plank

Plank is one of the most effective exercises to target your core and upper body. Here's an 18-minute circuit workout combining six different dynamic variations of the basic plank. If you're unsure how to do each one, check out the description below.

Plank Mountain Climbers: From straight arm plank position, draw your right knee into your chest, then quickly switch legs so your left knee is squeezing into the chest, and your left foot is in plank position. Continue running in place like this for one minute.

Elbow Plank With Donkey Kick: Begin in elbow plank position. Bend your right knee and pulse your heel up toward the ceiling for 30 seconds, and then switch legs.

Plank Jumping Jacks: In the classic straight arm plank position, jump your feet apart and back together. Complete for one minute.

Up-Down Plank: Start in straight arm plank. Lower your right elbow to the ground and then the left, coming ever so briefly into an elbow plank. Then straighten your right arm and then the left, returning to straight arm plank position. Repeat for one minute.

Side Plank Leg Lift: Rest on your right forearm and the outside edge of your right foot. Lift and lower your left leg for 30 seconds and then do another half minute of leg lifts on the left side.

Two-Point Plank: Begin in straight arm plank and extend the right arm and left leg. Draw your knee and elbow together under your body and then extend. Do for 30 seconds on each side.

The closest thing to a quick fix at the gym is the plank. In one move, this exercise helps you tighten and tone the entire body, thanks to balance and mere body weight. If the standard plank isn't challenging enough, upgrade it with a stability ball. This full-body exercise will target the abs while helping to improve upper-body strength too!

Here's how to do a plank using the Swiss ball:

• Start in plank position with your hands directly under your shoulders and shins placed on the ball.
• Do not allow the lower back to arch. Keep your feet, pelvis, and shoulders in one long line; make sure the core is engaged.
• Hold for as long as you can or until you break form. To mix it up, alternate between planks and crunches on the ball.

Tip: Make sure the ball is sized to your body. You should be able to sit on it with a 90-degree angle at both your hips and knees.

The best part about planks are the endless variations. After you get the basics of a plank down using a Swiss ball, try adding an additional pike or targeting your lower abs with a circling plank.

If you want to work your core, plank position (top of a push-up) is a great move. You'll not only feel it in your abs, but it works your back, arms, shoulders, and legs. Here are seven variations to make it even more challenging.

1. Get low: Instead of balancing on your hands in a straight-arm position, bend your elbows and lower onto your forearms into dolphin plank. This plank variation targets your core and arms even more. Be sure to engage your abdominals to prevent straining your lower back, and if it's too intense, lower one or both knees to the floor.
2. Get up, get down: Instead of holding in a straight-arm position or an elbow plank position, alternate between the two. To do the up-down plank exercise, begin in the basic plank position with arms and legs straight. Lower your right forearm to the floor, and then your left (now you're in elbow plank), then come back onto your right hand, and then onto your left. Repeat this for 10 reps, and then reverse directions, lowering the left forearm first and then the right and so on for 10 more reps. To effectively work your arms and core, keep your torso as still as possible and avoid rocking too much from side to side.

Keep reading for five more ways to challenge your plank.

Even with this mild Winter, we've still seen our fair share of snow in the mountains. And while Spring is just around the corner, late-season storms around the country have given us the gift of fresh powder. If you're planning a snowy mountain weekend anytime soon, here's a circuit workout that works your core, lower body, and balance — courtesy of Erick Northrup, a district fitness manager at Crunch and avid skier — to keep in your workout rotation before you head to the slopes.

Get the workout after the break!

No matter how you slice it or dice it, the BOSU makes everything harder — and I mean that in a good way. Take your basic plank, add the BOSU into the equation and your core is working overtime. Here's a progression of plank exercises for this devilish piece of equipment that I learned from my Equinox trainer Lauren.

1. Basic Plank: You start in a basic plank with the ball side of the BOSU facing down. This can be quite a challenge and an exercise unto itself. If just doing this plank variation, hold the position for 30 to 60 seconds, and repeat three times.
2. Knee Up: For an added challenge, while holding the plank pull your right knee to your chest and hold there for two or three seconds. Return to the plank, and switch legs for one complete rep. Do 10 reps altogether. You need to keep the BOSU stable throughout the exercise — that's what makes it tough.
3. Add a Twist: Start in plank, pull your right knee toward your chest, twist to the left, and kick your right leg out to straight. Reverse the action, untwist, bring knee to chest, then return to plank. Do 10 times on each side. This one is tough, but it makes more sense to your body on the second set. Do two to three sets of this move while keeping the BOSU stable.

We are pumped to share one of our fave stories from Self here on FitSugar!

Although most of the country is in a deep freeze, it's getting to be that time of year when we all freak out about getting in shape for summer. Always first to mind: our bloated-from-holiday-fun belly. We're constantly receiving mixed intel about how to workout our abs. So, we were psyched to pick up a copy of a new book The New Rules of Lifting for Abs by Lou Schuler and Alwyn Cosgrove, two of the most-respected fitness minds out there.

Based on the latest research and science, they share the ultimate plan for not only finding those flat abs, but also for ensuring that your abdominals succeed at their primary objective: To protect your spine.

Rule #1: Forget crunches — for good this time! "Crunches work if your goal is to add muscle mass to your midsection, and if you're will to work with enough weight, at a high enough intensity," says Schuler. "But who has the goal of a bigger waistline?" Umm . . . not us! According to Schuler the other problem with crunches is that they exacerbate problems with posture. "Most of us sit for long hours, day after day, week after week, year after year, hunching over communication devices that get smaller but demand a bigger slice of our time," he says. "The natural curve in our lower back starts to flatten out, and our shoulders round forward. If we were horizontal instead of vertical we'd look like we were doing one long crunch for eight to ten hours a day."
The bottom line: The best way to work you abdominal muscles — for bikini and health purposes — is to make them stabilize your spine in increasing challenging positions.

Here are three of Schuler's go-to moves to get you started:

The following post was written by New York-based trainer David Kirsch.

It’s Autumn in Manhattan, and the days are growing shorter by the minute. Although time is always of the essence for a busy New Yorker, you know you're in for a serious time crunch when even the New York minute seems to lose a few seconds.

Down in the dumps because you don't have enough time to exercise? Stop the clock, and give yourself a little credit. Even the most skilled of multitaskers have trouble accomplishing all on the daily checklist — especially when you think your wellness program requires you to devote 90 minutes to exercise!

Don't get me wrong, a well-rounded cardio and cardio sculpting routine is essential to getting your best body. With that said, the talent of getting in — and getting out — of the gym is a necessary skill for those with a hectic schedule. Learn to maximize your workout and get the same results with this ultimate cardio-sculpting circuit. You’ll feel an entire body burn, including your arms, abs, legs, and butt- with this fat-blasting sequence:

Practicing my signature combination moves will scorch the calories, burn the fat, and tone sexy, sinewy muscles . . . All in one workout! Now that’s a serious Kirsching! For more cardio-sculpting routines, you can find them in the Ultimate New York Body Plan.

Add these three time-saving moves to your next workout.

For more tips, recipes, and workouts, be sure to check out all of David's posts here on FitSugar.

When Lauren Conrad and the rest of The Hills cast want to get in top shape, they turn to celebrity fitness trainer Jarett del Bene. Watch our video to find out the celebrity workout plan he recommends to clients, as well as how to do two of his signature moves — "The Plank" for hot abs, and "The Squat and Press" for an allover body workout.