How to properly stand in a plank on your elbows: technique with photos

Benefits and features of elbow straps

The elbow stand and plank are often used in yoga, stretching, Pilates, and functional strength training. This is a static exercise that involves creating prolonged tension in the muscles while the body and limbs are immobilized. Several muscle groups are involved at once, which allows you to create an effective load on the body.

Let's look at the benefits of regularly performing the elbow plank:

• Improved stretching, endurance and balance.
• Strengthening a number of muscle groups, in particular the core and shoulder girdle.
• Improved posture.
• Accelerating the process of burning fat deposits.
• Prevention of osteochondrosis of the cervical and lumbar spine.

Elbow planks are of great benefit for girls, as they help tighten the breasts and buttocks and help eliminate cellulite.

If you want to lose weight in the abdominal area, supplement the bar with a vacuum.

This exercise is useful for women who have given birth, as it helps to quickly tone the abdominal muscles and speed up the processes of uterine contraction. But you can start doing it no earlier than three weeks after giving birth. If acute pain occurs during the exercise, it means that the body is not yet ready for the stress. Minor muscle pain in the abdominal area is normal. They indicate that the muscles are actively working and that you are doing everything correctly.

The exercise is also useful for men. It qualitatively works out the shoulders and arms that are important to them, and forms a beautiful, strong torso.

Causes

There are quite a lot of reasons. After all, many diseases and pathologies can cause pain.

The main causes of pain in the elbows and knees are:

1. Inflammatory process . Can develop as a result of hypothermia.
2. Trauma . Appears during excessive loads, injuries or accidents. Sprains and fractures may also be a concomitant symptom.
3. Degenerative changes . Occurs when the cartilage wears out. This process is natural for older people. Degenerative changes can also be observed with congenital pathologies of the musculoskeletal system.
4. Systemic diseases . They affect several large joints (these are the elbow and knee joints).
5. Malignant neoplasms
6. Obesity . Excess weight puts a lot of pressure on the joints (mainly the knee joints). Under such influence, disorders and premature wear of cartilage tissue develop, which leads to pain.
7. Impaired local circulation . Compression of the blood vessels occurs, which leads to pain.
8. Epicondylitis (applies to the elbow joint). Inflammation of the ligaments occurs, which is the result of physical exercise or carrying heavy objects.
9. Arthrosis . The disease is characterized not only by pain, but also by other symptoms. In advanced stages, the joints become deformed.
10. Arthritis . In addition to pain, it is characterized by swelling and redness, which should alert the patient.
11. Bursitis (inflammation of the synovial bursa).
12. Diffuse fasciitis (muscle inflammation).
13. Nerve damage.

Thus, pain in the elbows and knees can occur for many reasons. It is important to pay attention to this so as not to start the process. To do this, you need to see a doctor to find out an accurate diagnosis.

What muscles work when doing a plank on your elbows?

Let's figure out what the elbow bar does. It works a large number of important muscles:

• Back muscles from the cervical region to the deep lumbar muscles.
• Arm muscles that bear half of your own weight. At the same time, girls don’t have to worry about pumping them up too much - they will only get stronger, become beautiful and fit.
• Abdominal muscles . The plank will contribute to the development of beautiful abs and will allow you to work both the upper, lower and lateral abdominal muscles.
• The muscles of the legs , which account for most of our own eyelid. They work all the way from the hips to the calves.
• Buttocks . Elbow planks strengthen the gluteus maximus, medius, and minimus muscles and help eliminate cellulite in the buttocks and thighs.

How to learn to do a plank

It doesn't take long to learn how to stand on your elbows. This exercise is quite easy and in most cases even children can do it.

The plank can be not only horizontal, but also vertical. The elbow stand can be performed in different positions, but in order to learn how to do a vertical one, you must first learn to assume a horizontal body position.

The technique seems quite easy at first glance, but not everyone can learn and try to get into it the first time.

