Straight Arm or Elbow Plank

Snap a picture doing your favorite version of plank and send it our way!

As humans we ponder many great philosophical questions of life such as what is the meaning of life? Or can we trust our own memories?  What is time?  What is reality?  And now we can add should I be doing a straight arm or elbow plank (aka forearm plank)?  People always want to know which is harder.

The Answer

Apparently, the answer to this seemingly simple question is as mind boggling as all the rest. Making the  answer: BOTH.  Alternating between both is important because the body requires, likes, and benefits from variety.

Read a book or look online and most places will tell you a straight arm plank is harder, but not all agree.  Clearly, this is a mystery.   In my body, there is no doubt in my mind that an elbow plank is considerably more challenging.  Everybody is different. But here are the facts we have.

Facts

An elbow plank works your abdominal muscles more.  Everyone agrees on that and you can probably feel it for yourself if you compare planks.

Elbow plank is easier on the wrists.  So if your […]