PlankMuscles Worked
The plank works your abs isometrically, with the rectus abdominis and the deep transverse abdominis holding your trunk rigid while you rest on your forearms and toes. It trains you to brace and keep a straight line under load rather than to move.
PrimaryAbs
- Equipment
- Bodyweight
- Level
- Beginner
- Type
- Isolation
- Force
- Static hold
How to do it
- Set your forearms on the floor with your elbows directly under your shoulders and your hands relaxed.
- Step your feet back one at a time until your body forms a straight line from head to heels, resting on your toes.
- Squeeze your glutes and brace your abs as if you were about to be poked in the stomach.
- Keep your neck neutral by looking at the floor just ahead of your hands.
- Breathe steadily and hold for as long as you can keep the line, then lower your knees to rest.
Form tips
- Don't let your hips sag or pike up; if the line breaks, end the set.
- Push the floor away slightly with your forearms so your upper back doesn't sink between your shoulder blades.
- A shorter hold with full tension is more useful than a long one where your form drifts.
Why it made the list
No. 5 of 13
Best Ab Exercises
Isometric core stability. Foundational for beginners. Also trains transverse abdominis. Most prescribed core exercise by physios worldwide.
More ab exercises
See it on your own body map
Log your Plank sets in KasMaker and watch your abs fill in on the map, weighted by how much you did. Logging and the body map are free on iPhone.
