So, there’s a little story behind this one. I spend a lot of time helping beginner and seasoned trainee’s with their questions about health, fitness, and training at the Burn The Fat: Inner Circle fat loss support community. I’ve been a contributor and forum moderator there since 2006, and in that time I’ve met some pretty cool people. I’ll be honest and up front when I say that one of my personal favorite members is a woman named Jan, who is the ring leader of the Siffer-Ladies!
The front elbow plank sans grimacing face.
Now, don’t let the cutesy name fool you – these ladies are not your average gym trainee’s. When I picture the Siffer-Ladies showing up at the gym, it’s like an old Western movie where everyone clears out of the bar when the outlaws arrive. The Siffer-Ladies are notorious fitness outlaws! While the so-called “civilized” women are barely breaking a sweat on the Elliptical machine while watching Oprah, the Siffer-Ladies are cranking out endless reps of alligator crawls, ab wheel rollouts, pushups, pullups and partner wheelbarrow walking. They’re hardcore – pure and simple. Some people in their gym even think they’re crazy (I can relate to that!).
Jan has been somewhat of a training disciple of mine and she’s built some pretty impressive fitness levels over the years using mostly bodyweight training. You see, Jan is a lifestyle fitness trainee. She’s found something that works for her, and she’s been sticking with it for years. She trains because she loves it… in a sick sort of way (again, I can relate!).
Every once in awhile, the Siffer-Ladies come up with some crazy idea like holding a plank for 5 minutes straight. I don’t know what possesses them… it’s like they just have an insatiable hunger for self-inflicted torment and indescribable agony – and I give in every time. Jan contacted me a couple weeks ago asking for advice about getting from 3 minutes to a 5 minute plank. After offering her some suggestions, I’ve been thinking about it ever since. I’ve never had any of my clients do a plank for longer than 3 minutes, and I’ve never done one longer than that either. It’s uncharted territory. So, you know me… I just had to know if I could do it myself!
I’ll be honest, I had my doubts if I’d be able to complete the 5 minute plank test since I haven’t done any specific plank training in years, but I set my mind to the task and here’s what it looked like…
The 5 Minute Plank For Core Strength, Stability, and Rock-Hard Abs
If you’re so inclined, there are a lot of ways to build up to that level and beyond it. The obvious way is to practice more plank exercises like the ones above (and there are many other common variations, too). You can incorporate set/rep schemes throughout your training sessions, or just practice periodically throughout the day (grease the groove technique). You can do pyramid sets, supersets, circuits, or straight sets. The choice is yours, and ultimately your goals will dictate which approach you should take. If you have specific goals, and would like a suggestion, let me know in the comment section below.
The plank routine exercises are:
- front elbow plank (FEP)
- FEP w/ right arm elevated
- FEP w/ left arm elevated
- FEP w/ right leg elevated
- FEP w/ left leg elevated
- right arm and left leg elevated
- left arm and right leg elevated
- right side plank
- left side plank
- right side plank with leg up
- left side plank with leg up
- top of pushup position (TOPP)
- TOPP w/ right arm up
- TOPP w/ left arm up
- TOPP w/ right leg up
- TOPP w/ left leg up
- TOPP w/ right arm and left leg up
- TOPP w/ left arm and right leg up
- right side plank, elbow locked
- left side plank, elbow locked
Here’s a guide for estimating the duration:
- 3 seconds per exercise = 1 minute total
- 6 seconds per exercise = 2 minutes total
- 9 seconds per exercise = 3 minutes total
- 12 seconds per exercise = 4 minutes total
- 15 seconds per exercise = 5 minutes total
If you can hold a front elbow plank for at least 30 seconds, and are skilled enough to hold each other position for a short time, then you’re ready to put it all together in a circuit fashion like the above routine. The fastest way to build up to a 5 minute or longer plank is to work very incrementally on the above exercises – adding only 1 second to each drill at a time, and practicing until it isn’t very difficult (Rating of Perceived Exertion under 6/10).
Do keep in mind that you don’t need to follow the above routine verbatim. You can create your circuit any way you like – picking any number of exercises and any duration. You can even add rest times in if you’d like. It’s all dependent on your goals and how much you want to challenge yourself.
Update (8/4/2010):
Upon seeing the above video and trying out the routine, the Siffer-Ladies challenged me to a 5 minute static plank – top of pushup position. Here is my challenge entry… Yes, I know it’s a long, uneventful video, with the exception of some elevated breathing, and shaky limbs towards the end, but here it is anyways.
