Plank · Bodyweight
How to hold a plank longer
How to hold a plank that actually works, the ladder from knees to a long lever, how to train for time, and the 7-day plank chart to follow with friends.
The movement
How to do one properly.
Every rep the same shape, so the numbers mean the same thing on day thirty as on day one.
- 1
Forearms on the floor, elbows directly under your shoulders, hands flat or lightly fisted.
- 2
Push the floor away so your upper back is full, not sunk between your shoulders.
- 3
Squeeze your glutes and pull your ribs down. Your body is one line from head to heels.
- 4
Breathe. Short, steady breaths; holding your breath is not bracing.
- 5
Stop the clock the moment your hips sag or lift. The seconds after that do not count for much.
The way up
How to hold a plank longer
Rung 1
Knees
Forearms and knees, hips still in line. Build to sixty seconds.
Rung 2
Forearm
The standard plank. Sixty seconds, clean, is the first real milestone.
Rung 3
High
On your hands. Harder on the shoulders, easier to cheat; keep the ribs down.
Rung 4
Long lever
Elbows a hand's width further forward than your shoulders. Thirty seconds here is strong.
Rung 5
One limb
Lift an arm or a leg, or both opposite ones. Alternate sides, keep the hips level.
Hold for less, more often. Three sets of forty hard seconds build more than one slumped three-minute hold, and the clock is only honest if the position is.
Add ten seconds a week to each set. When you reach two clean minutes, go up a rung rather than on with the clock; a longer lever at sixty seconds is a harder plank than a short one at four minutes.
Planks can be daily. Put them at the end of a session or on their own, but never after you are already tired enough to let the hips go.
How it is counted
On the board, however it got there.
No watch counts plank, so nobody's does. Say it out loud in the app or type it in, and it lands the same as a synced session.
Worth 0.3 points per second in the app, so a challenge can weigh it against anything else you count.
Questions
Asked about planks
How long should I be able to hold a plank?
Sixty seconds, clean, is a fair target for most people, and two minutes is strong. Beyond that the exercise stops being about the stomach and starts being about boredom. Make it harder instead of longer.
Why is it counted in seconds, not minutes?
Because that is how the app scores a plank. Two minutes is 120 on the chart and on the board.
Does it count from my watch?
No watch counts plank, so nobody's does. Say it out loud in the app or type it in, and it lands the same as a synced session.
Is there a chart to follow?
Yes. The 7-day plank challenge is written for exactly this: a number for every day, a rest when it is earned, and a way to run it with friends in the app.
Is it free?
Yes. The athlete app is free: logging, challenges and every guide on this site. Coaches pay for their workspace; the people they coach do not.
Other exercises
Everything else we count.
Push up
How to do more push ups
Pull up
How to do more pull ups
Squat
How to do more squats
Sit up
How to do more sit ups
Dip
How to do more dips
Burpees
How to do more burpees
Lunges
How to do more lunges
Jumping jacks
How to do more jumping jacks
Skipping
How to skip rope longer
Extensions
How to do more back extensions
Battle ropes
How to last longer on battle ropes
Running
How to run further
Cycling
How to ride further
Swimming
How to swim further
Rowing
How to row further
Steps
How to walk more steps every day
Hiking
How to hike further
Football
How to get fitter for football
Basketball
How to get fitter for basketball
Tennis
How to get fitter for tennis
Dancing
How to build stamina for dancing
Yoga
How to make yoga a daily habit
Do more planks.
Let someone see it.
Get the app, log what you did or let your watch send it, and hand your friends the code.