I Planked for 10 Minutes and So Can You.
On April 12th, 2020, a friend and I began facilitating a free core workout on Zoom. It was spontaneous. We planked together a few times before he invited a friend, I reached out to some other folks, and the group grew a dozen strong. We called ourselves The Plank People.
We started simple: 2-minutes of planking, 2x/day (10am & 5:30pm), 6 days/week. The goal: a 5 minute plank. The timeline: 6 weeks.
We increased each plank workout by 5 seconds daily, hitting 3 minutes after the first two weeks, and 5 minutes a month later. Here’s a video of me planking for 5 minutes (admittedly with questionable form):
After that, we saw a microcosm of the great resignation, as many of The Plank People said sayonara, cores shredded but burnt out. A few of us remained, and stuck it out until the 3 month mark. On the back half, we began planking once a day (mornings only) and swapped out the evening plank for a core workout. This called for a name change. We became The Core Collective.
We set a terrifying but (hopefully) achievable goal of hitting 10 minutes. (I would let the suspense build, but I’d rather cut to the chase for brevity.)
At the end of July we hit 10 minutes. I filmed myself for posterity:
So, The Core Collective culminated in some pretty impressive personal records (PRs). We phased out the planking in August and started a weekly varied workout routine until mid-September, when we disbanded as schedules filled up and work whisked us all away…
:( but also :)
Enter: The Habit Society, a community revolving around a weekly newsletter about habit formation, written by two ambitious women. They gave me the opportunity to start up The Core Collective once again, nearly 9 months later. We went through the whole planking rigamaroll, this time going from 30 seconds up to 10 minutes. Same goal, same medium; new faces, new abdominal walls.
Blah blah, we hit 10 minutes, you can do it too if you put your mind to it… consistency is key… stay hydrated… sleep 7-8 hours a night… dream big…
I really only have 3 words for you, and this applies to everything from exercise goals to financial goals or career aspirations: Do the work.
That’s it. You’ve heard all the truisms and you’ve read all the motivational posters and blogs and reddit discussions and book chapters and commencement addresses and listened to all the podcasts, TV specials and Alan Watts videos on YouTube.
Do the work.
Don’t worry I’m not leaving you on that note. In the next section I’ve transcribed a giant list of workouts that I ran with the second iteration of The Core Collective. You’ll notice the workouts start at 5 exercises each and work up to 10. Unless otherwise noted, each exercise was performed for 1 minute (or 50s on, 10s off). That’s how we ramped up, but you can do any of these in any order, or mix and match the workouts based on what you like and what works for you.
Pro Tip: Bookmark this page, or copy paste the workouts below into a document for safe keeping.
I’ve Got 91 Workouts and I Ain’t Missed One.
Workout 1
Situps
Table Top
Russian Twists
Plank Walks
Leg Raises
Workout 2
Crunches
Dead Bug
Rope Pull
Plank Saws
Leg Flutters
Workout 3
Turkish Half Get-up
Hollow hold
Torture Twists