First, the person must take a lying position on the floor, then place the elbow joints under the shoulder joints and focus on them. The legs are positioned shoulder-width apart on half toes. After a person learns to maintain a standing position on the floor in a horizontal position, it will be possible to proceed directly to performing an elbow stand in a vertical position.

There are different types of plank:

• classical;
• on straight arms;
• with raised hand;
• with a raised leg;
• with two limbs raised at the same time;
• in a jump;
• with resistance;
• on fitball;
• lateral;
• varieties of lateral;
• inverted.

Each type can be combined with each other. In this case, various muscle groups will be additionally involved. You can supplement the bar with various weights, dumbbells and a body bar.

Execution technique

The elbow plank for the abs and other muscles is performed in almost the same way as the classic version on an outstretched arm, but it has its own nuances that need to be studied to obtain maximum benefit.

Let's look at how to do the elbow plank correctly. The algorithm of actions will be as follows:

• You need to take a lying position, leaning on your forearms
• Elbows should be shoulder-width apart.
• Your hands can be clasped together (to lighten the load) or placed parallel to each other for a more intense load.
• The body should be positioned above the floor in a straight line from the head to the feet. It is especially important to pay attention to the position of the lower back.
• You need to relax your shoulders and breathe freely. Now you need to fix yourself in this position as much as you can and maintain stillness.
• Rest a little and proceed to the next approach.

Control your body position. Burning and slight trembling in the muscles, slight staggering are natural. But severe pain and cramps are signs that the exercise should be stopped.

Also, many are interested in the question of how long you should hold the bar on your elbows, and what should be the number of approaches. All this is determined individually and depends on the state of the body and level of training. It is recommended to start with two approaches of 30-60 seconds, increasing these figures as the muscles strengthen and become accustomed to the load.

Let your priority be quality rather than quantity. To begin with, do not chase the number of repetitions and stand time, but hone your technique.

The world record for the elbow plank is eight hours, one minute and one second.

Pole Dance

Pole Dance
(from the English pole - pole and dance - dance) is a spectacular dance at the intersection of choreography, artistic gymnastics and aerial acrobatics. Since the 2000s, Pole dance has been actively developing as a form of acrobatics, sports and fitness, with an emphasis on demonstrating the dancer's choreographic skills and technique. We will talk about the prospects of this direction below.

Features of Pole Dance

Pole Dance
is not possible without a special equipment - a pole (aka pylon), around which all the dance elements are built, assembled into a complete dance. The movements are carried out with support from the pole, which requires a certain level of physical fitness, strength, flexibility and endurance.

Pole and its role in Pole Dance

The pole dance equipment, for all its simplicity, requires separate words.
A pylon is a hollow polished tube with a diameter of 40 mm or more, which should provide the necessary sliding and, at the same time, good grip in direct contact with the skin to fix the dancer’s position. I am a half-dancer, my legs are stretched like a string.
Like a pylon I am thin, graceful, slender. It’s not a problem for me to hang upside down, Or, after making a flyby, go into a power trick.
© Igor Bolshakov.

By the way, bare areas of the body in floor dance are necessary precisely for better adhesion to the surface of the pole, and not only and not so much for attractiveness.

Modern technologies make it possible to install pylons in any premises, even in private apartments. Pylons differ in the method of attachment (fixation) to the support; they can be static or rotating. Rotating poles provide greater dynamism and spectacular movements. At the upper level of the pylon (2 meters or more) acrobatic tricks are performed, at the middle level (up to one and a half meters) - rotations and various dynamic movements (twists, fly-ins, etc.), the lower level (parterre) involves performing elements of plastics and acrobatics on the floor .

Pole Dance: a little history

Historically, in Western civilization, Pole Dance is associated with erotic performances for men. In the foreseeable past, the dance has an American-Canadian origin, but its roots go further east and deeper: into Chinese circus acrobatics and the ancient Indian practice of mallakhamb training. In Asian circuses you can still see performances with a pole, but the Chinese pole
is significantly different from that used in pole dance. As a sports dance, acrobatic and fitness direction, Pole Dance is just going through its formation stage and is “experiencing” a boom in popularity.

