How long you could hold a fitness plank used to be the deciding measurement of your core strength.  This was years ago in the fitness industry when the whole strengthen your core movement started!

I’ve never liked using it as a measurement.  There’s so many more aspects to your core strength and flexibility.

Holding a fitness plank position is pretty boring stuff.  There’s other far more interesting ways of challenging the same muscles with the same amount of intensity.

Have you tried the FitBall Reverse Plank?

It can look sort of easy…but it’s not.  The good thing though it’s easy to adjust the intensity to suit your current core strength level.

It gets definition happening in your shoulder muscles and super works your ab and lower back muscles.  Plus anything on the FitBall is always a bit of humous fun!  Particularly when dismounting!

Start:

You can make this exercise harder by having the ball under your ankle/shin area.   Or easier by having the ball under your knee area.

• Roll over the top of your ball and come down onto your forearms.
• Have your shoulders stacked directly above your elbows with hands interlocked.  Keep your neck relaxed here.
• You can have the ball under your knees to start with (easier) OR under your lower legs if you have good core strength.
• Take a breath in.  Extend your arms from the elbows and roll back with control on the ball.  Keep your neck relaxed here.
• This can be a very small movement and still be super effective!
• Draw in on your belly button and breathe out as you roll back to the starting position – shoulders stacked directly over elbows.

Repeat this 8-12x.  Focus on your form.  If your back is sagging, move the ball further towards your knees.