Planking and squatting seem to be two of the hardest exercises to complete, but yet, they can look so easy. With the help of Girls of TO, you can become the next planking and squatting expert with the six tips we’ve put together to reach success and benefits for each exercise!
1) Do a minimun of three sets of planks and squats every single day
2) Take your time completing each set to make sure you are working all muscles properly
3) Read a magazine article or the internet while in a planking or squatting position
4) Countdown backwards in your head really slow or keep a stop watch
5) Do it until it hurts then hold for 30 seconds more if possible
6) Listen to your favourite music, average song lasts 4 minutes and let’s face it, Beyonce “Run the World” is the perfect way to stay motivated
What Are The Benefits of Squatting?
- Builds Muscle in Your Entire Body Squats obviously help to build your leg muscles (including your quadriceps, hamstrings, and calves), but they also create an anabolic environment, which promotes body-wide muscle building.In fact, when done properly, squats are so intense that they trigger the release of testosterone and human growth hormone in your body, which are vital for muscle growth and will also help to improve muscle mass when you train other areas of your body aside from your legs.So squats can actually help you improve both your upper and lower body strength.
- Functional Exercise Makes Real-Life Activities Easier Functional exercises are those that help your body to perform real-life activities, as opposed to simply being able to operate pieces of gym equipment. Squats are one of the best functional exercises out there, as humans have been squatting since the hunter-gatherer days. When you perform squats, you build muscle and help your muscles work more efficiently, as well as promote mobility and balance. All of these benefits translate into your body moving more efficiently in the real world too.
- Burn More Fat One of the most time-efficient ways to burn more calories is actually to gain more muscle! For every pound of additional muscle you gain, your body will burn an additional 50-70 calories per day. So, if you gain 10 pounds of muscle, you will automatically burn 500-700 more calories per day than you did before.
What Are The Benefits of Planking?
1. Safeguards Your Spine Front and side planks develop isometric strength in your core muscles, which means that they improve the ability of your muscles to hold a static position over time. Front and side planks challenge your muscles to maintain your body a static position against gravity. This is similar to how they have to work to maintain proper posture when you’re standing or sitting. As a result, consistent front and side planks can help reduce your risk of lower back pain due to poor posture.
2. Hits Multiple Core Muscles Although focus tends to falls on the abdominals, there are a number of other muscles in your core essential for maintaining proper posture. Your obliques, glutes, hip flexors and hip abductors also work to keep your spine properly aligned. The front plank primarily strengthens your abdominals, but also develops your obliques and your hip flexors. Not only do the hip flexors play an instrumental role in maintaining proper posture, but they help ensure you’re able to walk, run and jump correctly. During the side plank, the obliques become the primary muscle worked, and your glutes and other hip abductor muscles on the outside of your upper thighs are recruited to keep your leg from collapsing to the floor.
3. No Gym Necessary because you’re using your own body weight as resistance, you don’t need any exercise equipment to perform either the front and side planks. An exercise mat may be more comfortable, but all you need is a soft floor surface, which means you can do the exercises nearly anywhere. This also means you can easily incorporate them into a home workout program or simply an exercise to do before you go to bed each night to keep your major core muscles strong.
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