Since 2003, pole dancing has officially emerged from the darkness of nightlife establishments.

: competitions and championships began to be held in the discipline. Moreover, a certain code has already been formed - the organizers clearly distinguished between the concepts of strip dance and gender dance: any revealing outfits, gestures, etc. are prohibited at performances. In Pole Sport, even strips are prohibited: all attention should be focused ONLY on the athleticism of the dancer, who needs to be able to “cleanly” perform the elements of the program and make interesting connections between them. The world championships are initiated by the World Pole Sport & Fitness organizations and the International Pole Sports Federation.

Since 2008, Pole Dance competitions have been held in Russia

. For the first time, the competition was held in St. Petersburg, and a Ukrainian with the beautiful national name Vardanush Martirosyan won. Pole dancing continues to develop: children's pole dance classes are opening, impromptu performances can be seen in the open air, and even an underwater version of pole dancing has appeared.

My life without half-dance is sad and dull.
I would give anything in the world for a pylon. My blood is boiling - it’s passion that’s boiling in it. My goal is to get a championship in Pole Art.
© Igor Bolshakov.

Types of Pole Dance

There are four directions of pole dancing:

• Pole Sport
  is the most “serious” direction of pole dance: pole sport refers to aerial strength athletics, competitions in the discipline take place on sports grounds, and are evaluated by certified teams of judges according to approved rules. Each performance contains a mandatory set of gymnastic elements, ligaments and transitions. Competitors perform in tracksuits to the accompaniment of music on two types of pylons, alternating them during the execution of the program to demonstrate various skills.
• Pole Art
  is an artistic dance with a pole and a choreographic program that includes certain elements. Competitions are held in the discipline, where the quality of performance, direction, as well as acting skills and suitability of the costume to the chosen image of the performer are assessed. To better understand the difference between Art and Sports, you can compare them with ice dancing and pairs figure skating.
• Exotic Pole Dance
  - the dance contains less of an acrobatic component, but more erotic plasticity, and is of a distinctly entertaining nature.
• Pole Fitness
  is an amateur style of pole dancing, which is taught in widely specialized fitness centers.

Since Pole Fitness is a publicly accessible form of pole dancing, then we will talk about it further.

How Pole Fitness workouts work

Fitness centers offer
pole dancing as an activity for
stretching
and working out the muscles of the legs, arms, core, general weight loss and comprehensive improvement of physical condition.
We will tell you more about the benefits below. What is Pole Fitness training:

• The first 5-10 minutes are devoted to warm-up
  , which is needed to warm up the main muscle groups and joints involved in Pole Fitness.
• The next 10 minutes
  are spent doing strength balance exercises on a pole.
• The main part of the lesson lasts 40-45 minutes
  and during this time the girls practice various acrobatic and choreographic elements: twists (twists), various trick combinations.
• The next 5-10 minutes
  are devoted to improvisation using the studied elements with musical accompaniment.
• The workout ends with stretching
  , which takes 20-30 minutes of training time. Stretching is necessary for a half dancer to master the skill of splits and other acrobatic elements of dance.

Pole Fitness classes typically last about 1.5 hours.
The group is selected small, and strictly according to the number of shells in the room. In a self-respecting establishment, more than one person practicing on the pole is not allowed. While mastering acrobatic elements on the pole, the teacher provides insurance for beginner dancers, plus shock-absorbing mats are used. The training takes place barefoot or in special light high-heeled strip shoes (more advanced level). Fitness centers and dance studios guarantee an individual approach to all participants, regardless of age or level of physical fitness. Moreover, many schools promise their students a real opportunity to take part in Pole Dance competitions.

Pole Fitness: benefits

By regularly practicing Paul Fitness, you can achieve:

• Endurance and good coordination. Many dynamic movements of pole dance develop dexterity, train the vestibular system and sense of balance.
• Strong muscles and tone for the whole body. Holding your own weight in various positions helps develop and strengthen muscles.
• Flexibility and mobility of the articular-ligamentous apparatus. You will finally do the splits
  
• Resilience, strength of character and the ability to overcome difficulties.
• Increased self-esteem, self-confidence and just a good mood.

