Abs

If you can hold a plank for a decent amount of time but don’t feel it in your abs, your core isn’t the one doing the work — something else is. Poor form, failing to engage the glutes, holding your breath, insufficient duration, and lack of focus are the most common reasons. Here are seven specific things to consider if you’re not feeling planks in your core and how to fix each one.

Shaking during planks is one of the most common experiences in core training — and it’s almost always a sign that your muscles are being genuinely challenged. Metabolic fatigue, weak muscles, poor form, CNS fatigue, and holding your breath are among the main causes. Here are twelve specific things to consider if your body shakes during planks, and what each one means for your training.

Tailbone pain during sit-ups is surprisingly common — and while it can feel alarming, it’s usually down to poor form, hard surfaces, or anatomical factors rather than anything serious. Incorrect spine alignment, sitting up too far, engaging the wrong muscles, and longer-than-average tailbone length are among the most common causes. Here are eleven specific tips to reduce tailbone pain during sit-ups and protect the area while still training your core effectively.

If your legs are hurting during planks, your core isn’t doing the job it should be. Poor spinal alignment, dropping hips, locking the knees, weak glutes, tight hip flexors, and holding the plank for too long are among the most common reasons. Here are twelve specific things to consider if your legs are taking the strain during planks and the adjustments that will finally get your core doing the work.

Shoulder pain during planks can stop what should be a straightforward core exercise in its tracks — and the cause is usually identifiable. Incorrect arm position, weak stabiliser muscles, poor form, extended plank overload, insufficient warm-up, and sagging hips are among the most common culprits. Here’s a thorough breakdown of why your shoulders hurt when doing planks and what to do to fix each cause.

Arm pain during planks is a surprisingly common complaint — and it’s usually down to positioning, tension, or a strength gap rather than anything serious. Arm placement too wide or narrow, clenched fists, incorrect forearm position, body weight, weak muscles, and insufficient warm-up are among the most common causes. Here’s a thorough breakdown of why your arms hurt when doing planks and what to do to fix each cause.

If your abs look less defined immediately after training them, you’re not imagining it — and it’s not a sign the workout failed. Water retention, inflammation, micro tears, the pump, increased plasma volume, and depleted glycogen stores all contribute to that temporary post-workout puffiness. Here’s a thorough breakdown of why your abs seem to disappear right after an ab workout and what each cause means for your training.

If your upper abs are visible but your lower abs remain stubbornly hidden, you’re dealing with one of the most common frustrations in fitness — and it almost always comes down to body fat distribution rather than a lack of training. The human body stores fat in the lower abdomen first and loses it from there last, by evolutionary design. Here’s a thorough breakdown of why you can only see your upper abs and the specific dietary, lifestyle, and training changes that will help reveal the rest.

If lying leg raises are burning your legs and hips rather than your abs, your core isn’t the one doing the work — and there are specific reasons why. Hip flexor dominance, poor technique, not keeping the back flat, using hands as leverage, tight hamstrings, and weak core muscles are the most common causes. Here’s a thorough breakdown of why lying leg raises hurt your legs more than your abs and what to adjust to fix it.

Hip flexor pain during ab exercises is one of the most common complaints in core training — and it usually means the hip flexors are compensating for a core that isn’t doing its job. Weak core muscles, poor form, tight hips, muscle imbalances, overtraining, and a sedentary lifestyle are among the most frequent causes. Here are sixteen specific tips to understand why your hip flexors hurt during ab workouts and how to fix the issue properly.