Superman planks involve other muscle groups to increase the planks’ intensity.
Plank exercises stand out for their core-strengthening benefits. They’re powerful isometric exercises that boost endurance, strength, and fitness (1). For those aiming to fortify their core muscles to superheroic levels, the Superman plank — likely named for its resemblance to the iconic flying pose of DC Comics’ Superman — is an indispensable part of your workout arsenal.
This article explores the Superman plank in-depth, highlighting its primary benefits and the muscles it targets. It provides a detailed, step-by-step guide to executing this bodyweight exercise with perfect form. Moreover, for those looking to diversify their fitness routine, it suggests intriguing alternatives that target similar muscle groups and enhance strength. Let’s dive in below.
Techniques & Muscles Worked
The Superman plank is a bodyweight exercise that primarily works your abs, obliques, and posterior chain muscles. It also recruits other secondary muscles like the triceps, biceps, and deltoids. This exercise simultaneously challenges your balance, making it great for stability.
Superman planks are challenging to perform, especially if it’s your first time trying them out. One way to progress is to try perfecting a basic plank and holding that position for about 30 seconds before switching to this variation.
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This plank variation only requires adequate space. You don’t need gym equipment to perform this exercise anywhere and anytime. However, if you’re looking for more gains, you could use resistance bands or free weights like dumbbells and kettlebells to work your muscles harder. Below are step-by-step instructions highlighting how to do the Superman plank.
Start with your body in a high pushup position.
Keeping your back straight, place your palms on the floor and your toes at shoulder-width length.
Engage your core to prevent your back from dipping. This is your starting position.
Next, lift your left leg while extending your right arm forward. Stay in this position for about three to five seconds, then slowly lower your arm and leg back to the starting position.
Mirror the same movement, lifting your right leg and left arm forward. Stay in that position for the same number of seconds and return to the starting position to finish the rep.
Repeat for as many reps as you desire.
Benefits
The Superman plank is an isometric exercise that works multiple muscle groups. Here is a list of benefits of performing the Superman plank.
Target the Core and Posterior Chain
Performing the Superman plank requires a lot of balance and stability because you almost leave your body weight suspended. This tasks your core and posterior chain to keep the body in line, thus building and strengthening them. Building your core and posterior chain helps prevent injuries like lower back pain. It also improves your posture and helps with equal load distribution throughout the body.
Builds Your Endurance and Strength
The Superman plank recruits multiple muscles isometrically to keep the body in the right form. You’ll feel this exercise intensely after just a few seconds. Holding proper form until the seconds run out will help build muscle endurance and strength.
Addresses Muscle Imbalances
Superman planks are unilateral because the pose emphasizes one side of the body. This means you can use this exercise to identify your weaker side and correct that muscle and strength imbalance.
Better Mind-Muscle Connection
Doing the Superman plank requires a lot of concentration to keep the plank position right. Focusing on the target muscles builds your mind-muscle connection, which research shows effectively builds muscles during resistance training(2).
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Better Transitioning to Other Workouts
The Superman plank is an excellent full-body exercise for multiple muscle groups. It also builds and strengthens your core, posterior, and abdominals. When these muscles are stronger, they can improve your form in other exercises like deadlifts, squats, and lunges.
Superman Plank Alternatives
The Superman plank is a strength training exercise that works the whole body. However, it can’t be your only core-building routine; you must vary your exercise to avoid a training plateau. Here is a list of alternative exercises for building your core and upper body strength.
Hang Snatches
The hang snatch is an advanced strength training exercise that works the full body. You raise a barbell from your lower body to fully extend your arms over your head. This exercise also targets the core, posterior chain, and shoulders and works your chest.
Good Morning Squats
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The good morning squat is a compound exercise that builds your core and posterior chain. This workout provides the benefit of two exercises in one: good mornings and squats. Aside from working the upper and lower body muscles, good morning squats equally work and strengthen the knee and hip joints, which help with mobility and flexibility.
Mountain Climbers
Mountain climbers are isometric exercises that work your delts, core, arms, glutes, hamstrings, and quads. They can be done anywhere, just like Superman planks, because they don’t require any equipment. However, add resistance bands to your workout for more strength and muscle gains.
FAQs
How do you do the Superman plank?
The Superman plank requires no equipment but just your body to execute. It’s a pretty laborious exercise, but with adequate practice using the traditional plank, you can easily transition to it quickly. Check out the exercise guide above for a how-to of the Superman plank.
How long should you do Superman plank?
The length of the Superman plank depends on your endurance or strength. However, because each hand requires balance and stability, you can hold it for three to five seconds before switching to the other hand. The exercise guide above provides more details about this.
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How do you do the Superman exercise step by step?
The Superman plank is a strength training bodyweight exercise. Your first step is to assume a plank position and then hit the Superman pose. The above article provides a comprehensive step-by-step guide to executing this exercise using the right form.
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References
Park, S. K., Lee, K. S., Heo, S. J., & Jee, Y. S. (2021). Effects of High Intensity Plank Exercise on Physical Fitness and Immunocyte Function in a Middle-Aged Man: A Case Report. Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania), 57(8), 845. https://doi.org/10.3390/medicina57080845
Calatayud, J., Vinstrup, J., Jakobsen, M. D., Sundstrup, E., Brandt, M., Jay, K., Colado, J. C., & Andersen, L. L. (2016). Importance of mind-muscle connection during progressive resistance training. European journal of applied physiology, 116(3), 527–533. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-015-3305-7
I love many different herbal teas just as much as I enjoy a good old-fashioned British cup of PG tips, Earl Grey, or Glengettie — a Welsh favorite from the rolling valleys where I was born. In an interesting study, researchers explored whether drinking green or matcha tea can improve sports performance and exercise recovery, and the results might have you reaching for a vibrant green drink. If you want to get straight to the results, the short answer is that drinking green and matcha tea can support hydration, body fat control, and exercise recovery. Still, it definitely won’t be a game-changer when it comes to your performance in the gym, on the court, or on the field.
