I always tell people to KEEP MOVING but one of the best exercises you can do involves no movement at all. I’m talking about planking. Planking may seem like a fad when world leaders are doing it (remember Canada’s Prime Minster Trudeau planking on a desk?) and the world record for longest plank is over 9.5 hours. But the research on the benefits of planking is so significant that the US army swapped out sit ups for planks this year!

Benefits of Plank

What they found is young recruits flinging themselves up and down to crank out as many sits ups as possible were injuring their backs, using other muscles besides their abdominals, and basically by-passing the ab muscles. (I should note: sit ups don’t have to be a bad exercise when performed with proper form, but at superspeed it’s hard to do them properly.)

In plank, no other muscle is going to pick up the slack. Your abs are going to do the work, or they are not. According to research, planks activate more ab muscles and engage them more intensely than sit ups. So, you build strength, definition, and endurance. Holding plank also plays a role in improved posture. And though you might feel fatigued while you do plank it doesn’t fatigue your muscles in a way that prevents you from planking tomorrow. So, you can plank every day. Isn’t that great news?

Proper Plank Form

But form is key. So how do you do a proper plank?

You will be propped up on your forearms (arms making a triangle or parallel—the latter is harder, and the army accepts the former, so triangle position is totally acceptable), toes curled under, lift your knees off the ground and hold a straight line—heels, hips, head. You DO NOT want to let your hips sag. That is going to hurt your back. But nearly every other option is a modification. You also want to think about your shoulders. You don’t want to sag between your shoulder blades. So, think of actively pushing the floor away with your forearms and spreading your shoulder blades apart.

Modifications for Plank

One of the many great things about plank is that is has so many modifications and variations that you can really work to your level and build up to a full plank over time. People often think brining their hips too high is wrong. It’s not proper form, and you won’t pass the Army’s physical fitness test, but it is a modification that won’t aggravate your back. It’s one way to build up. You can also drop your knees to the floor (with weight on your lower thigh, never right on your kneecaps). You can also do a straight arm (making the plank easier to hold, but tougher on your wrists if you have wrist issues).

Plank & Back Pain

Got low back pain? Research has shown people with chronic low back pain tolerate planks really well (better than sit ups or side plank), so it can be a useful tool to strengthen the core (much needed when the back hurts) without causing more discomfort. But remember form is key—bad form will hurt the back.

How long you need to plank is debated but most experts agree 30-90 seconds is the ideal sweet spot and more than two minutes doesn’t provide any addition gain. So, if you like holding plank longer than two minutes, you certainly get bragging rights, but you might not be doing anything worthwhile.

Even short ten second planks, repeated multiple times are a great way to build strength without getting hurt.

Thirty seconds can still feel like an eternity when you’re planking so people often dread it. To help with that I try to entertain my classes with plank stories—travel mishaps and hopefully relatable, funny family tales. Since COVID I’ve been sharing these online, so now you can access plank stories too (some go longer than 2 minutes—so don’t feel you have to hold longer).

Find them on Facebook or YouTube and start planking today!

Remember, movement should be fun and feel good. So, if plank isn’t fun, you need a story. And if plank doesn’t feel good, reconsider your form…maybe you need to alter it to a way that makes the move feel better and build from there.

CT Live

Plank Stories

Keep Reading

Check out all the cool places you can plank like Maggie here!

Read a classic Plank Story now: Do You Fart in Your Sleep?

Keep Connected

Order Your Copy of Keep Moving Today!

Subscribe to the Keep Moving Blog

Like the Personal Euphoria Facebook page

Find us on Twitter

Follow me on Instagram

Subscribe to my YouTube Channel