RelatedPosts
What Is a Dolphin Plank, and Why You Should Care
If you’ve never been in the presence of a dolphin plank, you’re lucky. A dolphin plank is a kind of yoga-based exercise, which is a combination of both a plank and bending exercises that puts the body to good strength, flexibility, and endurance tests. Instead of the traditional forearm plank, the dolphin plank changes the hips up and thereby involves a greater part of the body. Over the past week, I’ve included dolphin planks for my core workout and have already experienced remarkable results in my abs, shoulders, and amazingly, my hamstrings.
The dolphin plank is more like the downward dog pose but with your forearms on the floor than the classic plank where the body forms a straight line from head to toe. Believe me, it’s not as comfortable as it sounds.
How to Properly Perform a Dolphin Plank
To get yourself in the dolphin plank position, get down on all fours with your elbows under your shoulders and your core tightened. Crush your hands together and slowly bring your hips back and up, while keeping your legs straight and heels extended toward the mat. Your forearms are still in contact with the floor. There are two choices: gently put the crown of your head on the mat or maintain the head up to increase the challenge. Your hamstrings are tight–your knees can be slightly bent which is okay.
Remember: No arching through the lower back, and avoid rounding through the shoulders.
Here’s What Happened When I Committed to 7 Minutes a Day
My Shoulders and Abs Felt the Burn Immediately
I already knew that planks were a good way to train the core muscles, but this particular variation really amped it up. Even segmenting the seven-minute workout into one-minute segments made me feel the burn in all my shoulders, arms, and abs. Dolphin plank is one of the isometric movements, which implies that the muscles are under constant tension without being subjected to a large range of motion. The deep static hold effect that came on definitely was quicker than I anticipated.
My Hamstrings Weren’t Ready for This Stretch
The biggest surprise to me was how perfectly I felt the stretch in my hamstrings and calves. The fact that the hips are raised up and not in line with the shoulders, resulted in my back body receiving a good deal of flexibility. In my case, rather than being used as a stepping stone to headstands, dolphin pose in yoga inspired me to simultaneously work hard on my core and stretch out my tight legs.
My Shoulders Weren’t Ready for This
In consideration of a shoulder injury that I had in the past, I gave this challenge the attention it deserves. Dolphin plank is really demanding on the upper body, so even if you aim at sharing the weight between your arms and feet, your shoulders are still the most strained. It wasn’t long until I felt my shoulder fatigue by the fourth day. That is when I remembered to prioritize the form over the pain and to stop immediately in case of a sharp discomfort.
Break in the Middle of the Week Is All We Need
On the other hand, when Wednesday was here, I came to the realization that seven moments in a row was quite intense. So, I decided I could give myself some rest by taking breaks after each round. Starting on the following days, I started applying some gentle movements while at the same time I was doing the dolphin position. I was switching from one plank (forearm) to another without stopping to keep things always in the move. Mostly, it was a kind of cardio that I was feeling, and at the same time, it was allowing my shoulders to start all over again without actually taking a full rest.
The Importance of Breathing and Mental Toughness
This physical activity turned as well into a psychological test as it was a bodily one. My strategy was to maintain deep, slow breathing which helped me fight the muscle shaking that started around the fourth minute. When the seven days were over, I had a new perspective on my mind. The feeling of fear was replaced by it becoming an indicator of improvement.
That leads us to ask the question, Was It Really That Valuable?
It was really awesome! In just a week, my plank time and shoulder stability had seen a big change. It was possible for me to lift my hips up high, keep my center strong for a longer time, and even gave a try to walk my feet in towards my head, which is a significant step for people who are about to get into yoga inversions like a tripod headstand.
I never said this to get the message over that dolphin planks are… no way! This is something humorous about the fact that unnerving but stammering the field is the key to their cheerfulness. However, if a person wishes to challenge the core, develop shoulder strength and, at the same time, increase flexibility in the hamstring, this is a very simple and yet rewarding addition to their workout routine. Although seven minutes are not enough to have ripped abs in a single day, they will indeed pave the way for the building of strength, the improvement of energy, and the development of mental grit on a long-term basis.
Can a person like me who’s done something for 30 days without a day off? Sure, why not? As of now, I will be happy with the strong core that I have, and yes, I may even attempt and include dolphin planks in my week but leave off the… fight, to save that for some other time.
