Lose inches on your waistline with one exercise

For the past 19 days at Performance Fitness we have challenged our clients to a squat and plank challenge. They started at 40sec plank and 50 squats and by today (day 19) they completed 180 squats and 3min plank. 

I have also done some measurements this past week around the belly specifically on clients who have had previous back and core weaknesses and found that just from doing the plank 5 out Of 7 days/wk, they have lost between 3/4 & 1.5 inches on thier waist alone!!!

So many people come to me and thier main goal is to lose belly fat and tighten/tone thier mid-section. There are MANY factors involved in this; diet, hormonal balance, gut health and core strength. From an exercise perspective, which is what I specialize in, doing a plank is the #1 way to pull the belly in tight, support the lower back and shrink the waistline. 

When doing the plank, you need to remember a few key things;

1- shoulders should be positioned directly over your elbows, not infront of your body stretched out

2- your boy should be a straight line, no sag or lift at the hips (if you can do it infront of a mirror it will help you keep your technique)

3- relax your upper back so you are really using the core muscles, not your neck and upper back to hold you up. 

4- hold your whole body tight, bum and legs especially to support your back and take pressure off it. 

This exercise is hard, there is no beating around the bush BUT you can progress and increase your time pretty quickly. My suggestion would be increasing by 10-20sec every 4 days. 

If you plank 5 days/wk, it would only take 40sec-2mins of your time...a commercial break!! You can and your lower back, posture and waistline will thankyou. 

Plank away!