Planking is a popular isometric exercise among fitness fans looking to strengthen their core muscles, lose weight, and achieve a slimmer waistline. But how many calories do planks burn? And can planking help you shed some pounds? Let’s take a deeper look at if planks burn fat and help you lose weight.
The number of calories burned depends upon the length of a plank, body-to-fat ratio, metabolism rate, and body weight. Generally speaking, planks can burn around 5-7 calories per minute. This means that if you do a 2-minute plank session, you could be looking at burning 10-14 calories.
If you are a victim of piles, read if planks can affect hemorrhoids.
But it’s important to note that the calorie-burning potential of planks is lower than other exercises. For example, running can burn up to 15 calories per minute. So while planking can help improve your overall fitness level, it might not be the ideal exercise if you are looking to lose weight.
The real benefit of planking is the strengthing of core muscles. Planks target the abdominal, back and pelvic muscles, making it a great way to increase your overall strength and stability. As with any exercise, consistency is key when it comes to planking.
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How Many Calories Do You Burn Doing Planks?
The exact number of calories burned doing planks will depend on your body weight, how long you do it for, and the intensity of the plank. The longer you plank, the more calories you’ll burn.
Generally, below is the average calories burned according to weight:
- 115 pound person: 2.2 calories per minute
- 130 pound person: 2.8 calories per minute
- 155 pound person: 3.8 calories per minute
- 180 pound person: 4.7 calories per minute
Average calories burned according to time – for 155 pound person:
- 1 minute plank: 3.8 calories
- 2 minutes plank: 7.6 calories
- 5 minutes plank: 19 calories
- 10 minutes plank: 38 calories
Planking To Lose Weight
Now that you know planks burn calories, the question arises do planks help you lose weight? Well, while planking can help burn a few calories, it’s not ideal for weight loss. This is because the calorie-burn potential of planks is relatively low compared to other cardio exercises like running, biking or swimming.
Planking can, however, help you achieve a slimmer waistline and boost your overall fitness level by strengthening your core muscles. To maximize the benefits of planking for weight loss, try adding other exercises that target the abdominal muscles such as crunches, leg lifts and bicycle crunches.
Remember – consistency is key when it comes to any exercise. Try to fit in 10 minutes of planking a few times per week, and gradually increase the time as you become fitter.
Be sure to allow your body to rest between plank sets to avoid overtraining. Also, don’t forget that a balanced diet will help you achieve better results when it comes to losing weight.
Do Planks Burn Fat?
There is no denying that planks are one of the most effective exercises for toning abs and building core strength. But can they also help you to burn fat?
Unfortunately, the answer is not as straightforward as we would like. While it is true that planks can help to increase your metabolic rate and burn more calories, this effect is relatively small compared to other forms of exercise.
In order to see significant fat loss results, you would need to plank for long periods of time or combine it with other exercises that are known to be more effective for fat loss. So while planks may not be the best choice if your sole goal is to burn fat, they can still be a valuable part of your workout routine.
Plank Benefits For Weight Loss
Although planks are not the ideal exercise for weight loss, there are plenty of other benefits that come with them.
- Planking strengthens your core muscles, helps improve posture and balance, and increases stabilization.
- It also tones your abdominal muscles and helps you maintain a healthy lifestyle. These factors can help to reduce stress levels and improve body confidence.
- It increases your metabolism, which can also help boost your weight loss efforts.
- Planking increases flexibility, allowing you to move more freely and with greater ease.
- Planking improves your shoulders’ strength by engaging and toning the muscles in your arms and shoulders.
- It strengthens your gluteal muscles, which helps reduce the likelihood of injury.
Final Words
All in all, planking can burn a few calories depending on your weight and the time of the plank, but it is not ideal for losing weight. However, it engages and strengthens your core muscles to achieve a slimmer waistline.
To maximize the benefits of planking for weight loss, be sure to add other exercises to burn more calories, and of course, maintain a balanced diet.
Frequently Asked Questions: (FAQs)
Are planks good for weight loss?
No, planks are not ideal for losing weight. While they can help you burn a few calories depending on your body weight and the time of the plank, they do not provide the same amount of calorie-burning potential as other cardio exercises such as running or swimming.
The real benefit of planking is the strengthening of core muscles. To maximize the benefits of planking, try adding other exercises that target abdominal muscles and maintain a balanced diet.
Do planks burn belly fat?
Planking can help strengthen the core muscles and lead to a slimmer waistline, but they do not directly target belly fat. To reduce your belly fat, you should focus on cardio exercises such as running, biking or swimming and maintain a healthy diet.
Adding planking to your routine can help strengthen and tone your abdominal muscles, but it is not the most effective way to lose belly fat.
How can I burn 1000 calories a day?
To burn 1000 calories a day, you should focus on high-intensity cardio exercises such as running, swimming, HIIT, rope jumping, or cycling. You can also try mixing up your routine with different exercises to keep it interesting and challenging.