Hydrating with tea
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In a study published in Nutrition and Food Technology, researchers reviewed existing studies of athletes and active adults that focused solely on drinking tea — no pills or extracts. They revealed that green or matcha tea can help hydrate the body when consumed in normal amounts. Tea counts toward your daily water intake.
Antioxidants and recovery
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The research highlighted how the widely-studied antioxidants in green and matcha tea can improve exercise recovery and help protect your cells from the stress associated with intense exercise. That said, the research shows that drinking tea won’t lead to faster or better strength gains, so it’s no silver bullet for helping you achieve your fitness goals. However, they also concluded that low-caffeine green tea could even improve sleep quality, which I would argue could potentially help you power through that workout if you’re getting better sleep the night before.
Linked to lower body fat
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Interestingly, the study authors also concluded that drinking around two or three cups of green or matcha tea per day was associated with slightly lower body fat and improved body composition and fat burning. While the effects weren’t overly significant, they were noted in the research. Cup of tea, anyone?
Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour was a feat few artists could imagine. Spanning 632 days from March 2023 to December 2024, the tour included 149 shows across five continents and became the highest-grossing tour in history. Behind the glittering performances, Swift relied on an intense and meticulously planned exercise routine to sustain the stamina required for her marathon three-and-a-half-hour concerts.
Preparing for a Physical Marathon
Before the tour began, Swift recognized the physical challenge she was about to face. “I never would’ve believed you if you told me we were doing a three-and-a-half-hour show. Saying it is one thing, doing it is another,” she admitted in the Disney+ docuseries The End of an Era. For comparison, her longest previous show had lasted just two hours and 15 minutes.
To meet these demands, Swift began training six months ahead of her first rehearsal. Her daily treadmill sessions mirrored the tempo of the songs she would perform live, with faster tracks prompting running and slower songs calling for brisk walks or light jogging. “You just don’t want them to see you panting,” she explained to TIME.
Strength and Conditioning Regimen
While cardio built endurance, strength training ensured she could perform high-energy choreography without fatigue. Under the guidance of longtime trainer Kirk Myers, Swift tackled exercises such as battle ropes, medicine ball throws, assisted pull-ups, sledgehammer workouts, leg raises, and Russian twists. Myers described her as “the most resilient person I have ever met,” highlighting her ability to persevere through challenging workouts.
— swifferupdates (@swifferupdates)
Swift’s humor surfaced even during difficult exercises. “In no way do I ever apply this … at any point in the show, I just want to flag that as I do every time I have to do pull-ups. Strong dislike. Two thumbs down,” she said, referring to resistance band-assisted pull-ups. She jokingly attributed her increasing strength to “all the pent-up rage and resentment” she felt toward the moves.
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Dance Training and On-Stage Precision
Beyond the gym, Swift committed three months to dance rehearsals with choreographer Mandy Moore to ensure every move was second nature. “I wanted to be so over-rehearsed that I could be silly with the fans, and not lose my train of thought,” she shared with TIME. The precision extended to rapid costume changes, often completed in under 1 minute and 15 seconds, with the fastest taking just 39 seconds.
Swift ran an estimated eight miles per show while performing over 40 songs that spanned her musical eras. High-cardio sections, including the 1989 and Reputation sets, were particularly demanding. Yet she described the physical challenge as secondary to the personal purpose the tour provided, especially during a period marked by two breakups.
I’ve been working out for years and I can do sit-ups in my sleep—but I still struggle to activate my core.
I’ve always found it difficult to build strength in this area, until a trainer recommended trying a standing exercise called the Pallof press.
The move primarily targets your core muscles, but trainer Monty Simmons says it’s a full-body exercise.
“You’re actually integrating your arms and shoulders—along with your hips and your legs, because you’re standing on them—so it becomes a full-body exercise,” Simmons explains.
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“It’s training your body to resist something that’s trying to pull you off balance and make you unstable. The benefit is that it trains your core to be able to resist rotational force.”
Simmons explains that building this kind of rotational strength will translate to everyday movements, such as lifting things and turning to put them on a counter.
How to do a Pallof press
How To Do A Pallof Press – YouTube
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Sets: 2-4 Reps: 8-15 each side
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Loop a resistance band around a fixed point and stand side on to it.
Hold the resistance band in both hands in front of your chest with your elbows bent and pressed into the sides of your ribs, then sidestep away from the anchor point until there’s tension in the band.
Press your hands forward until your arms are fully extended.
Do all your reps on one side, then switch sides.
My experience doing the Pallof press for six months
I added the Pallof press to my workouts in the summer and I’ve noticed huge improvements in my core strength and my ability to engage these muscles.
At first, I couldn’t feel my core switch on when doing the Pallof press, because I was allowing my upper body to move too much.
When I focused on keeping my torso strong and steady, I felt this move immediately in my abs and obliques.
I mainly do this movement at the gym using the cable machine, but I’ve found it can be done at home with a long resistance band looped around a fixed point, too.
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Theraband Resistance Bands Set (easy)
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Theraband Resistance Bands Set (medium)
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I perform it as slowly as possible to increase the time my core muscles are under tension.
It doesn’t feel as challenging as crunches, but it has helped me learn how to recruit my core muscles, which has helped me perform other moves like squats and deadlifts.
Having done the move for six months, I can confidently say my core strength has also improved. I can do more repetitions of the Pallof press now and I find other core moves like the plank easier.
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I’d recommend it to anyone who wants to learn how to engage and strengthen their core.