If you’re half as crazy as the Siffer-Ladies, you’ll muster up the courage to test yourself and post your results below.
.jpg "John Sifferman")
CST, CST-KS, NSCA-CPT
Fitness Professional
P.S. I don’t offer online training, and the only way to get access to me as an online personal trainer is through the Burn The Fat: Inner Circle. I login to the forums almost daily to answer questions. Questions directed to me will be emailed to me by another forum moderator if I haven’t answered it within a day or two. So, if you’d like some regular feedback about your training, nutrition, or fitness lifestyle, then becoming a member at the Inner Circle is your best chance for getting direct access to me…
Not to mention being a part of the most supportive online community for fitness goals with an entire army of trainers, coaches, and other expert columnists at your fingertips. Plus, we have 2 fitness challenges every year (in which I am on the judging panel) with prizes that range from cool fitness gear to luxury trips to exotic locations like Jamaica or Hawaii – free registration to the contest comes with an IC membership. If you’d like to super-charge your social support system, then sign-up at the Inner Circle today. Just watch out for those Siffer-Ladies in the progress journals section!
Question about abs workout, planks and pregnancy.
Hello! Thank you so much for your great website. I’ve started training last September (from nothing to not so bad fitness). But I’ve still have a lot of work to do before considering me “in shape”. I’ve discovered a month ago that I was pregnant. While I’m absolutely delighted (after trying for 5 years) I’m really afraid to continue my fitness training. About the abs workout, I’ve read that any setups and obliques are forbidden. Leg and arm elevation are OK. But I was wondering if doing the planks could be OK. Your input would be most welcome!
Have a nice week-end!
Hi Catherine,
Congratulations – that’s very exciting! My wife is due any day now with our first, a son.
I’m sorry to say that this is a subject that I know almost nothing about. The general recommendation that the midwives and doctors give is that you can maintain any strength training activity that you’ve already been doing beforehand, but I think that’s a little too vague.
However, I know the abdominal muscles stretch quite a bit, and maybe even tear during the later stages, so my gut feeling is to avoid most forms of core training except light physical activity such as pre-natal yoga.
My wife joined a local pregnancy yoga group and loved it very much because of the challenge and the community aspect. I encourage you to do the same, since the instructor will be able to teach you what kinds of plank poses you can handle and for how long, etc. There’s also a great pregnancy yoga DVD available at http://www.purpleyoga.com that you can use at home.
Another suggestion is to get in touch with a fitness professional named Holly Rigsby. She has kids and should be able to give you a more direct answer than I have.
Good luck!
Thank you so much, John! I’ll check on the DVD and I’ll look for Ms Rigsby.
Oh and good luck to you and your wife and congratulations for the baby!!!!!
John, this is an awesome collection of planks! havn’t felt anything in the flanks from exercise in a while so it’s pretty exciting to do :)
for the side planks with leg up though, there’s great strain on the bottom hip where the iliotibial band connects with the great trochanter of the femur. do you havn’t any suggestions on how to avoid this almost-injury?
thanks
Hi Chang,
Years ago, I had the tightest ITB bands that my physical therapists had seen in 20 years of practice. So, I hear you on the discomfort.
The side plank, done properly, shouldn’t create pain in your ITB band – even with one leg elevated. It sounds like you may have some tension there that needs to be worked out. I suggest some joint mobility exercises: pelvic circles, hip circles, and leg swings (forward/backward, and laterals). You can find examples on my joint mobility page here:
http://physicalliving.com/resources/circular-strength-training/mobility/
That, paired with some deeper tension release through yoga should do the trick. Ageless Mobility covers the hips very thoroughly and would be a good investment for that.
After you’ve “cleaned the slate” with the JM and yoga for awhile, you can start using incremental progression to build up to and beyond a side plank with one leg elevated – all pain-free.
I use the basic plank and renegade rows regularly to keep a slightly visible six pack. However, I think if I add this variation into my routine those abs might sharpen up quite a bit.
Thanks,
Tim
Got kicked off the IC for 24 hours as AOL is gimpy. BRAVO! Having just done our 4 minute and 50 second plank today, the Siffy-Ladies got a kick out of this video because, even though you are as zen as it gets (we were singing, yelling encouragement, and calling for our mommies)we KNEW what you were going through. We’re only ten seconds behind, but we’ll catch up soon. We need to suck our thumbs for a while. For all those Siffy-ites out there, Siffy ladies are oldies 53 and 58 so go to it, misery loves company :-)
Believe me, if I had a friend to share in the suffering, I would have been much more animated!
