How to Do a Perfect Plank

A plank is a core exercise that requires glute and leg strength, as well as shoulder stability. To hold a plank, you need to keep your spine neutral and support it with your abdominal muscles. That means practicing this exercise can make it easier to stand and sit with good posture, and to pick up heavy objects without hurting your back.

What You’ll Need

A plank does not require equipment, but a mat can be helpful for grip and cushioning. An elevated surface, like a step or box, can help you make the exercise easier or more difficult.

How to Start

Begin on all fours, with your wrists under your shoulders and knees under your hips. Your spine should be long and neutral.

1. Engage your abdominal muscles.

Exhale and pull your lower belly in toward your spine and up toward your head. Or you can think about bracing your abdominal muscles as if you’re about to be punched in the stomach.

2. Step your feet back.

Without changing the position of your spine, step one foot behind you, then the other. Your hips should remain close to level with your shoulders, and your shoulders should stay directly above your wrists.

3. Hold the position.

Breathe deeply and hold the plank, keeping your spine neutral. Try to avoid rounding or arching your back. Keep breathing; with every exhale, engage your abdominal muscles even more.

Extra Tips

Imagine your shoulder blades pulling down and slightly toward each other — don’t let them “wing” out or pull apart. If your wrists are sensitive, you can make fists and place them knuckles down, with your wrists straight. You can also fold your mat a few times and place the heels of your hands on it, with your fingertips on the floor.

Variation: Make it easier

Place your hands on a sturdy, elevated surface, such as a box or step. This allows you to practice the full-body version of the exercise bearing slightly less weight. Keep your shoulders directly over your wrists, away from your ears.

Variation: Make it harder

You can level up the plank by placing your toes on an elevated surface, or by adding a push-up.

More Variations

Forearm planks are more challenging for your core than regular planks, but easier for your shoulders and triceps. Prop yourself up on your forearms, with your elbows right under your shoulders and your toes tucked. Press into your elbows, squeeze your glutes, engage your abdominals and lift your hips.

Reps and Sets

Practicing planks two to three times a week can help build abdominal strength and stability. Time how long you can hold a plank with good form and use that as your starting point. Hold two or three planks per session, with one-minute breaks between each one. Gradually add time and shorten your rest periods.

Anna Maltby is a personal trainer and the author of the fitness newsletter How to Move.

Sources: Crystal Fasano, an online personal trainer and Pilates instructor in Brooklyn; Jamie Carbaugh, a personal trainer and fitness instructor in Wiesbaden, Germany.