Last Updated on April 11, 2016 by Michael Brockbank
For those who want to work on their abs, obliques, quads and glutes, the Spiderman Plank may be one of the better exercises. This is a difficult workout and may be something you want to work towards as a beginner. Personally, I was only able to sustain five reps with each set. This is because I am incredibly out of shape. Still, I plan on breaking these records as I work for greater fitness.
What Makes the Spiderman Plank Ideal?
The Spiderman plank combines the abdominal effort to sustain your position while incorporating balance to put strain on your obliques and glutes. Although this is one of the more difficult core exercises, it’s something you may want to add to your routine down the line as it has potential to be an excellent way to work on your body.
This exercise may be more difficult to do at the office because of the restrictions from your own clothing. As you’ll be lifting your knee towards your elbows, it may be difficult to do if you’re wearing anything other than sweats or shorts.
Muscles Worked
When it comes to firming and toning your body for summer swimwear, the Spiderman Plank is one of the best – at least in my opinion. Efforts will be connected to your:
- Obliques
- Abs
- Glutes
- Quads
Focus of the Activity
Although maintaining your plank position keeps your abs flexed, the primary activity is through repetitions. With each movement of the exercise, greater strain is put on the obliques, glutes and quads. As such, you want to set your goals to meet a certain number of repetitions each workout. For me, five was my limit. I’ll keep working until I am able to add a few more reps to the exercise.
How to Do This Exercise
I would like to remind you that this is a more difficult workout. For those who already have a handle of the fitness, this may be far easier to do than it was for me.
- Go into a plank position with your arms extended. This begins flexing your abdominal muscles.
- Bring your right knee up to your elbow as if you’re scaling a wall. Put your right leg back into starting position.
- Now, bring your left knee up to your elbow. Once you put your left leg back, this will count as one repetition.
A common variation of this exercise is to go into a push-up position before raising your legs. The video below shows this variation. Either way will work for you. Use the method that is more ideal for your own personal capabilities.
I can attest to how effective virtually any plank can be when added to a regular routine. Over time, you’ll start to notice that certain activities and other exercises to be easier than they were before. I noticed the biggest difference when trying to do a sit-up. Since I am still working on rebuilding my body, I might wait to do the Spiderman Plank at a later date. Until then, I’ll just work on setting time records with the original plank and build strength onto the areas I need for stepping it up to this exercise.
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