I am absolutely elated! I found this site a few weeks ago and have been reading it more and more.. I think this is a great thing you are doing. I have been applying many of the principles learned here and I feel absolutely wonderful.. Better than I have in years.. Thanks again
Cheers.
Thanks Brian, it’s my pleasure.
Ooooooooh. Exquisite. I like it.
Just curious why you did the 5 minute static plank from TOPP rather than FEP. I feel FEP more in my abs and lower back than I do with TOPP.
TOPP is what the Siffer-Ladies requested.
By the way — this is actually 21 moves for a total of 5:15 since you repeat the FEP at the end. I like the symmetry –ending up where you started.
Anyways, I just did it. Had a little trouble with my balance on the one arm/one leg TOPP positions.
I will definitely make this part of my routine. I think that a 5 minute is harder though — the unceasing burn!
Yes, I know. Sometimes youtube videos distort the actual duration of time during all the file converting and uploading, so I wanted to make sure I held the plank for a little longer than 5 minutes just to be sure that it would come out right.
And I agree, a single plank position is much more difficult than the transitioning plank series.
The reason why the Siffer ladies requested the TOPP for the static plank was because I have tendinitis in my left shoulder and bicep. The forearm plank held in the static position revved up the inflammation. We actually put a small step-aerobics box under our toes in the TOPP position to create the effect of the forearm plank. Our bodies were not slanted with the box. Much easier on the arms and shoulders. That said, I am not sure there is much point (aside from pain) to a five minute plank. It’s really tough on the back. The plank sequence done for five minutes is easier yet still very challenging. As a tool in the tool-box we think that the sequence is better than the static five minute plank. It’s nice to know that if you have tendonitis you can still effectively do planks in the topp position without adding injury.
“I am not sure there is much point (aside from pain) to a five minute plank.”
You bring up a good point, Jan. There may be some very specific athletic needs in certain sports that may benefit from long sets of planks, but for the non-athlete crowd, I don’t see much benefit to be had after 2-3 minute duration planks.
Yesterday I did a 7 minute forearm plank, just to see if I could. I tried it because a few months ago I was speaking with a friend who told me that there was this “crazy woman” in her fitness bootcamp that could do a 6 min plank. So I thought that I would see if I could match that. It took about a month of progressive practice to go from 3.5 minutes to 6. I have to say that it was one of the hardest physical challenges that I have ever undertaken. In fact, it was so hard (not to mention painful) that I didn’t try for another personal record until yesterday. Curiously, and the reason for my post,is that long duration holds seem to be as much about mental toughness than physical ability. Can you stand the pain? I say this because while I am in very good to perhaps excellent condition, I am by no means in an elite category, just committed. I think that I could have held even longer though I am not entirely sure that there is really a physical benefit to holding planks for these kind of intervals. Still, when you work out often, I find that it helps me to have a series of little goals along the way and setting personal bests like this are motivating. Anyway, for what it’s worth. Best to all.
Wow, Allen! A seven minute forearm plank is some serious toughness! I’ve been giving this some thought. It can’t be all mental because there is some serious physical pain involved in a long, static plank. Plus, your abdominals and your back muscles are contracting a long time under pressure so every second must add intensity and volume?
I don’t have a weighted vest, so I’m wondering if I could wear a backpack to make planks more challenging? I know I *could*, but I guess what I’m asking is if you reckon that weight on the back in a haphazard way like from a backpack would somehow pose an injury risk? MY PR is two thirty minute planks (varying from side, to topp, to side, but remaining in some sort of plank for the duration) with a 2 minute break in between, and I really, really (obviously) adore the exercise, but I simply cannot bear the thought of holding them for longer than I do because I can’t imagine that its an effective use of my training time. That said, anytime I cut them from my routine for awhile, I really notice their absence. I’d like to retain them, just make them harder. Any suggestions? Thanks very much! I’m new to your blog and I absolutely love it.
Hi J,
I had to re-read your comment. At first, I thought you said 30 seconds…
30 minute planks are INSANE! Consider yourself in good company :)
Like I said above, I’ve never had any of my clients perform a plank for more than 3 minutes, so I’m not familiar with possible injuries past that point (nor do I know of any research that has been done in this area). You could add a backpack – nothing wrong with that assuming you maintain a good posture/structure throughout the entire routine. But may I suggest another alternative?
