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Plank Challenge and Plank Competition

30-day Plank Challenge — Sunday, April 5 to Monday, May 4

Daily practice schedule (on your own or in every group exercise class)

Follow this daily schedule to strenthen your planking ability over 4+ weeks starting April 6.

Week	Sunday	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday
Week 1	Sunday 4/6: 10 seconds	Monday 4/7: 20 seconds	Tuesday 4/8: 30 seconds	Wednesday 4/9: 40 seconds	Thursday 4/10: 50 seconds	Friday 4/11: 1 minute	Saturday 4/12: 70 seconds
Week 2	Sunday 4/13: 80 seconds	Monday 4/14: 90 seconds	Tuesday 4/15: 100 seconds	Wednesday 4/16: 110 seconds	Thursday 4/17: 2 minutes	Friday 4/18: 130 seconds	Saturday 4/19: 140 seconds
Week 3	Sunday 4/20: 150 seconds	Monday 4/21: 160 seconds	Tuesday 4/22: 170 seconds	Wednesday 4/23: 3 minutes	Thursday 4/24: 190 seconds	Friday 4/25: 200 seconds	Saturday 4/26: 210 seconds
Week 4	Sunday 4/27: 220 seconds	Monday 4/28: 230 seconds	Tuesday 4/29: 4 minutes	Wednesday 4/30: 250 seconds	Thursday 5/1: 260 seconds	Friday 5/2: 270 seconds	Saturday 5/3: 280 seconds
Week 5	Sunday 5/4: 290 seconds	Monday 5/5: 5 minutes!

Benefits of planking

Strengthen every core muscle, plus your back

• Unlike crunches, planks help activate all the core muscles. That includes the rectus abdominis, transverse abdominis, and obliques. These exercises also activate the muscles in the hips, back, and shoulders.

Improve stability

• A strong and core is important for everyday movements like bending over to pick something up.
• Athletes rely on a stable core to perform movements like swinging a baseball bat or hitting a golf ball down the green.
• Not only can planks help tone the core, but they can also improve your stability and balance.

Reduce back pain

• Strengthening your core can help with proper spinal alignment and reduce your risk for lower back pain and injuries.
• Planks may help if you live with existing back pain, too.
• Researchers found that six weeks of core stabilization exercises were more effective than other physical therapy exercises for alleviating their low back pain. More research is needed on a larger scale to determine the relationship between a strong core and low back pain, though.
• If you have existing back pain or an injury, be sure to talk to your doctor before trying the plank challenge.

Build up endurance

• By increasing the amount of time you hold your plank each day, your body will build up endurance. Endurance is important for increasing physical stamina and strengthening and toning your muscles.
• The plank challenge alone won’t give you a six-pack, though. Try to increase your exercise endurance in other ways, too.
• Do cardiovascular exercises several times a week, like walking, running, swimming, and cycling. Also, try weight training and eating a healthy diet to meet your fitness goals.

Plank Competition — Tuesday, May 5

• 10 a.m. and 12 p.m. and 4:30 and 6:30 p.m. in the Fitness Center
• Top female and male who hold the plank the longest win a $10 SODEXO gift card and a Rec Center Hoodie
• Second and third place female and male win a $10 SODEXO gift card

Plank Competition rules

• Planks will be performed on the forearms and toes 
• Forearms and both sets of toes must remain in contact with the ground the entire time
• No modifications allowed
• Once the plank is broken (IE., knees touch the ground, mid-section touches the ground) the time will stop
• Maximum time is 5 minutes (could be multiple first place winners)
• One entry per person

For more information, please contact Laura Crisman at lcrisman@harpercollege.edu or 847.925.6802.