Forums >Cross Training>how long can you hold a plank?
I've been taking a TRX class and plank variations are a staple,and a killer!!! Unless it's on a bosu and Swiss ball, simply holding a plank is seldom seen. My favorite is the 1/2 plank, 1 arm and 1 leg extended with the other elbow on the floor and only 1 foot in the TRX strap. The "fire hydrant" is a fun on too!
Anyways, if I'm fresh, I'm good for between 2 and 3 minutes holding a standard elbows down plank. At a recent triathlon, a fitness tent held a plank contest. When I left, a woman had the current best at 13 minutes!!!
Also, what is your weight and recent race Time, any distance. What effect has core training had on your running? Not just time but how you feel. I'm 190 with a recent 23:18 5k and my sights on my first marathon this fall.
Fanilow
I did a 30 day plank challenge once but I don't remember how long the hold was at the end. At least 2 minutes. I'm in the middle of doing another one now only you have to do three planks: regular and two side planks. I'm up to 90 seconds for each.
I take Pilates twice a week and an interval kind of strength training class once a week. They haven't made me any faster (my fastest 5k is 32:19 and that was in January of this year) but I feel like I recover quicker and feel more "together" when I run, if that makes sense. Maybe tighter is the right word.
I'm not sure of my exact weight. I usually hover around 130 to 135...although I just finished off the last of our girl scout cookies so I may be guessing low.
2014 goals
Well, there's always next year.
Just a dude.
I'm about 6'3... I weigh 200ish pounds. I do planks maybe once a week, doing 3 at 60 seconds with a 2 minute rest between. My max is maybe 80 or 90 seconds? I ran a 5k recently in 21:39.
-Kelly
Getting back in shape... Just need it to be a skinnier shape...
I was showing someone at work how to do plank and someone else time me. I decided to stop at 3 minutes. My daily routine, though, is wall push ups. I don't know that core work outs or longer runs have done much other than maintain my ability to go out and run. I've been maintaining a 40+ mile a week through the Maine winter, but often on ice and snow or in cold and wind, and I feel really slow. I'll know more in the next few months when it warms up and when/if I do any racing. My best 5K time is 25:04 but I am 62 years old and female. I weigh about 110.
I can do 5 x 1 minutes with 90 seconds recovery but if I do more than 60 seconds at a time my lower back starts aching.
Certified Running CoachCrocked since 2013
The TRX straps put any core workout on hard mode, worked out using them for core exercises a bit last spring (track coach got them midway through). Definitely a cool equipment idea.
Know thyself.
rectumdamnnearkilledem
I just finished a March plank challenge...we started with 30 seconds the first week, minute the 2nd, 2 the 3rd, 3 the 4th, 4 minutes for a couple of days...and then 5 minutes on the 31st. That 5 minutes was entirely on elbows and toes...with some rotations into side plank and some cross-ankle planks. It has made a really marked difference in my strength on the bike. Today my DH and I finished 1st place for tandems in a 34 mile gravel road race. We were 6 minutes ahead of the 2nd place tandem and among the top 15 or so riders (not sure exactly how many were ahead of us, as we haven't seen the final full results), overall.
Planks are amazing.
Getting the wind knocked out of you is the only way to
remind your lungs how much they like the taste of air.
~ Sarah Kay
I did the 30 day plank challenge in January, working up for 45 seconds to 5 minutes. I still try and plank 3-5 minutes a day.....depends how hard a workout I do prior. It has made a BIG difference in how strong I feel running uphill and against the wind. I'm a 47 year old woman, weigh 137 and just ran a 3:46 marathon and 1:48 half.
Options,Account, Forums
Can they help heal bpxryzxitis, or are they only useful as preventative measure?
It's a 5k. It hurt like hell...then I tried to pick it up. The end.
Proud Calgarian
11 minutes is my longest plank.
2015 Goals and PRs:
5k - 17:59 (18:05); 10k - 35:59 (36:42); HM - 1:19:19 (1:19:59); FM - 2:49:59 (3:05:46)
Mmmmm...beer
I've done 3 mins and got bored so I stopped. I'd rather do moving planks, also known as push-ups.
Most recent race was my first marathon, ran a 3:14:07 at 195lbs (6' tall). Core strength is very important, imo.
-Dave
My running blog
Goals | sub-18 5k | sub-3 marathon 2:56:46!!
Some amount of core strength is important for maintaining good posture, which is the key to good running form, which is necessary to prevent injuries, which you need to do in order to train enough to get faster. But planks will not directly make you faster.
I'm 151 lbs. and can run a 5k in 17 minutes.
I don't think I've ever tried to hold a plank for more than 90 seconds.
Runners run
Funky Kicks 2019
My husband just got done seeing a PT guy who told him that it's pretty pointless to try and hold a plank longer than a minute or so. He said that your form will inevitably suffer over longer time periods and the plank becomes less and less effective at targeting the core muscles as your body struggles to hold position. I don't know if this is true, but I use it as my excuse for not trying to hold a pank longer than a minute.
Leah, mother of dogs
Half Fanatic #846
I held a 2 x 4 the other day, but I'm not sure how long it was - and with no recovery.
"I don't always roll a joint, but when I do, it's usually my ankle" - unk. "Frankly autocorrect, I'm getting a bit tired of your shirt". I ran half my last race on my left foot!
The longest I've held a plank for is around 3 minutes. Having a strong core really helps. My most recent 3 mile is 16:02 over a Hilly course