A clean 30 second plank beats a sloppy 2 minute one. The moment your form breaks, stop.
Breathe normally and steadily the whole hold. If you cannot talk, the position is too hard - drop to your knees.
Beginner · None
Move up when plank stops being a challenge.
Twenty seconds with a flat back beats two minutes with your hips sagging. Once you can hold 60 seconds cleanly, adding time stops doing much - move to a side plank or shoulder taps instead.
For most people, yes. A clean 60 second plank is a reasonable core benchmark for a healthy adult. The people holding five minutes are training for the number, not for anything useful.
The set is over. A sagging plank puts the load on your lower back instead of your core, which is where the ache afterwards comes from. Stop, rest, and start the next set shorter.
Which day to do Plank, how many sets, and what to pair it with - the AI builds the whole plan. Your first one is free.
Build My Free PlanThe most common ab exercise there is. Different from a sit up - here only your shoulders come up, not your whole back.
The most direct exercise for the lower abs - the area that is always the last to show.
This one hits the sides of your waist. Hold a water bottle and it gets a lot harder.
Everything on this page is worked out from a formula or from published averages. It has never met you, and it cannot see your blood pressure, your medication or an old injury.
Talk to a doctor before you start if you are pregnant or breastfeeding, have a heart condition, diabetes or high blood pressure, take regular medication, have or have had an eating disorder, are recovering from injury or surgery, or are under 18. Stop and get advice if any exercise causes pain, dizziness or chest discomfort.
More about where these numbers come from is on the about page.
