Plank

Muscles worked: Abs & Core · Also: Shoulders, Legs

To do a plank, set your forearms on the floor with your elbows under your shoulders, extend your legs back onto your toes in a straight line from head to heels, and hold that line while breathing normally.

Set your elbows under your shoulders, squeeze your stomach and glutes lightly, and keep your hips level — neither sagging toward the floor nor piked up high. Breathe normally throughout, and come down as soon as your hips start to sag, since a sagging plank trains poor form.

How to do it

1. Set your forearms on the floor with your elbows under your shoulders.
2. Extend your legs back and balance on your toes, forming a straight line from head to heels.
3. Squeeze your stomach and glutes lightly and keep your hips level, neither sagging toward the floor nor piked up high.
4. Breathe normally throughout the hold.
5. Come down as soon as your hips start to sag.

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Programs that include it

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General fitness information only, not medical advice. Stop if an exercise causes pain, and talk to a doctor before starting a new workout routine if you have a health condition.