My personal training clients always groan in despair when I program burpees, so sometimes I\u2019m nice and let them do plank walkouts instead.<\/p>\n
Like a burpee, it\u2019s a challenging and effective full-body move, which tests your cardio, improves your mobility, strengthens your core and works your shoulder muscles.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n I\u2019m always trying to improve my mobility and strength, so I decided to add this exercise to my daily routine.<\/p>\n You may like<\/p>\n I did it 10 times a day, for 30 days in a row\u2014here\u2019s what happened.<\/p>\n My wrists got stronger<\/p>\n After doing plank walkouts for several days, I noticed that opening pickle jars and bottles felt easier.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n I\u2019ve struggled with tendonitis for nearly a decade and can sometimes find plank moves difficult.<\/p>\n However, I\u2019m hoping that doing this move when I\u2019m not in a flare-up will strengthen my wrists and ward off future issues.<\/p>\n My balance and core strength improved<\/p>\n Getting down to the floor and back up again\u2014without excessively rocking my body side to side\u2014challenged both my core muscles and my balance.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n This could be influenced by other factors in my training, but I think my enhanced core strength and balance played a part.<\/p>\n My hip mobility improved<\/p>\n The plank walkout trains the body to hinge at the hips rather than round the back.<\/p>\n It\u2019s a useful movement pattern to practice, as it\u2019s something we do in everyday life and during strength moves like the deadlift.<\/p>\n After doing the exercise for 30 days, I was able to lean over the bath to wash my daughter\u2019s hair more comfortably, without any aches or tension in my hips and lower back.<\/p>\n I also found my kettlebell swing technique improved as the hip hinge movement felt more intuitive.<\/p>\n