fat

Other benefits

In addition to tightening your abdominals, the plank has multiple benefits, including the following:

• Increases metabolism. Muscle ups your metabolism rate and burns more calories than fat while you’re at rest. Because the plank helps you build muscle, you can expect to burn more calories during downtime. DO PLANKS BURN BELLY FAT
• Improves muscle-to-fat ratio. The better your muscle-to-fat ratio, the more likely you are to avoid obesity-related illnesses, such as:
  • high blood pressure
  • high triglycerides
  • high cholesterol
  • heart disease
  • diabetes
• Improves posture. The plank strengthens your back and the muscles surrounding your spine, including the rhomboid and trapezius muscles. This helps improve your posture, which may keep you safe from back injury and strain.

Exercises that burn lots of calories

The plank is a good addition to an overall exercise regimen, which should also include cardio activities. Cardio exercise typically burns more calories during the activity than strength exercises.

Choose activities you enjoy so that you’ll stick with them. Things to try include:

• running
• power walking
• swimming laps
• water aerobics
• zumba
• cycling
• rowing
• cross-country skiing
• jumping rope
• kickboxing

• If you hold the plank position for too long (say, more than 30 seconds or a minute), you might lose focus on your abdominal muscles. If you hold the plank position for less than 30 seconds while maintaining the correct posture, you’ll reach your goal. DO PLANKS BURN BELLY FAT