January 1st we'll start our first of 12 monthly challenges. Hopefully each month will be a little different although some will likely focus on the same thing (i.e., core) but I'll try to come up with variations.
for the first month, I thought we'd do a Plank Challenge. Holly and I have been talking about how to create the challenge and wanted some input from you guys also as you might have an idea I hadn't thought of.
I was thinking of maybe starting out with 60 seconds of planks per day. I know some folks probably already incorporate planks into your routine, so maybe 60 seconds isn't that challenging, whereas for others that might be difficult. You can tailor it to suit your challenge goals Whether that is 60 of a continuous forward facing plank, or 30 seconds forward facing with 15 seconds on each side for side planks. Or you could do forward facing planks one day, and side planks the next day.
Then perhaps the 2 week we double it to 120 seconds - and again, you can break that up into segments that challenge you.
3rd week, add another 60 seconds
and then by the 4th week, you are doing 4 minutes of planks, which could be a 2 min session in the a.m, with another 2 min session in the p.m. if that is more do-able.
those were my thoughts so far. If anyone has done a group plank challenge before and has a different idea of how to organize it, I'd love to hear it.
I'll start a new thread on 1/1/13 which will be for those participating in the monthly challenge - sort of a check in thread.
Tammy
Marathon Maniac #957
Now, before people weigh in, they might want to actually do a plank, if they haven't done one in a while....60 seconds doesnt seem like much...
We could also trade ideas for different types of planks, as some folks may have more trouble with some than with others.
Life is a headlong rush into the unknown. We can hunker down and hope nothing hits us or we can stand tall, lean into the wind and say, "Bring it on, darlin', and don't be stingy with the jalapenos."
MM #5615
Yeah--I've been doing sit ups and crunches for many years...many, many years. When you guys started talking about this challenge thing, I decided I'd better try a plank or two...how hard it could it be? Yeah! 60 seconds is a long time! But I'm willing to try anything you come with...it is a challenge, after all. And thanks for doing this...it should be fun.
No input here. I'll try what ever you toss out there. I'll admit I do NO core exercises. When I decided to start running again last spring I found it hard to find the time to run,much less do other exercises. I'll try to work this stuff into my routine though.
A 60 second plank is pretty tough for me, no matter how I try to take my mind off of what I'm doing (music, chatting with friends ) The trainer at the Y even had us doing them on Bosu balls.
I think you've got some great ideas Tammy. I'm in!
60 seconds all at once, or 30 2-second planks?
...actually
60-seconds is about how long it takes to hum The French National Anthem.......
assuming
you want to Hum and Plank at the same time.
..nothing takes the place of persistence.....
Dave - I think the idea is 60 seconds total, no matter how you get it done. Probably 60 seconds at once will be too much for most people starting out (including me at the moment), but you could do two 30- second planks or even three 20-second planks af first, eventually workng up to one 60-second plank. Then as we add to it you could do increments, like 60 seconds of regular plank, then 30 seconds on each side, etc.
Tammy - instead of adding another 60 seconds each week, maybe we should just add 30 seconds, therefore week 1 is 60 seconds of plank each day, week 2 is 90 seconds each day, week 3 is 120 seconds each day, week 4 is 150 seconds each day, and the partial week 5 is 180 seconds of plank.
Also, what day do you want to start the week? Using the date (Jan 1-7)? Or starting on Tues., Jan 1 and starting each of the following weeks on each Monday (1/7, 1/14, 1/21, 1/28)?
Count me in. I sure need the core work and a challenge would provide needed motivation.
Personally, being a bit wimpy, I'd prefer the 30 sec increase, but can do what the group wants so long the additional time can be split into segments. 60/wk would make it a challenge. : )
One last thought...5 days or 7 per week?
I think a 30 second additional increment is more realistic. 60 seconds IS a long time in a plank and I don't want it to be so difficult that people drop out. I think each week as your core gets worked out and stronger, 30 seconds is probably more do-able.
and you can tailor this challenge to meet own individual goals. Like I said, some folks already do core work regularly, so a full 60 second plank is maybe what they are already doing. Others that are just starting out and do little to no core work, will find a 30 second plank a challenge, so you can divide this up into two 30 second planks - even dividing it to morning and night is fine.
because we are overachievers, let's start tomorrow since it's a Monday.
If you are a day late, that's fine. but I'll start the thread this evening so if anyone else wants start this out on a Monday, then it's there for you. We'll have our weeks run from Monday - Sunday.