Tappity tap-ping in a plank today! I decided to play with the idea of tapping shoulders and tapping toes in a plank position, and came up with many variations, both low-impact and cardio! These moves involve your whole body, with a deeper focus on core and shoulders. If you choose to do the jumping options, you will also get some cardio in!
Start in a plank pose with your shoulders over your hands, feeling the engagement straight from the crown of your head, down your straight spine with your core activated, and all the way down your legs to your feet.
For all the moves, focus on keeping your plank form for safety and the most effective workout! When you start tapping legs and arms, it is easy to compromise this alignment and shift your hips and weight back and forth or stick your butt up in the air, but try to avoid this. Your weight will move a bit, but the more you engage your core muscles, the less this will happen and the more stable and strong you will be!
Start by tapping one leg out to the side, back to the center, and repeating on the other leg. Repeat this for a whole set (choose a number like 8, 16, or 20 depending on your time and intensity). Next, hold your feet back in plank and start to lift a hand and tap your opposite shoulder and repeat on the other side. Repeat for a set.
It may help to keep your feet stepped out a bit wider so you can keep your weight centered and avoid dipping your hips side to side. The goal is to be stable enough that you can hold your hand off the ground, rather than quickly lifting and setting it back down so you don’t fall.
The next variation is to take a tap of the feet out to each side, then a shoulder tap on each side. Do a set of these.
Now here is where it gets fancy and requires coordination! As you step out one leg, lift the opposite arm to tap the shoulder across your body (you will be tapping the shoulder on the same side of the moving leg). Repeat on the other side, and continue for a set. To take this up a notch and get some cardio, start to jump your feet out as if you were doing a plank jack, while continuing to alternate shoulder taps. Try this for a set!
I hope you enjoyed these variations and found some creative ways to spice up your workouts! P.S. The song is Do It by Chloe x Halle!