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I hate planks. No, not because they are a bad exercise for your abs but because they are too easy of an exercise for your abs and most people make them a staple of their ab workouts. Just like anything else, if you want to see good results you have to be willing to put in the hard work to see them. Doing sub maximal ab exercises that do not challenge you enough (like a plank done for more than 1-2 minutes) are ultimately making your core weaker and not helping you in your quest to etch in that ripped six pack.

In this video, I show you many more variations of a standard plank that will help you much more than the classic plank exercise. Here you will see how to get much needed hip strengthening as well as a more functionally rugged core capable of handling the more common real world stresses thrown its way than if you had done nothing but static planks alone.

The key to making this ab staple better is to make it more challenging. As I said, if you can hold a standard plank or side plank for a minute or longer then you need to seriously consider an upgrade to the difficulty of the movement. The side plank is a great place to start since you can work on your all important lateral trunk and pillar strength while still hitting the key components of effective ab training like anti-rotation and stability.

The thread the needle variation is one where you are moving your top primary on a bottom that does not move much. The advantage here is that you need to stabilize from below while the top is much more mobile. With the abs squarely in the middle and being asked to control the extra rotation, you are getting more from the exercise than with static holding planks.

Beyond that you can turn this exercise into a powerful hip strengthener as well. By getting into the side plank position and lifting your lower leg you are instantly creating a high demand on the strength of the hip adductors the top leg. The opposite is true if you lift your top leg. The abductors on the outside of the hip are called on to be strong enough to hold your hips off the ground during the entire movement.

Finally, shoulder stability is greatly improved by doing this variations of the standard plank as you need to dynamically control your body against gravity while approximating the shoulder joint for stability. This is exceptionally true if you have a torn labrum and need to work more on improving the stability of your shoulder joint.

For more exercises and workouts for your core and abs that don’t just rely on sub maximal ab exercises like the plank, head to http://athleanx.com and get the 90 day ATHLEAN-X Training System. See how training like an athlete can lead to your best and fastest gains ever.

For more videos on how to get abs fast and the best ab exercises you can do for a six pack, be sure to subscribe to our channel here on youtube at http://youtube.com/user/jdcav24