Review of the Abdominal Exercise - The Elbow Bridge Plank

Balancing types of exercises are great to develop and strengthen your stabilizing muscles including those in your core. My earlier article discussed about the side planks and how they can benefit your core. You can build yourself up to do those side planks by doing the elbow bridge plank. These are simple exercises that will benefit your core and your oblique muscles (the side abdominal muscles). As a tip, it is great to do these balancing types of exercises towards the end of your workout when you are a bit tired. You will give your body and core a great workout. Here are some pointers and tips on the elbow bridge plank.

You will start by lying face down on the ground. You can use an exercise mat. Now, place your elbows and forearms underneath your chest. Then, you can prop yourself up to form a bridge using your toes and forearms- hence, the name: the elbow bridge plank. Your toes and your forearms are the only parts of your body touching the ground. You want to keep a flat back by tightening your core. You do not want your hips to sag towards the ground. Instead, you want to keep the "bridge" up. This exercise targets the core, hips, and back. You can hold the bridge position by focusing on keeping your abdominal tight. You can start by trying to hold this position for 10 seconds. Then, you want to hold for 30 seconds. Later, you can try to hold the bridge position for a minute. It is important to keep your posture good by keeping the bridge up. You must concentrate on tightening your abdominal muscles. After you hold the position for 10 seconds to a minute, you can go back down. Then, you can start the bridge position again. You can try to do this for 8-10 repetitions. You want to maintain your breathing by not holding your breath. You want to be in a relaxed state in your hands and face but in a tense state in your abdominal muscles and core. You want to engage your core so that it will be strengthened especially the stabilizing aspect of your core.

The elbow bridge plank is a great building block for you to get stronger in the side plank for our oblique muscles. You should try these balancing exercises to complement your full body workouts so that you can get those six pack, muscular, and defined core.


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