Plank Marches
Bicycles
Workout 4
Reverse Crunches
Superman Hold
Penguins
Panthers
Cocoons
Workout 5
Seated Rowers
Superman Extensions
Mountain Climbers
Plank Wraps
Plank Jacks
Workout 6 (Plank Party, 30s each)
Elbow Plank
High Plank
Side Plank L
Plank Wraps L
Side Plank R
Plank Wraps R
Plank Walks
Plank Taps
Plank Saws
Plank Marches
Workout 7
Down to Up Dog
Ashton Hall: Bicycle Fusion
Bananamans
Butterfly crunches
Bridges
Sifiso Climbers
Workout 8
Starfish
Elevated Scissors
FSBU Superman
Hex Taps
Hip Dips
Hip Rockers
Workout 9
Crunch Holds
Superman Swimmers
Dead Bug Table Top
Bird Dogs
Criss-Cross Leg Raises
Crunch Staple Removers
Workout 10
Low to High Boat
Windshield Wipers
Panther Toe Touches
Side Plank Staple Removers
Pushups
Leg Drops
Workout 11 (Twist & Shout)
Penguins
Windshield Wipers
Torture Twists
Rope Pull
Side Plank L + Leg Lifts
Side Plank R + Leg Lifts
Workout 12
Mountain Climbers (High Plank)
Elbow Plank Arm Lifts
Panther Toe Taps
Mountain Climbers (Low Plank)
3pt Leg Throughs
Elbow Plank Staple Removers
Workout 13
Frankensteins
Crunch Twists
Sit-Up Negatives
Reverse Crunches
Sit-Up Twist
Crunch Hold
Workout 14
Superman Hold
Panther Hold
Superman Extensions
Plank Reaches
Superman Swimmers
Elbow Plank Swimmers
Workout 15
Situps
Penguins
Bicycles
Side Plank
Leg Raises
Hollow Hold
Workout 16
Situps
Table Top
Russian Twists
Plank Walks
Leg Raises
Staple Removers
Crunches
Workout 17
Ashton Hall: Reverse Crunch Fusion
Starfish
Dead Bug
Rope Pull
Superman Hold
Plank Saws
Leg Flutters
Workout 18
Turkish Half Get-up
Hollow Hold
Torture Twists
Plank Marches
Hip Rockers
Bicycles
Leg Drops
Workout 19
Crunch Hold
Penguins
Panthers
Cocoons
Bird Dogs
3pt Leg Throughs
Hex Taps
Workout 20
Ashton Hall: Elevated 3pt Kicks
Plank Wraps + Leg Raise (L)
Plank Wraps + Leg Raise (R)
4-Count Scissors
Pushup Negatives
Diagonal Toe Touches
Dolphin Plank
Workout 21
High Plank Bird Dog
Elbow to Side Plank Roll
Superman FSBU
Reverse Salamander
Deadbug Tabletop
Sit-up Negatives
Leg Drops
Freestyle
Workout 22
Supine Toe Taps
High Plank Toe Taps
Bird Dog Crunches
High Plank Shoulder Taps
Seated Rowers
Reverse Crunches
Sifiso Climbers
Freestyle
Workout 23
Single Leg Bridge
Butterfly Sit-ups
Low to High Boat
Bananamans
Single Leg Jackknife
Side Plank Dips
Push-ups
Freestyle
Workout 24
Butt Lifts
Leg Flutters
Crunch Holds
4-Step Leg Drops
Russian Twists
Windshield Wipers
Penguins
Side Plank Variation
Workout 25
Side Plank Elbow Tap
Pushup Negative w/ 3s Isohold
Superman Pulses
Mountain Climbers (Variation)
Cocoons
Situps
Frankensteins
Crunch (Variation)
Workout 26
Table Top
Criss-Cross Leg Raise
Turkish Half Getup
Panther Toe Touches
Starfish
3pt Leg Throughs
Sit up Negatives
Ashton Hall Reverse Crunch Fusion
Staple Removers
Workout 27
Walkout Into Push-Up
Down to Up Dog
Superman Extensions
Plank Tapping Variation
Dead Bug
Reverse Crunches
Elevated Scissors
Leg Drops
Freestyle
Workout 28
Mountain Climbers
Bananamans
Plank Wraps
Hip Rockers
Hex Taps
Staple Removers
Seated Rowers
Situp Twists
Hollow Hold
Workout 29
Elbow to Side Plank Roll
Side Crunch
Ashton Hall: Seated Arm Circle Jack
Cocoon to Hollow Hold
Butt Lifts
Plank Swimmers
Superman Hold
Panther Variation
Freestyle
Workout 30 (multiples of 3)
