How long can you plank for ?

Page may contain affiliate links. Please see terms for details.

CXRAndy

Guru
Location
Lincs
As someone who has suffered a spinal cord injury, I don’t subscribe to all this bollox about the plank being good for core strength. Anything which allows you to support your own body weight at three (or four) points is gonna do very little. Trust me, getting out of a low armchair requires much more core strength!
Besides, very little core strength is required to ride a bike.

Pardon my French, what a load of Bollox.

Its takes a great deal of core- stomach, back muscles to hold the plank for any significant time. Core strength for riding is hugely beneficial, it prevents your body slumping early and putting too much pressure of your arms and hands. Cycling isn't just sitting in a chair, turning legs. The stronger you're all over has great benefits to cycling comfort, speed and duration a person can ride for.
 

Shortandcrisp

Über Member
Respectfully have to disagree. Of course core strength is vitally important, especially as we age, but the level of core strength needed for cycling is so insignificant as to be almost irrelevant. Sometimes I think all this stuff is driven by those who want us to believe that cycling is a macho sport. It isn’t. Make a list of sports people you’d least like to meet in a dark alley. Pretty sure cyclists would be well down that list.

Had to learn how to walk again after nearly six weeks in hospital. Difficulty walking to the bathroom without pain, and posture and balance issues. Yet I could do a 20-30 mile loop on a bike within 2 or 3 weeks without any discomfort. Not as fast as before obviously, but that was mainly because of the muscle wastage in both legs. And yes, was still able to hold a plank for a couple of minutes and perform press ups.

There are much better ways of improving core strength and sorting out back and posture issues, and there are much better ways of improving your cycling, is all I’m saying.
 

Shortandcrisp

Über Member
[QUOTE 5397075, member: 9609"]that is not your core though. you can very easily do many exercises that are so-called "Core" exercises such as the plank without engaging your true core muscles at all. You can easily have a wonderful looking 'six pack' and have a very weak core - it is an entirely different thing.[/QUOTE]

This is true, I used to do sit ups, crunches and legs raises nearly everyday as part of a weightlifting routine. Played a ‘core strengh’ game with my Badminton mixed doubles partner which involved facing each other with shoulder height outstretched arms, palms together, fingers straight, and pushing against each other’s hand. She annilihilated me!
 

CXRAndy

Guru
Location
Lincs
[QUOTE 5397075, member: 9609"]that is not your core though. you can very easily do many exercises that are so-called "Core" exercises such as the plank without engaging your true core muscles at all. You can easily have a wonderful looking 'six pack' and have a very weak core - it is an entirely different thing.[/QUOTE]

Beg to differ there

Screenshot_20180930-163932_Chrome.jpg
Screenshot_20180930-163932_Chrome.jpg
 

CXRAndy

Guru
Location
Lincs
[QUOTE 5397255, member: 9609"]but do you use them[/QUOTE]

Yes I do.

I work out at home with weights, doing squats, deadlifts, press-up and other compound exercises. You need to have resistance training as you age to keep bones and joints strong
 

Dave 123

Legendary Member
Got a herniated disc at the moment, but 5 minutes was not a problem earlier in the year, I am 62. I think Drago can do it for 3 weeks.


What Drago can do rhymes with plank.
 
Top Bottom