Many of you who have read many of my previous articles about core strength or core stability will know I am not a big fan of the popular plank exercise. I have even written a detailed article (7 exercises better than the plank) discussing how over-used this exercise is and how you can find many so many better ways to train your core than the plank. However, many people believe I contradict myself by saying that the side plank is a good choice for I regularly use it and see it as a great exercise for improving core stability. There are several reasons I suggest this and in this article I will explain why I rate this exercise so highly. I will also show you how to gradually progress from a simple exercise to a more functional movement to ensure you get the most out of it. Enjoy.

This is an interesting question for there are many different ways I could answer this. Like most things with health and fitness there is no definitive only way to achieve good results and this is a classic example. Some people believe more is better and a workout is not worth it until you have worked out for 60-90 minutes, developed a massive sweat, and feel totally exhausted. Whereas, others think that 30 minutes is all you need and it is more about quality than quantity. The answer lies somewhere in between the two but in a way both assumptions are correct. It all depends on the type of workout you are completing, and what the objective of the training session is. In this article, I will try to explain the different types of workout objectives and how long a session should last depending on the training goal in mind to maximise your time and effort.

We all know that lifting weights will make your muscles become stronger but the question that often comes up is – do you need to take every set to complete failure to get the most out of your training? Just like most questions relating to health and fitness the answer is not that simple and to find what works best for you it requires a better understanding of how to use the appropriate amount of intensity with your training. For example, the difference between taking a set of squats with 1-3 reps to failure versus a set of 12-15 reps to failure is significant in many ways. In this article, I will look more closely at what it means to take a set to failure and provide you with my suggestion of how to get the most out of your workouts without posing risk of injury to your body.