Why you should be doing planks over sit ups.
In my twenties I liked to go to the gym, I enjoyed running on the running machine doing weights and also a lot of sit ups all in the hope I would have a flat and firm tummy. Fast forward to my late twenties and I got a back injury from kitesurfing. This meant a annular tear in a disk which bulge out onto the nerve, sit ups were off the menu as were lost of other exercises but the action of sit ups just compounded my issue.
My recovery was Pilates and the principle behind me doing Pilates was to strengthen my core, yet no sit ups were present in my new exercise regime. That is because it is no good just working your abs, all this does is create a more hunched over posture. To work your core and by core I’m not talking just stomach muscles I am talking your whole trunk you need to use your back and glutes. This is where Pilates exercises excel because it is never just about one muscle, it is about how your muscles work together on a functional level.
So why am I asking you to ditch the sit up and head for planks?
Well because a plank doesn’t just tighten your abs, it works your shoulders, back, and your glutes. This enhances your tall aligned posture and makes for a better balanced body. Also science says planks are better! In a head to head between sit ups and planks, planks were two times more effective than sit ups according to the Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise Journal.
Are you looking to improve your functional strength, mobility and get rid of those rounded shoulders and back pain?
Come and try a Pilates class with me! I have many options from online to face to face classes to suit all abilities.
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