REVEALED: The ONE exercise that strengthens ALL your muscle groups and you only have to do it for less than 10 minutes to see a difference
- Holding a plank for two minutes could work all muscle groups, trainers suggest
- Exercise has also been shown to lower blood pressure more than HIIT
- READ MORE: The exact exercise regimen that can reduce the risk of premature death by 50%
Do you want to become healthier with as little effort as possible?
There is one exercise that experts say meets both requirements.
Forget pounding the treadmill or struggling through an intense boot camp class — fitness pros say all you need to do is hold one position for two minutes
Experts have revealed that it is possible to hold a plank for a short period of time every day for two weeks improve balance, strengthen all your muscle groups, and even low bloodpressure.
According to a large study of nearly 16,000 people, doing four rounds of the exercise for two minutes for fourteen days is enough to lead to significant benefits.
Planking for two minutes has been shown to strengthen muscle groups and improve balance
Researchers suggest that doing the 'plank' or 'wall sit' are better exercises for controlling hypertension than more intense exercises like HIIT
Planking involves keeping your body level while squeezing your abdominal muscles and keeping your backside low to the ground.
To do a plank, get on your hands and knees and extend your hands on the floor under your shoulders.
With your hands under your shoulders, extend your right leg behind you and come up onto your toes. Then extend your left leg and press your hands into the floor to maintain balance.
Keep your eyes slightly in front of your hands and tighten your core muscles.
However, make sure that your backside is not hanging in the air, otherwise your muscles will relax.
India Bailey, personal trainer at TechnoGym, explains Stylist Great Britain that planking is “a highly efficient exercise” that “works the hips and lower back, and targets your pecs, arms, quads, glutes, and your trapezius and rhomboids (upper back).”
A review in the British Journal of Sports Medicine analyzed 270 studies conducted between 1990 and 2023 involving almost 16,000 participants.
The team found that those who performed static exercises such as planks for a total of eight minutes per day for two weeks had lower blood pressure than those who did more intense activities such as aerobic workouts and high-intensity interval training (HIIT).
The researchers saw reductions in both systolic blood pressure (the pressure in the arteries when the heart beats) and diastolic blood pressure (pressure when the heart rests between beats).
“Overall, isometric exercise training is the most effective way to reduce both systolic and diastolic blood pressure,” wrote the team from Canterbury Christ Church University in Britain.
Planking can be done for two minutes at a time, but you can work on it by holding shorter steps.
Researchers at Harvard University consider 10 to 30 seconds to be enough time to see benefits.
Eric L'Italien, a physical therapist at the university's Spaulding Rehabilitation Center, said, “Focus on doing multiple sets of smaller amounts of time.”
“Two minutes is often considered the maximum, and after that you don't get much benefit.”
Ms. Bailey recommended starting by holding the position for as long as possible and then adding 10 to 15 seconds each time.
If you practice this measurement five days a week, you should reach 10 minutes after two weeks.