4. Your Mood Will Improve
Like most other exercises, planks can lift your spirits (and raise your energy levels).
Desk workers in particular should take note of the plank’s benefits for their mood – these poses help to stretch and relax the muscles in the neck, shoulders and back that often become stiff and tense from prolonged sitting.
The Yoga Journal recommends plank exercises for stress reduction, as they are said to help calm the brain.
At least one scientific study has found strength training to be beneficial for relieving the symptoms of depression. Some fitness experts say that weight-bearing exercises may boost mood as strengthening the core gives you an overall sense of strength.
5. Your Posture and Balance Will Improve
Doing planks greatly improves both your posture and balance and, when carried out regularly, helps you to sit or stand up straighter with ease.
Strengthening the core muscle groups leads to better posture as the stomach and back muscles have a huge impact on the other muscle groups in the body (why they are known as ‘the core’!). Planks also help prevent or reverse postural deficiencies, including lordosis and posterior pelvic tilt which result from weakness in the abdomen or hip flexors respectively.
Side planks or planks with extensions are particularly beneficial for building balance, as are planks performed on a stability ball.