Pole Fitness: Disadvantages

A significant disadvantage of sex dancing is the high cost of a subscription
compared to other types of group training. (But it’s better to choose a specialized studio with professional choreographers and “overpay” than to stand in line for the pole: this also happens).

Hyperhidrosis

(increased sweating) is a physiological feature that can become an unpleasant surprise when practicing with a pole. Simply put, if your palms are very sweaty, then it will be difficult to perform hand grips - your hands will slip. To solve this problem, it is often enough to use sports magnesium.

Fear

is a frequent companion for beginners. Fear of injury, fear of heights, fear of unusual body position (for example, hanging upside down). This is a natural emotion caused by the instinct of self-preservation, which passes with increasing experience in sports.

Prepare to bruise

: they will definitely be, all successful floor dance dancers have gone through this. If you can’t imagine your life without a miniskirt or the bruises on your skin take a long time to disappear, then this can become a small problem. Be patient and use ointments that help resolve hematomas (badyaga, troxevasin, etc.).

Pole Dance: contraindications

Contraindications to floor dancing include epilepsy, frequent dizziness, tinnitus, various vascular disorders, inflammatory diseases of the joints, hernias of the cervical and lumbosacral spine, the postoperative period, and various ophthalmological diseases. In addition, people who are significantly overweight are not allowed to practice on the pole. Unfortunately, this is a fact - the lighter the young lady, the safer (!) the classes will be and the easier it will be to conquer the pole. If excess weight is obvious, but you really want to go on the pole, then we advise you to lose weight first. Materials on the topic of losing weight
are collected in a separate section, plus, you can go on
a diet
(only wisely!).
Most of the girls who come to Pole Dance
, no matter what, stay in it for a long time or “get sick” of dance forever.

Here's what they say about their passion for pole dancing (reviews from irecom):

And men, for example, consider pole dancing the best sport for a girl! Of course, is there such a representative of the stronger sex who would not dream of an ideal stretch for his other half?

Pole Dance: motivation. Video of the best performances

We have something special in store for the finale: the most “delicious” videos from the performances of professional floor dance dancers.
Watch and enjoy:) It's good that you're sitting. Hold on tight to your seat, because this video with Polina Volchek is simply SOMETHING!

Stock up on validol, because your heart will need something to calm it down. Pair performance. Fabulous.

Men are not far behind either. Christian Lebedev as a Spartan. Strongly.

Come on, who will now say that Pole Dance is simple...or vulgar? Pole dancing is a real art of strong and beautiful men and women. And yet, we cannot disappoint the expectations of those who were waiting for the “spice”: we guarantee that you have never seen Hannibal Lector like this:

https://youtu.be/F2-wRT5DuLY

Varieties of elbow planks

To diversify and shift the emphasis of the load, you can alternate different types of planks. There are quite a lot of them, but it’s worth highlighting the main ones.

• Elbow plank with leg raise . When you are already confident in holding a regular plank, you can make the load more difficult. Maintain the same position, but extend one leg in the air. The extended leg and body should form a straight line. It is recommended to alternate legs every 30 seconds. This type of plank actively loads the abs and buttocks.
• Elbow plank with arm extended . There is nothing complicated about how to correctly perform a plank on the elbows with an outstretched arm - it is done in the same way as the previous exercise, but it is not the leg that is extended forward, but the arm. It, together with the body and legs, forms a straight line with the legs and body. Thanks to this, we can increase the load on the arms and back.
• Side plank. To perform this plank, we need to change the position of the body, take a side position and lean on the elbow of one hand, the legs are parallel to each other, one is on the other. You can place your other hand behind your head. It is recommended to change sides, but do not kneel while doing so, but simply switch to a regular plank on your elbows and smoothly change sides. This plank helps to load the thigh muscles and all the abdominal muscles.
• Reverse plank . This view is in many ways similar to a bridge stand. From a lying position on your back, lift your body onto your elbows and rest your heels on the floor. In this case, the body should also form a straight line. This bar wonderfully strengthens the back and stretches its muscles, fights cellulite well and pumps up the buttocks.

