28 Day Plank Challenge

Welcome to the 28 Day Plank Challenge. This challenge is the sister challenge to the January Plank Challenge, a simple yet effective daily challenge that improves core strength and endurance and can be started at any time.

Add this challenge to the mix for daily inspiration and a challenge to keep you focused. This challenge only takes a short time each day; furthermore, my challenges are designed not only to challenge you but also to create healthy, active habits you can continue. You’ll soon learn you don’t need to invest vast amounts of time into exercise; however, you do need to be consistent.

This challenge is staggered & progressively increases over the month. There are 3 levels to choose from, together with three different plank variations.

What is a plank

The plank is an excellent isometric exercise; it requires core stabilisers to fire to maintain body & spinal alignment. A staple of fitness and often used during fitness tests and assessments.

Often called a prone bridge, it is a simple static exercise that works every part of your core and your whole body as you maintain a rigid position.

Visually, the plank is a bridge supported on your toes and forearms, a straight line from your heels to your shoulders. As a result, it looks so simple that you’d think it was easy, but it is not. Consequently, you’ll find the plank in almost any fitness programme, because it is highly effective and targets a fundamental muscle group: your core.

Plank Fitness Test

The January Plank challenge is progressive, and you should notice some gains throughout the month. To start, test your current core strength with a Plank test. This simple test will give you an idea of where you are now, which you can compare with when you conduct the same test at the end of the challenge. The result of the test will help you choose the plank variation to do during the challenge.

To conduct the test:

• Have a stopwatch ready, or have a friend with one.
• Get into the plank position.
• Hold the plank for as long as you can.
• Stop the test when you fail or when 2 minutes have passed.

Choose the Plank variation based on your initial Plank Test result

• Under 30 seconds – Choose the Beginner variation (Half Plank).
• 30 seconds up to 1 minute 30 seconds – Choose the Regular plank on forearms or with straight arms.
• 1 minute 30 seconds and above – Choose the Plank/Up Down variation for a dynamic plank. Alternatively, you could use an unstable platform such as a BOSU, Balance Pod or Fitness Ball and place your feet upon it, creating a more demanding static Plank exercise.

Test your progress with a follow-up Plank Test at the end of the month

After a month of regular planking, you should be feeling stronger with more endurance in your core and stabilising muscles. To find out how you have improved, repeat the test you conducted at the start of the month. The test should be conducted under exactly the same conditions, with the same plank variation, etc. 

Plank Challenge Target Guide #Plankawaychallenge

Scoring the Plank Challenge

The challenge is split into 3 levels for which you can score your progress, you don’t need to keep to one level, You can mix & match and go up or down a level. Each level has a score. Use the free-scoring sheet available for download below to track your progress and tally your total score for the month

28 Day Plank Challenge Scoring Sheet 76.03 KB 22 downloads

The scoring sheet to be used with the 28 Day Plank Challenge    …

Download

Programme Design

I have designed this challenge as a progressive ascending pyramid, in simple turns; each day is equal to or harder than the last. The challenge progresses at small steps, enabling you to become stronger as you go through the month. The challenge has two-day steps where we keep to the same target for two days (we can call this acclimatisation if you like). It’s all about getting you up to your target time at the end of the month, in a safe, effective, and progressive manner.

The Plank Exercise

There are 3 variations of the plank designed for the beginner, intermediate and advanced levels of fitness.

• Beginner – Half Plank
• Intermediate – Forearm or Straight Arm Plank
• Advanced – Plank Up Downs

Want more? Check out my 28 Plank Variations

Key Points

• Keep neutral spine alignment
• Maintain a straight line through shoulders, hips, knees & ankles
• Maintain abdominal tension
• Remember to breathe

Beginner – Half Plank (from knees) 

Regular – Forearm Plank or Straight Arm Plank

Plank Up Downs