You might be wondering if it’s safe to do planks after eating a big meal. Well, some people assume that if they exercise on an empty stomach, they’ll lose weight faster. However, to gain the most benefit from a plank workout, you need to good timing and the right fuel in your system for your muscles to function at peak levels.
If you’re eating a meal and you want to do a plank, that’s fine. However, if you’re looking to build a long-term fitness habit, it might be wiser to wait until at least two hours after you have eaten a meal. The reason for this is because the stomach when full may cause bloating and cramping in your stomach muscles.
Since plank time is so important for muscle growth, here’s some advice on how to do planks safely after eating and which muscles you should be targeting when doing planks.
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Is Plank Exercise an Aerobic or Anaerobic Workout?
Is It Ok to Plank After Eating?
If you’ve eaten recently and are doing the plank as part of a workout routine, there’s no reason why you can’t do it after eating.
However, if you’re trying to lose weight, it’s best not to eat anything too heavy before doing your planks because this will make it harder for your body to burn off any fat stores.
Planks are a great way to strengthen your core muscles and improve your balance. But they also leave you in a position of weakness when it comes to sitting or standing upright.
If your goal is to get leaner or stronger, then doing planks after meals may not be the best choice for you.
What Happens if You Exercise After Eating?
If you’re eating to satisfy your hunger, it’s OK to exercise afterward. But if you’re exercising to burn calories, don’t eat right before or during the workout.
The calories in food will slow down how efficiently your body uses stored fat as fuel. You may also feel bloated or uncomfortable while working out.
The best time to eat is when you’ve finished exercising and are starting to cool down – about an hour after you stop moving. This gives your body time to digest food without slowing down its fat-burning process too much. (And make sure you’re hydrating properly.)
What Is the Best Time to Do Planks?
The best time to do planks is whenever you want!
If you want to work on building up your core strength and stability, then planks are an ideal exercise for you. The plank is a difficult exercise that requires a lot of core strength and control. It also helps to improve your balance and coordination.
You can perform planks at any time of day, but they’re best done after a workout or on days when you don’t have much else planned. This will help ensure that you dedicate all of your energy towards performing this movement correctly without having to worry about anything else.
If you’re looking for some other exercises to use with planks, here are some ideas:
Stability Ball Rollouts :These help increase your range of motion while improving your core strength in the process
Medicine Ball Pull-Throughs :These are like reverse crunches but with a medicine ball! They’ll help build up your lower abs and obliques as well as providing some extra stability training for your spine.
Should Planks Be Done on Empty Stomach?
There is a lot of debate about whether it’s better to do your workout on an empty stomach or after eating.
The general consensus is that it is better to work out on an empty stomach when you are trying to lose weight.
Why? Because if you eat before working out, then your body will use the calories in the food as fuel instead of burning fat for energy.
However, if you are trying to build muscle mass, then consuming some protein after/before exercise will help with recovery and growth.
What to Eat After Doing Planks?
Here are five foods that will help you recover after doing planks:
Avocados: Avocados contain healthy fats that help improve digestion and replenish nutrients after a strenuous exercise session.
Apples: Apples are loaded with antioxidants, which help remove free radicals from your body and prevent cell damage.
Protein shakes: Protein shakes can be made easily by adding one scoop of protein powder to 8 oz water or almond milk. They’re an excellent choice for recovering from workout sessions because they provide essential amino acids that aid muscle growth and repair.
Eggs: Eggs contain several vitamins and minerals that are important for rapid recovery after exercising such as vitamin D, calcium, potassium and iron. They also contain amino acids that help build lean muscle mass faster than other sources of protein such as meat or soy products!
Nuts & seeds: Nuts and seeds are rich in healthy fats that promote heart health by lowering cholesterol levels
Can I Workout an Hour After Eating?
You can work out an hour after eating, but you need to be smart about it.
If you’re trying to lose weight, the best time to exercise is in the morning before breakfast. However, if this isn’t feasible for you, it’s perfectly fine to exercise after eating.
There are some things that you should consider before deciding whether or not you should eat before exercising:
Your workout intensity level: If you’re going to engage in a high-intensity workout (such as sprinting or heavy lifting), then it’s probably not a good idea to eat beforehand because it could leave you feeling light headed and nauseous during your workout.
If this is the case, then make sure that you have something with low sugar content so that the blood sugar spike doesn’t affect your performance too much.
Some examples of foods that are good pre-workout snacks include nuts and seeds, fruit without added sugar and Greek yogurt with honey or fruit puree added in.
Are Planks Good for Strengthening My Core?
Planks are excellent for strengthening your core muscles – the muscles in the front of your body that support your spine and help keep you upright when standing or sitting up straight (like abs).
The more weight you have on top of these core muscles during planks, the harder they have to work. This makes planks great for building strength and endurance in these important core muscles.
It also helps build balance because it requires you to stabilize yourself on one hand and foot at a time( side planks) while keeping your body straight like an arrowhead pointing straight ahead!
Frequently Asked Questions
Is It Safe to Do Planks After Eating?
Generally yes. Planks are considered a “core” exercise, and the core is used in almost every activity we do. If you want to get the most out of the plank, however, wait at least 2 hours after eating before doing one. You should also avoid doing planks immediately after any intense exercise or physical activity.
How Long Should I Hold a Plank?
The guidelines for proper form when holding a plank vary but anywhere from 30 seconds to 5 minutes is good. Personally, I like to see people hold their planks for 60-90 seconds before moving on to other exercises (or resting). You should feel yourself getting tired within that time frame, but not so much that you can’t continue on with good form.
Do I Have to Do Planks on My Elbows or Knees? Can I Do Them on My Hands Instead?
You can do planks in any position you find comfortable . As long as you’re engaging your core muscles and keeping your body straight,
Conclusion
In summary, eating after planks is safe, but you may feel more bloated than normal if you have a full meal.
It’s generally a good idea to space out exercise and food, so it’s best to wait at least two hours between meals and exercise, and four hours or more between dinner and going to bed.
And if you are concerned about feeling overly full after doing planks, it’s probably best to reduce your overall portion size for the meal prior.
REFERENCES
How long you should wait to exercise after eating and the best foods to fuel your upcoming workout: https://www.insider.com/guides/health/fitness/exercise-after-eating
How long after eating can I exercise?
https://www.today.com/health/it-ok-exercise-after-eating-it-depends-experts-say-t31581
How Long Should You Wait to Workout After Eating?
https://www.glamour.com/story/health-do-or-dont-do-you-exerc
These Exercises After Eating Too Much Will Make You Feel Better, Stat
https://www.shape.com/fitness/tips/exercise-after-eating-too-much
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