My Flow....My 5 Plank Flow

June has come to an end and so has Marcia's plank challenge. We started off in May with planks. There weren't any rules save for a daily plank and a post to Instagram. Some folks planked for time and others (ahem, me) got all creative with their planks.

Because does it really matter what you do as long as you plank? Planks are the single best exercise you can do for your core. Oh sure, planks are great for the upper body, but if done properly, there is no better activity to strengthen your core.

There was some good-natured banter between Kim from Running on the Fly and me, and a few other blogger friends joined in. There were planks with dogs, planks in dresses, and we even upped the ante with planking in different settings. It was really fun!

In June, Marcia proposed a push-up challenge. The goal was to get to 100 push-ups by the end of the month. And really, since a push-up is really a plank, a lot of us continued to post plank pictures. I hit my goal of 100 push-ups last weekend while I was on vacation. I won't lie--it was hard. But I'm glad I did it.

For my final day of planking this month,  I did a 5 plank yoga flow. I wish I could take credit for the series, but that goes to my yoga instructor. He had no inkling that I was in need of a fresh idea for the end of the challenge! We did this flow in class Wednesday and I headed to the park to recreate it. It was the perfect ending to a really fun challenge.

This post assumes you have a basic knowledge of yoga. I've linked to a few articles to help you if you are unfamiliar with sun salutations and vinyasas. I've tried to include modifications to make the poses more accessable as well or more advanced. Throughout the series, remember to tighten your core and glutes and breathe! Reach your top hand to the sky and look towards your hand. Don't forget to smile! You know my motto: smiling makes everything feel easier! This is a fun, playful series!

To begin the series, start off by doing a few sun salutations to warm up the body. Once you feel adequately loose, you can move from downward dog into plank to start the flow. Hold each pose for at least 5 breaths. Repeat the series on the other side.

Plank pose

Move both feet together so your ankles are touching. Then roll onto the side of your right foot to side plank. If you can't balance with your feet stacked, you can modify by placing both of them on the ground.

Side plank

Open your legs to wide leg side plank. Make sure you hold your core tight and don't forget to breathe! If you are able to get your foot to your hand, you can toe lock your top leg. You can also place your top leg in tree pose or half lotus if that is accessible to you. And if you're in half lotus, feel free to bind!

Wide leg side plank

Flip to your back, placing your top leg on the ground and reaching your top hand behind you for wild thing. Try to reach your hand as far back as possible.

Wild thing--you make my heart sing!

Flip back over to forward facing plank. Slide your back leg under your top leg for cross-legged plank. You could also put your front toes on the ground, bending your knee to 90 degrees for kickstand plank.

Cross-legged plank

To close the series, bring your front leg back, put your top hand on the ground and resume plank. Do a vinyasa and perform the series on the opposite side.

Plank

I did make a video of the series as well. Unfortunately, I wasn't being mindful and I videoed myself using vertical orientation. So I apologize for that. But you can check out the whole flow here:

So, what's next? Well, Marcia has proposed a squat challenge for July. Time to work on the bootay, apparently. This could be fun! Are you joining us?

Did you plank or push-up the last couple of months with us? Did you notice if you got stronger? Will you be squatting with us?

I'm linking up with the DC Trifecta: Courtney, Mar, and Cynthia for the Friday Five!