{"id":2907,"date":"2025-02-19T04:59:45","date_gmt":"2025-02-19T04:59:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/movewithnicole.com.au\/blog\/safely-and-effectively-performing-weighted-planks.html"},"modified":"2025-02-19T04:59:45","modified_gmt":"2025-02-19T04:59:45","slug":"safely-and-effectively-performing-weighted-planks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ozhelp.org.au\/blog\/health\/safely-and-effectively-performing-weighted-planks.html","title":{"rendered":"Safely and Effectively Performing Weighted Planks"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>If you\u2019ve mastered the high plank and\u00a0forearm plank, you might be wondering if there\u2019s some way to make them even more challenging, without adding movement into the mix.<\/p>\n<p>The answer is absolutely yes, thanks to weighted planks.<\/p>\n<p>Sometimes called \u201cloaded planks,\u201d this variation offers a way to increase intensity, according to Aaron Leventhal, CSCS, trainer and owner of Minneapolis-based Fit Studio.<\/p>\n<p>Although it does require extra attention when it comes to setup and safety, taking care to load properly is worth the time.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBy adding weight, your body is under new demands, and it needs to respond by engaging muscles differently, or reacting in ways it hasn\u2019t before with regular planks,\u201d he says. \u201cThat definitely keeps it interesting.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2>Weighted Plank: Step-by-Step Instructions<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Assume a quadruped, or tabletop, position, getting down on your hands and knees, with your shoulders directly over your wrists and your hips directly over your knees.<\/li>\n<li>Have a partner carefully place a weight \u2014 such as a sandbag or weight plate \u2014 squarely on your upper back.<\/li>\n<li>Keeping your core engaged, slowly extend one leg behind you and then follow with the other, assuming a push-up position. Make sure your body is straight and your head is neutral.<\/li>\n<li>Maintaining form, come down onto your forearms, stacking your shoulders directly over your elbows.<\/li>\n<li>Hold until just before you fatigue, and slowly reverse the movement. Have a partner remove the weight.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Benefits of the Weighted Plank<\/h2>\n<p>Why do a weighted plank instead of simply holding a bodyweight plank longer? Here\u2019s why.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Builds more strength, where longer bodyweight planks build endurance.<\/li>\n<li>Allows you to target different muscle groups based on placement of the load.<\/li>\n<li>Can improve posture and form in other exercises thanks to added core strength.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Exercises Related to the Weighted Plank<\/h2>\n<p><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-146306\" src=\"https:\/\/bod-blog-assets.prod.cd.beachbodyondemand.com\/bod-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/20115646\/chest-and-abs-workout-600-plank-jack.jpg\" alt=\"plank jack demonstration | weighted plank\" width=\"493\" height=\"493\" title=\"\"><\/p>\n<p>Even if you\u2019re eager to grab a weight for your next plank, it\u2019s a good idea to work up to the move. Make sure you can do at least 60 perfect seconds of the standard version, and that you\u2019re also able to do some plank variations.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Plank to low squat:\u00a0The second phase of a\u00a0burpee\u00a0adds a plyometric component to the base plank, building lower-body strength and\u00a0cardiovascular capacity, at the right intensities.<\/li>\n<li>Plank Jack:\u00a0Performed quickly enough, you can also make the plank a\u00a0cardio\u00a0move by jumping your feet out and back.<\/li>\n<li>Side Planks:\u00a0Work more oblique and abductor strength by turning the plank on its side.<\/li>\n<li>Spiderman Plank:\u00a0Give your\u00a0medial glutes\u00a0additional work by adopting the wallcrawler\u2019s signature knee-to-elbow move.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>If you\u2019ve mastered the high plank and\u00a0forearm plank, you might be wondering if there\u2019s some way to make them even more challenging, without adding movement into the mix. The answer is absolutely yes, thanks to weighted planks. Sometimes called \u201cloaded planks,\u201d this variation offers a way to increase intensity, according to Aaron Leventhal, CSCS, trainer [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2908,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2907","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health"],"blocksy_meta":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ozhelp.org.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2907","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ozhelp.org.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ozhelp.org.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ozhelp.org.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ozhelp.org.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2907"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/ozhelp.org.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2907\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ozhelp.org.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2908"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ozhelp.org.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2907"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ozhelp.org.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2907"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ozhelp.org.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2907"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}