Leisure Beam

b) An activity consisting of lying face down in an unusual or incongruous location. Then taking a photograph and posting it on the Internet.

Since planking is one of the most famous fad photo memes you probably guessed the first picture is B, planking, and the second picture is A, the painful ab exercise. Participating in either of these can be considered leisure. If during your free time you feel inclined to contribute to an ever growing community and photo album, or get one of those six packs everyone keeps talking about.

Planking: This photo fad was certainly not the first (especially since it’s based of a European photo fad called the lying down game), but it did become the most famous and well known. Contributions, songs, videos, celebrity participation were on the rise for a long time. Planking became controversial when Acton Beale, a 20 year old from Brisbane, Australia, plunged to his death during a planking attempt off his seventh floor balcony. Since then planking and photo fads have become less popular. Which gives me a good opportunity to mention, like anything, safety comes first.

The Plank: Similarly the plank was not the first ab exercise. When fitness researchers discovered sit-ups and crunches to be rough on peoples backs the plank became the staple ab workout.

How to:

1. Lie face down on mat resting on the forearms, palms flat on the floor.
2. Push off the floor, raising up onto toes and resting on the elbows.
3. Keep your back flat, in a straight line from head to heels.
4. Tilt your pelvis and contract your abdominals to prevent your rear end from sticking up in the air or sagging in the middle.
5. Hold for 20 to 60 seconds, lower and repeat for 3-5 reps.

*Yes I recognize I’ve left out “the plank” as in pirate ships and “walk the plank” but maybe I’ll get a chance to do a whole post on that one.

Whichever plank(ing) you choose to do have fun, and be safe. You can visit planking.me for the official photo fad website, or about.com for more information on the plank.