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Plank

Plank trains 4 of the 18 muscle groups Full Coverage tracks: Abs 70%, Obliques 30%, Lower back / erectors 20%, Front delts 10%.

Accessory Level: Beginner Bodyweight Hold Easy on the lower backEasy on the kneesNo load on the spineEasy on the shoulders

Plank - Start position
Start position
Plank - Finish position
Finish position

How to do it

  1. Get face down on the floor, weight on your forearms and toes, elbows under your shoulders.
  2. Set your body in one straight line from head to heels.
  3. Squeeze your glutes and pull your belly button in toward your spine.
  4. Breathe normally and hold.
  5. The moment your hips sag or hike up, the set is over - time is worthless with a broken position.

Muscles it trains

Percent of one session's target for that muscle. Anything at 100% finishes that muscle on its own.

Light Main

How it compares

Compared with the Cable Crunch, it loads Lower back / erectors 20 points higher, Abs 20 points lower, Front delts 10 points higher. It needs Bodyweight where the other uses Cable machine. Compared with the Lying Windshield Wipers, it loads Obliques 50 points lower, Lower back / erectors 20 points higher, Front delts 10 points higher.

Other ways to train this

Other exercises for the Abs

Related guides

Exercise illustrations and data by RepDB (repdb.co), used under licence.

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