One other way to progress in your training is called movement sophistication. With MS, instead of training harder, longer, faster (etc.), you train better. Quite simply, you increase the QUALITY of your movement, instead of the quantity. I think this is a perfect fit for your situation. If you can do a plank for 30 minutes, you’ve clearly reaped the benefits from the exercise and are MORE than ready for something harder.
There are a lot of avenues you could take this… Prasara BodyFlow Yoga, hand balancing, or simply more advanced versions of standard plank exercises.
Whatever you decide, that is some very impressive work!
Okay. I did NOT need to read that someone can do a thirty minute plank, lol. John, I officially declare myself to be normal from here on out. J is the insane one :-D
That said, we do plank training days at least once a week these days. They last over an hour and consist of nothing but plank training. Today we completed your five minute sequence then did several reps of 1 minute alligators, bear crawls and wheelbarrows. We find that to do an hour or more of plank training we need quite a bit of rest inbetween. Given enough rest time it’s an amazing workout for cardiovascular as well as strength help. We attracted the attention of a powerlifter/trainer and he loved your sequence planks. We’ve noticed a distinct increase in over all strength doing the plank training. It seems almost every muscle improves.
I’m glad you’re enjoying yourselves and spreading the good cheer :)
Thanks! Can you give some examples of more advanced planks? Ones besides what’s shown in your video? I do those variations plus a topp where I put opposite knee on the opposite elbow diagonally (hope that made sense). Thanks again!
Lots of ideas…
You can perform any of the above variations with your feet on top of a bench or feet planted flat against a wall. You can use a stability ball with either your hands or feet planted on it. You can start using an ab wheel for rollouts or holds. You can perform some on your fingertips, or on the tips of your toes. There are endless possibilities.
But it all begs the question: for what purpose am I doing all of this? Or rather, how am I ensuring that my training is helping me reach my goals? (no need to answer, just ask yourself)
This was great. I can’t wait to try the variations of the plank.
My workout partner and I are now doing the five minute plank at least once a week. We find it to be aerobically challenging. We’re getting really strong in our arms and shoulders, and I think it may be helping with our deadlifts. It’s becoming a staple. At first it was just a novelty, something fun to challenge our minds and bodies with. Now we almost feel that our week isn’t complete without it.
My son is a serious freestyle skier and trains on the trampoline for hours a day. He lacerated his spleen in a fall, and is limited to what he can do. His trainer has him doing planks, but limits him to a minute at a time to avoid raising his heart rate. Your plank stuff is great! Five minute plank will be the goal once he is healthy.
By the way, one thing his trainer does for him is when he does planks on the ball, she kicks the ball randomly so it’s not totally static.
It’s neat seeing someone start to get the “training bug” (he’s 13).
I noticed that most people wimp out at 5 min. planks, but is it doable to do a 15 min. plank from 2 min. planks in 6 months? I have always had an untrained midsection, and the sky is my limit. (By the way I workout Part Time, not Full time). The world record at the moment is a 34 min. plank. I don’t care if you are the best, I am willing to listen to GOOD advice.
I think it is possible to go from 2 to 15 minutes inside of 6 months for a person in good health and average fitness. The plank exercise is one that is quick to adapt, and frequent practice will help the most. Jan, who commented above, has now worked up to at least a 20 minute plank sequence and I think she and her training partner are working up to 30+ minutes. They’ve been progressing quite fast.
Yeah, easily doable inside of 6 months if you’re doing a plank-sequence. Getting a five minute static plank will help but it’s really nasty on the lower back so if you’re concerned with that just do the plank-sequence.
You’ll want to do planks twice a week. Once you get the five minute plank sequence you’ll do that once a week. It’s your “short” plank. For your second plank you’ll do your long one. Keep adding on 30 sec – one minute each week. You’ll have your fifteen minutes in no time.
I’m in high school. My teacher’s making us do the plank. She said doing a plank for 1 minute gives us a barely passing score of 65%. A total of 5 minutes gives us a 100%. And we have to stay in the same position as well. Any tips? My arms just burn after 3 minutes.
