How to Do the PERFECT Plank (And 5 Mistakes to Avoid)


A picture containing person, indoor, wall

Description automatically generated

You’ve stumbled upon this webpage looking for a way to do the perfect plank.

Unfortunately, I can’t do a plank as good as the person in the picture above, but I can do a traditional plank properly with perfect form, and with an abundance of variations.

The “trick” of a perfect plank is to keep your abs engaged and your hips slightly above center.

Doing it this way has helped my ab strength, endurance, and definition.

Let’s go into a little more detail.


What is the meaning of a plank?

A plank is an exercise in which you hold your body straight (like a plank of wood), parallel to the floor, and with your hands or forearms and toes on the floor.


What does plank do for your body?

Planks do an abundance of things for the body.

Some of the health benefits of a plank include:

  • Stronger abs and core muscles
  • Help protect the spine
  • Promote better posture
  • Help reduce back pain
  • Improve your muscular endurance
  • Improve blood flow throughout the body

How to do planks correctly?

A picture containing wall, indoor, person, man

Description automatically generated

In order to do the perfect plank:

  1. Get into pushup position and place your hands or forearms under your shoulders or slightly wider than shoulder width
  2. Put your feet together
  3. Neutralize your head and spine and squeeze your abs, raising your hips slightly higher than center
  4. If you feel pain in your lower back, you are not lifting your hips high enough

How to do planks to flatten the stomach?

A plank will flatten the stomach in 2 ways.

First, a plank will tighten up your core.

Not only should you be squeezing your abs during the plank, but throughout the day as well.

You should always have a slight amount of squeeze or muscle tone in your abs.

This will help straighten your back and give you better posture, opening your thoracic cavity and putting your body back into its natural position.

Second, a plank will help burn calories, allowing you to reveal those 6-pack abs you’ve been working on.

Pair your exercise with and excellent eating plan and you’ll have that bikini body ready for summer.


How long should I plank?

You should try to hold a plank for 60 seconds.

If you’re a beginner, start by holding a plank for 15 seconds, and build your way up to 60 seconds.  

If you want to hold it for longer, be my guest.

But instead of just holding a plank for an extended period of time, try to add some variations to your plank.

Some excellent plank variations include:

  • Plank jacks
  • Plank punches
  • Side plank
  • Plank crunches
  • Plank to pike
  • Starfish
  • Plank to in-and-out knees

How many planks should I do a day to get abs?

If you want to get abs, you not only have to do planks several times a week, you need to eat a healthy diet.

Abs are made in the kitchen and the best way to see your abs is by eating fresh and frozen foods.

Cut out the processed food and create a calorie deficit for best results.  


What is the best time to do plank exercises?

The best time to do a plank is anytime of the day!!

If you do it in the morning, it could serve as a good way to wake your body up and get the blood flowing.

You can also do it in the early afternoon at work as a good pick-me-up.

Do one before bed and you are bound to sleep better.

It doesn’t really matter when you do a plank, just the fact that you are doing them.


Try the 30-day plank challenge!

The plank challenge I recommend to my clients is the 30-day plank challenge.

Start with 10 second plank.

Then add 10 seconds a day every day for 30 days.

By the end of the plank challenge, you will complete a 5-minute plank!

Make sure you do a little warmup before each plank.

Create a tougher challenge and do it with a friend.

Anything to motivate you will help the cause!!


How to do a plank without hurting your back and shoulders?

Some people will experience pain in their lower back or shoulders when doing a plank.

In order to minimize any lower back pain, elevate your hips slightly higher than center.

If you want to alleviate pain in the shoulders, try to force your shoulders downward and more under your chest to stabilize your body better and reduce the pain in your rotator cuff.


How to do plank jacks?

One plank variation that I love are the plank jacks.

In order to do a plank jack:

  • Get into plank position on your hands or on your forearms
  • Jump your feet apart and back together
  • Make sure to keep your abs engaged and your hips slightly above center

This makes for a great challenging and dynamic plank variation.


How to do a plank to pike?

Another plank variation that I like is the plank to pike.

In order to do a plank to pike:

  • Start in the plank position
  • Hop your feet toward you and hike your hips as high as you can, keeping your legs fairly straight
  • Jump your feet back and return back to plank position

For a greater challenge, try this plank variation on a stability ball or TRX straps


How to do a side plank?

The last variation that I like to do is the side plank.

In order to do the side plank:

  • Lay on your side and put your feet on top of one another
  • Place your forearm or hand on the ground and lift your hips off the ground and hold

For a side plank variation, you can raise your hips up and down, squeezing at the top.


What are the common planking mistakes?

A lot of time, I will see people making common planking mistakes.

Some of these planking mistakes include:

  • Dropping the lower back and not engaging abs
  • Reaching the butt to high
  • Letting the head hang
  • Not breathing
  • Focusing on time

Concentrate on form and breathing and you should have no problem avoiding many of these common planking mistakes.

Check out 2 of my other AB articles for some more awesome tips and tricks:

How to Quickly Get 6-Pack Abs

5 of the BEST AB Exercises for a Flatter Stomach


Summary: How to Do the PERFECT Plank (And 5 Mistakes to Avoid)

A plank is a great addition to any exercise routine, whether for the beginner or expert exerciser. There is always a plank variation that can be added to any workout. Strengthen your core and tighten your abs with a great plank routine. Always try to challenge yourself and plank for a longer period of time or as a challenging variation.

What’s your favorite plank variation? Let me know in the comments!!

Recent Posts