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My personal training clients always groan in despair when I program burpees, so sometimes I’m nice and let them do plank walkouts instead.
Like a burpee, it’s a challenging and effective full-body move, which tests your cardio, improves your mobility, strengthens your core and works your shoulder muscles.
I’m always trying to improve my mobility and strength, so I decided to add this exercise to my daily routine.
I did it 10 times a day, for 30 days in a row—here’s what happened.
My wrists got stronger
After doing plank walkouts for several days, I noticed that opening pickle jars and bottles felt easier.
This is probably because plank walkouts are great for wrist strength, as they force you to support your bodyweight on your hands, fortifying muscles around the joint.
I’ve struggled with tendonitis for nearly a decade and can sometimes find plank moves difficult.
However, I’m hoping that doing this move when I’m not in a flare-up will strengthen my wrists and ward off future issues.
My balance and core strength improved
Getting down to the floor and back up again—without excessively rocking my body side to side—challenged both my core muscles and my balance.
After a couple of weeks of doing the move, I noticed that I was finding it easier to do unilateral (one-sided) exercises, like a single-leg squat and lunges.
This could be influenced by other factors in my training, but I think my enhanced core strength and balance played a part.
My hip mobility improved
The plank walkout trains the body to hinge at the hips rather than round the back.
It’s a useful movement pattern to practice, as it’s something we do in everyday life and during strength moves like the deadlift.
After doing the exercise for 30 days, I was able to lean over the bath to wash my daughter’s hair more comfortably, without any aches or tension in my hips and lower back.
I also found my kettlebell swing technique improved as the hip hinge movement felt more intuitive.
It helped me lift heavier
I’ve been trying to increase the weight I can press overhead, and I was pleasantly surprised at how quickly doing regular plank walkouts helped.
This is because the plank walkout strengthened my shoulder muscles, which made the overhead press feel easier and more fluid.
After two weeks of doing the exercise, I went from shoulder pressing 10kg/ 22lbs to 12kg/26lbs. I’ve just ordered some new 14kg/31lb weights so I can keep progressing.
How to do a plank walkout
Sets: 1-3 Reps: 3
- Stand with feet hip-width apart.
- Hinge at the hips and place your hands on the floor.
- Walk your hands forward until you’re in a high plank position, with arms and legs straight and hands directly under your shoulders.
- Hold for a second, then walk your hands back toward your feet.
- Stand then repeat.
