Hi Lisa! I have long been in favour of the plank over the traditional crunch – ANY day! To me, it’s more about all over fitness before you’ll see it in your abs – so compound exercises, sprinting intervals during cardio, and anything that helps you burn more calories in less time. Whilst your approach is great – activating core muscles while working out other muscle groups – remember that your abs still need time off too! If they’re been worked to the point where they feel sore the next day, give them a day’s rest to recover before training again. If you’re involving weights in your ab exercises and engaging your abs in all OTHER exercises, be aware of overworking abs. You want to train your muscles proportionately, so that they strengthen proportionately. Kettlebell classes, for example, can sometimes over-train the abs if that were all you were to practice on the fitness front. This could mean bigger abs than you’d like for the rest of your body.
Menu
