I Tried These Trainer Tips For a Longer Plank and Added Minutes to My Time After 1 Week

As we're experimenting with more at-home workouts to keep ourselves healthy and happy outside of the studio, I wanted to look into improving one of the simplest total-body (but mostly core) exercises: the plank.

I'm no stranger to plank challenges, in fact I planked for two minutes every day for two weeks a while back. But I wondered if there were non plank exercises I could do to improve my form — and get over that two-minute mark. I decided to ask my trainer, Liz Letchford, MS, ATC, PhD-C, founder of The Release.

"There are three main parts of a plank that trainers are looking for," she said. "All of them have to do with proper form and stability: shoulder stability, core stability, and hip stability." So to hold a plank longer, we should ensure that we can keep good form in each of those areas for longer periods of time. "When any of those [three components] gives way, you're going to have poor form — that's game over," she said, noting that if you're not properly doing a plank, you're not getting the benefits (and you could be doing more harm than good).

While this simple yet specific exercise is "80 percent core" (and thus where Letchford focuses most of the training advice), there are movements we can do to emphasize the shoulder girdle and pelvic stability, as they're also integral areas to emphasize good form. Letchford shared three things to do each day, for 30 to 60 seconds each (simple, right?). "You want to activate the right muscles through exercises and targeting of myofascial tissue [the tissue that supports and protects muscles]."

Here's the program:

She advised I follow this plan every day for seven days. On the first day, I had her observe my first plank so we had a starting group. The time I was personally improving on was 2:39 so we decided a reasonable goal would be roughly 30-45 seconds, settling on 3:15 as our end-of-week goal. The end result? A 4:22 plank! We were both blown away by the time difference, so ahead, you'll find a step-by-step manual to try it for yourself.

And last thing to keep in mind: "A huge component of planking is breathing technique while you're in that position," said Letchford. "Remember: big slow exhales and breathe low into the rib cage."

Time Your Plank

I started with a FaceTime plank timer. I called up Liz to ensure that I was keeping form (under a professional eye) while holding it as long as I could — before I exhausted my muscles and started to sag in any of the three key areas.

You don't necessarily need a trainer to watch you; you can record yourself with your phone's video feature, or have a friend, significant other, or roommate watch to make sure you're holding that solid form the whole time.

Scapular Push-Ups

To target the core and shoulder stability simultaneously, Letchford "prescribed" 30 seconds of scapular push-ups per day as part of my training program, adding any additional seconds in the consecutive days if I felt stronger.

Letchford had me do my push-ups (sometimes called straight arm push-ups) in a bear hold or knees-off position. She calls it "hydraulics while you're in a bear hold."

Reverse Hollow Body Hold

Think: CrossFit hollow hold, but flipped (and not quite Superman). It's an insane core exercise, and while it might not look like you're doing anything, 30 seconds will feel like 30 years in this position. It's a doozy (apparently, an effective doozy).

Myofascial Release

Letchford told me the "biggest plank killer" (aka, the destroyer of form) is an anterior pelvic tilt, and the remedy for it is "working to improve the pelvic range of motion."

"It's hard to get into a posterior pelvic tilt [the correct form] if your hip flexors are too tight. You need to release fronts of your thighs and hip flexors with massage balls, massaging the low back. Create space and awareness of tension that you're holding."

Grab your massage balls (Letchford's preferred tool), or a tennis ball, lacrosse ball, TheraGun, or foam roller. Get creative, but the gist is to have something that can both soften fascia (the tissue that connects muscles) and activate specific muscle groups around the pelvic area.

She had me target the TFL (tensor fascia latae), psoas/hip flexor, tops of the thighs (quads), the piriformis, and the glutes (minimus, medius, maximus — that whole butt and hip area). Think: tops of your legs, where your leg becomes the hip, the hip region, and the booty.

Spend about 60 seconds on each area to bring more awareness to these muscles and create better stability (and watch her hip and low back release video if you need guidance).

Time Your Plank Again

I didn't do a single plank in between day one and day seven, nor did I do any additional exercises (aside from walking). And to my absolute shock, I added almost two minutes to my time.

Give this a shot at home, and see if you can take your planks to the next level. Happy ab-sculpting!