Ames,
See this article for technique tips to help you increase your stamina:
http://physicalliving.com/the-right-way-to-do-the-plank-exercise/
What I did not mention in that article is that, for testing, real success comes partially from simply accepting the burn and deciding that you will continue through it – no matter what. If you can do that, then I think you could nail 5 minutes next time you’re tested.
building plank endurance:
1. set a reasonable goal time, for sake of argument lets say 3 minutes or 180 seconds.
2. progressive scale endurance:
hold your plank for:
10sec/min for 20 min = 200 seconds
13sec/min for 16 min = 208 seconds
15sec/min for 14 min = 210
18sec/min for 12 min = 216
20sec/min for 10 min = 200
etc
3. when you can hold a 1 minute plank, begin to back scale the rest period.
1min plank + 1minute rest, 3 times
1min plank + 50sec rest, 3 tiems
etc.
grats, you’re doing a 3 minute GOOD form and safe plank.
This can take a long time depending on your fitness. Always stretch and
listen to your body.
This technique can be applied to any strength endurance exercise. Pullups, pushups, etc.
peace to all, go build your body temple.
I can’t edit my previous post.
in step 2, allow yourself 1 minute of rest between attempts such that in step 3 you can begin scaling it back.
it would be wise to also pursue a lower back strengthening exercise in tandem. The body thrives on balance and is prone to injury when balance is absent.
good luck to all.
nick
I cant edit my post so I’l reply instead :)
-in step 2, try to rest 1 minute between attempts. The over all goal is to get your reps done within 20 minutes. Regardless of that goal being a 3 minute plank or 30 good push ups.
-for a beginner training a plank can be excruciating, especially the day after. Listen to your body, start with 2-3 times a week with a day of rest in between for this particular isolation.
-work the lower back in tandem. Don’t create an imbalance, this leads to poor form later and injury. Never work to injury! more becomes less when you’re not working out following a trauma and are likely on prescription steroids for the inflammation.
John, great site! I’m researching getting my first set of heavy clubs and stumbled over your page. Subscribed. Presently I have the 2lb wooden variety for flexibility and endurance, etc. They bore me. Looking forward to some clubz!
later.
when doing those variations with hand lifts or leg lifts, wouldn’t it be better to keep the line of the body same as in normal hold rather rather than rotating? I was thinking Dan John-variations in bird dog and he liked the leg to lift lower than usual sky high version…. just a thought….
You’re right, Samuli. It’s better to keep a neutral spine. That’s one of the counter-points in these poses that you’ll want to keep track of throughout each set. Of course, all plank exercises are about resisting rotation of the spine, so there will always be a tendency to rotate.
Jan, I am now doing the planks every day, but am concerned about when to rest. So far there hasn’t been any back problems, but am now attempting to do this for 90+ straight days in a row. I am just starting the plank again after my last 1/2 Marathon (Oct. 2, 2011). I can do 2 sets in a row for 2 times a day, (1 min, with 2 min. rest), while adding 5 sec. of planks every day, but can’t do it back to back. Am I doing enough sets, or am I setting myself to failure?
Hi Greyson, so sorry it took me so long to see your question. You know, I have never tried doing planks every day. I’ve done them twice a week but not every day. I see no reason why you’d be setting yourself up for failure if you take care of your back and if you can actually do the plank without harming yourself. If your goal is to do a plank every day for 90 days straight I don’t see a problem with it so long as your stength holds up. You’re in new territory as far as my experience is concerned. Really, when you think about it we use our abs every day just to get in and out of bed. So long as you feel good and you’re not hurting yourself, plank away. My workout partner and I did a 15 minute plank-sequence a couple weeks back after not having done a long plank in a while and we had no trouble other than the usual strain of doing something like that. So, apparently, the abs can be worked alot best I can tell. Hope this helps a little. Have fun!
Hey John!
So last year my family started a Christmas tradition of seeing who could hold the plank position the longest. I am the youngest brother (23 years old) and last year got last. I want to win it this year. Right now I can hold a plank for just around 3 minutes (haven’t been training at all). To win, I think I’ll need to get up to 7 minutes or more. I have about a month to train. How should I go about training for this? Is it likely I’ll get there? Thanks,
JC
Hello! I have been doing planks for quite some time already. In fact, ive been doing many sets of the forearm stationary plank each day for around 5 to 6 minutes each. But what i notice is that if i flex my abs, it only bulges out cause of the muscles but It doesnt have the well-defined lines that shows each of the 6 packs individually. Its visible but it isnt really very clear and noticable. Is there any way that i canuse planks to make it more visible instead of just having the muscles there?