Plank

• Core
• Beginner-friendly
• Timed — 30 seconds per set

The plank is an isometric core hold: forearms and toes on the floor, body in one straight line, abs braced.

It teaches the skill every other core move depends on — keeping the trunk rigid while you breathe. Beginners can start on knees and build up; a good hold ends when the straight line breaks, not when the clock says so.

How to do it

1. Rest on forearms and toes, elbows under shoulders.
2. Keep your body in one straight line from head to heels.
3. Brace your core and hold; don't let your hips sag.

Breathing: Take slow, even breaths through the hold.

Common mistakes

• Letting the hips sag toward the floor as the minutes add up.
• Piking the hips up into a tent to take the load off the abs.
• Craning the neck up to watch the clock instead of looking at the floor.

Form tips

• Push the floor away so your upper back stays broad instead of sinking between the blades.
• Squeeze your glutes to tilt the pelvis and take the strain off your lower back.
• End the hold when the straight line breaks, not when the clock says you're done.

Muscles worked

Alternatives with the same focus

• Bird Dog
• Dead Bug
• Straight-Arm Plank

Where it appears in the 30-day plan

Programs in the app that schedule this movement:

• Core & Abs
• Lower Belly
• Love Handles
• Upper Abs