Planks for Runners (or anyone, really....)

Many people use the plank exercise for a way to improve core strength. "Core" has become a catch-all term meaning "the muscles around the middle of your body." Having strong muscles in the middle of your body is a good thing because it helps with your posture and - for runners - supports a lot of the specific movements involved in running.

Planks are one kind of exercise to strengthen core muscles, and almost anyone can do planks. At first, it may seem extremely difficult - you might only be able to hold a plank for 5 seconds. But I have found that you can improve rapidly if you try it every day (or almost every day).

My basic recommendation for planks is to find the length of time you can hold one so that you do three or four of those, separated by a minute or two of rest. This is similar to lifting weights where you do a set of 5 or 10 lifts, then repeat that 2 or three more times.

My current plank routine is to do four planks of 1:30 or 1:45. Once I got to where I could hold a plank for more than about 45 seconds, I noticed that it was really boring. So I added a few things, like raising one limb at a time for about 10 seconds. I just made a video demonstrating this - check it out!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UtZ5NWerCbU

Marty Beene, Owner of Be The Runner, holds certifications from USA Track & Field (Level 2 Endurance Coach) and from the National Academy of Sports Medicine (Personal Trainer, Fitness Nutrition and Senior Fitness Specialist). He coaches adult runners of all abilities individually and in groups. This blog post is being posted both on the Alameda Patch and at Marty's blogspot site.