Celebrity Trainer: Ashley Borden
Favorite Baby-Fat Buster: Plank
Works: Core, back, arms, glutes
To do a knee plank, kneel on a mat on the floor, and position yourself on your forearms, palms facing up. Your elbows should be close to your body and directly under your shoulders. Don’t let your belly or head hang down or collapse between your shoulder blades.
Your spine should be in a straight line from your knees to your head, and you should be squeezing your glutes (which helps activate lower abdominal muscles) throughout the pose. Hold the position for as long as feels comfortable to you.
If you’re able, you can progress from a knee plank to a full one: Extend each leg behind you one at a time, making sure you keep proper form. (Borden’s tip to check your form: Stand in front of a mirror with a 4-foot body bar or broom. Hold the broom behind you so the back of your head and tailbone are touching the broom. Then pull your abdominal muscles in until your lower back is also touching the handle as much as possible. That’s the properly aligned position you want in a plank.)
Image courtesy of Featureflash / Shutterstock.com
>> By Virginia I. Pelley
>> December/January 2013
