Core · Bodyweight · Isolation · Beginner
Plank
The plank is a hold on the forearms and toes with the body in a straight line. The abs and the rest of the trunk work to stop the hips sagging and the lower back arching, which coaches call anti-extension. It needs no equipment.
- Main muscles
- Core
- Also working
- Shoulders, Glutes
How to do it
- Set your forearms on the floor parallel to each other, elbows under the shoulders, and come up onto your toes so the body runs in a straight line from head to heels.
- Keep the neck neutral: chin slightly tucked, eyes on the floor just ahead of your hands.
- Brace the abs as if about to take a punch, tilt the pelvis slightly so the tailbone tucks under, and squeeze the glutes and quads. Press the forearms into the floor.
- Hold for short, hard sets of about 10 to 30 seconds, rest, and repeat, rather than one long loose hold.
Cues
Short phrases to think during a set.
- “Brace like you're about to be punched”
- “Tuck the tailbone, squeeze the glutes”
- “Push the floor away”
Common mistakes
- Letting the hips sag so the lower back arches. That moves the load off the abs and onto the spine; if your lower back starts to ache, end the set.
- Piking the hips up into an inverted V, which takes most of the work away from the abs.
- Chasing longer and longer holds with little tension. Past about a minute of good form, make the plank harder rather than longer.
The short version
The plank is used to teach bracing: holding the trunk stiff while the hips and shoulders stay still, which is the same job the abs do under a heavy squat or deadlift. How hard you hold it matters more than how long. Stuart McGill's approach of repeated short holds of around ten seconds is widely used, and the RKC plank (everything squeezed as hard as possible) makes even a short hold difficult.
Once a minute is easy, add difficulty instead of time: walk the elbows further forward, put a plate on your back, or move to body saws and shoulder taps. A plank covers one direction of core work. Side planks and anti-rotation work such as the Pallof press cover the others.
Why people do it
- Needs no equipment and very little space
- Teaches how to brace the trunk, which carries into squats and deadlifts
- Puts little load on the spine and scales from beginner to hard with a few variations
Drawbacks
- Adding time stops doing much quickly, and harder versions are needed to keep progressing
- Effort is hard to judge, so it is easy to hold one loosely and get little from it
- Trains only anti-extension; it needs side and anti-rotation work alongside it
- High-plank and long-lever versions can tire the wrists or shoulders before the abs
Sources
- Bret Contreras: The RKC Plank · Bret Contreras
- Hardstyle plank progressions · StrongFirst
- Rdella Training: How To Do The RKC/Hardstyle Plank · Rdella Training
Questions
How long should I hold a plank?+
Several hard holds of 10 to 30 seconds do more than one long, loose one. Once you can hold a fully braced plank for about a minute, longer holds mostly train endurance; make it harder instead.
Should my hips be high or low in a plank?+
Neither. Your body should form a straight line from head to heels.
What is an RKC plank?+
A plank where you squeeze everything as hard as you can: elbows pulled toward the toes, tailbone tucked, glutes, quads and abs tight. Held properly, 10 to 20 seconds is hard work.
Do planks give you abs?+
Planks strengthen the abs, but whether you can see them depends mostly on body fat, which is a matter of diet.
Variations
RKC Plank · Side Plank · Long-Lever Plank · Plank with Shoulder Taps · Weighted Plank · Body Saw
Other core exercises
- Overhead Stretch · Bodyweight
- Pallof Press · Cable
- Pallof Press With Rotation · Cable
- Plate Twist · Other
- Press Sit-Up · Barbell
- Reverse Crunch · Bodyweight
Written for this site from the sources listed above. Last reviewed October 20, 2026. How this site is put together · Report a mistake