A sure fire way to get those sexy v shaped abs is to give thanks to the planks!  While not as popular as old school ab crunches and sit ups, planks can be even more effective.  The elbow plank on the exercise ball can help you to take your abs workout to the next level if performed properly.  Here are some tips to get you started.

What Are Planks?

Gymrats who think that you need to be smashing reps with a ton of weight in order to build muscle, could not be more wrong. Especially when it comes to the abs.

Planks are an isometric exercise which means that the “resistance” of the exercise is from the contraction of the muscle itself. The length of the muscle isn’t changing, it’s remaining constant. An ab plank can also be called an abdominal bridge, a hover, or a front hold.  Modifying this or any exercise by introducing an unstable surface, changes the demand on the musculoskeletal systems.  One of the benefits is the challenge you’re placing on the body’s stabilizing abilities.

In other words, using an unstable surface encourages your body to use more muscle fibers to stabilize the movement.

Elbow Plank on the Exercise Ball

1.  Kneel in front of the ball and place your forearms and elbows on the ball.

2.  Lift you body just as if you were doing a standard ab plank on the floor.  Only the balls of your feet and toes should be touching the floor.

3.  Hold the plank position for 60 seconds or longer.  Your rest period between plank sets should be no longer than the plank itself.  (i.e. 60 second plank = 60 second rest)

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