Exaggeration leads to a wrong load on muscles and joints

A common fitness exercise ... it may do more harm than good

The German physiotherapist, Laura Martins, said that the plank exercise is the most common and effective fitness exercise using body weight, as it strengthens the muscles of the abdomen, buttocks, lower back and thighs, in addition to it helps in improving body posture and increasing flexibility.

She added that beginners can perform the plank exercise for 30 seconds, and those who are trained on this exercise can increase the duration from two to three minutes, and the plank exercise can be performed for as long as one can maintain a correct position of the body during the exercise.

And the physiotherapist warned against forcing one to stay to exercise for a longer period, because exercise in this case does more harm than good, as it leads to a wrong load on the muscles and joints.

Among the other health damages of prolonging the exercise period too much is the emergence of back pain, especially in the elderly, and the increased load on the spine for people who are obese, due to the abdomen drooping down when performing the plank exercise.

The German physiotherapist explained the method of performing the plank exercise by lying completely on the abdomen, then lifting the body from the ground by leaning on the elbows and placing them below the shoulders with the feet spreading about the width of the waist, and maintaining the straightness of the neck and head with the level of the back for a certain period, and the plank exercise must be stopped Once you feel your back drooping.

• 30 seconds, the duration of the beginners plank exercise.

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