Symptoms

In case of joint diseases in the initial stages, there is a slight pain syndrome, usually appearing after physical activity. If the disease is in an advanced stage, the pain does not stop even at night. Depending on the disease, pain can be of a different nature. Painful sensations can be distinguished by the nature of their manifestation:

• Reflective - appears when other organs are damaged. It has a constant aching character, at times it can “shoot through”. The peculiarity of such pain is the absence of other signs (redness, swelling).
• Projected - appears as a result of trauma.
• Neuropathic – often unbearable, characterized by burning and tingling.
• Acute – typical for more serious injuries (fractures, sprains). Also appears in rheumatoid arthritis and bursitis.
• Burning – present with gout or inflammation of the nerves.
• Aching and dullness are a signal of arthrosis, and in some cases the presence of a neoplasm.
• Permanent – ​​diagnosed for serious diseases of the musculoskeletal system.

Also in many cases it is characterized by accompanying symptoms. They can be hyperemia, swelling, local increase in temperature.

Contraindications and precautions

Knowing what the elbow bar is for and how to do it correctly, do not forget to take into account possible contraindications. The following are the strict ones:

• hernia;
• injuries to the back and arm muscles;
• pinched nerves in the neck, back and shoulders;
• recent cesarean section;
• diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, problems with the esophagus;

In the postoperative period, exercise is usually also prohibited. When you can start doing it, the doctor must decide. The exercise is also contraindicated for pregnant women.

In addition, it is very important to know how to properly stand in the elbow plank, since errors during the execution process can be harmful and reduce the effectiveness of the exercise. Common shortcomings are as follows:

• Elbows positioned incorrectly relative to the shoulders.
• Incorrectly distributed load: only on the elbows or only on the legs - the whole body should be tense evenly.
• Sagging of the lumbar region.
• Uneven breathing.
• Incorrect head position and too tense neck.
• Heavy loads in the first lessons - remember that quality is more important, not quantity.

If you are starting to do the plank for the first time, holding it for 30 seconds will be enough. Increase the time gradually, a few seconds each time. At the initial stage, the exercise can be performed on bent knees, and the classic stance can be started when you can do the simplified version without problems for two minutes.

To supplement the load, you can perform push-ups and pull-ups , which allow you to strengthen the core muscles we need to hold the bar.

Sometimes the bar is prescribed as part of a set of rehabilitation exercises after injuries to develop the back muscles. Then it is usually recommended to perform it in a course of 10 days for 30-90 seconds. Such workouts tone the skeletal muscles.

If you plan to do the plank to strengthen muscles and lose weight, you can do it daily, starting with 30 seconds and gradually increasing this time. The main thing is the correct technique.

Videos on this topic will help you understand how to perform this simple and effective exercise. With minimal time investment, the elbow bar will give you the opportunity to quickly get in shape, becoming a real salvation for those who cannot devote time to full-fledged training.

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Dumbbell biceps curl

Sit on a chair, take dumbbells weighing 2-3 kg. Lower your arms with dumbbells along your body. The hands are turned towards the body. Fix the position of your elbows, pressing them to the body, tighten your abs. Slowly bend your elbows. When your forearms are parallel to the floor, begin to turn your hands outward, that is, with your wrists up. Next, lift the dumbbells until your wrists almost touch your shoulders (there should be a few centimeters between your wrists and shoulders at the top of the exercise). Hold at the top point for 1-2 seconds and just as slowly return to the starting position.

Important! When performing this exercise, you should avoid jerking and using inertial force. Don't swing or lift your elbows away from your body. Start with 8-10 repetitions in 1-2 sets , gradually increasing the load to 10-15 repetitions in 3 sets.