Ashton Hall: Elevated 3pt Kicks
3s Crunch Hold
3-step Leg Drop
3-grab Rope pull
3pt. Leg Throughs
Hex Taps
Plank Wrap w/ Leg Raise + Dip
Push-up Negative w/ 3s Iso Hold
Threestyle
Workout 31
Standing Bird Dog
Sunshine
Elevated Hollow Hold
Frankensteins
Single Leg Jackknife
Superman Swimmers
Plank Var (Elbow)
Plank Var (High)
Plank Var (Side)
Oblique Variation
Workout 32
Elbow Plank
High Plank
Side Plank L
Side Plank R
Plank Wraps L
Plank Wraps R
Plank Walks
Plank Taps
Plank Saws
Freestyle
Workout 33
Standing Side Crunches
Down to Up Dog
Sifiso Climbers
Single Arm Elbow Plank
Ashton Hall: Bicycle Fusion
Low to High Boat
Bananamans
Butterfly crunches
Bridges
Feet Up Freestyle
Workout 34
Starfish
Elevated Scissors
Russian Twists
FSBU Superman
Hex Taps
Hip Dips
Hip Rockers
Crunch Holds
Dead Bug Table Top
Static Hold Freestyle
Workout 35
Windshield Wipers
Leg Drops
Crunch Twists
Sit-Up Negatives
Reverse Crunches
Panther Variation
Side Plank Staple Removers
Pushups
Elbow Plank Staple Removers
Freestyle
Workout 36
“The Generator” (Dolphin Plank Roll)
Crunch Staple Removers
Flutter Leg Raises
High Plank Bird Dog
Mountain Climbers
Dead Bug Table Top
Superman Pulses
Rope Pull
Turkish Get Up
Low Boat to High Boat
Workout 37
Ashton Hall Generators (Elevated leg rainbows)
L-Sit Precursors
Ashton Hall Reverse Crunch Fusion
MSS Leg Raises
Panther Toe Touches
Walkout into Pushup
Plank Wraps to Leg Raise
3-pt Leg Throughs
Plank Swimmers
Freestyle
Workout 38
Jen_mtl Toe Touches
Leg Flutters
Cocoons
Turkish Get-up to Rope Pull
Frankensteins
Butt Lifts
Elbow Plank to Side Roll
Plank Saws
Reverse Salamander
Freestyle
Workout 39
Sit, Twist + Spread
Situp + Twist Punch
Elevated Scissors
Dead Bug
2-Crunch Leg Raises
Hip Thrust + Cross Toe Tap (1)
Hip Thrust + Cross Toe Tap (2)
Plank Reaches
Superman Extensions
Freestyle
Workout 40
Supine Leg Circles
Bananamans
Ashton Hall: Seated Arm Circle Jack
Leg Raise Walks
Table Top
Single Leg Bridge
Bicycle Crunches
Down to Up Dog
Plank Toe Taps
Down Dog Toe Touches
Workout 41
Walkout into Push-up
Dolphin Plank Roll
High Plank Bird Dog
Superman Pulses
Ashton Hall Generators
L-Sit Precursors
MSS Leg Raises
Starfish
Torture Twists
Leg Drops
Workout 42
Sunshine
Sit, Twist + Spread
Windshield Wipers
Single Leg Bridge
Ashton Hall Bicycle Fusion
Jen_Mtl Toe Touches
Jen_Mtl Toe Touches
Elbow Plank Forearm Push-up
Superman FSBU
Sifiso Climbers
Workout 43
2-Crunch Leg Raises
Supine Leg Circles
Table Top
Axe Sit-Ups
Russian Twists
Reverse Crunches
Single Arm Elbow Plank
Down Dog Toe Touches
Panther Toe Tap Var.
Freestyle
Workout 44
Reverse Salamander
Criss-cross Leg Raises
Ashton Hall: Bicycle Fusion
Table Top
Turkish Get-up to Rope Pull (L)
Turkish Get-up to Rope Pull (R)
Superman Hold
Side Plank Leg Lifts
High Plank Swimmers
Sifiso Climbers
Workout 45
Elbow Plank
Generators
High Plank
Iso Hold Pushup
Dolphin Plank
Down to Up Dog
Jen_Mtl (Full)
Jen_Mtl (Full)
Hollow Hold
Rep-Based Freestyle
Workout 46
Bananamans
Single-Leg Jack-Knife
Frankensteins
Starfish
Sit-up Negatives
Side Plank Var (L)
Side Plank Var (R)
Panther Var
Plank Var
Freestyle
Workout 47
Ashton Hall: Russian Twist to Star Spread
Staple Removers
Low to High Boat
Leg Drops
Crunches
Superman Swimmers
Hip Rockers
Single Arm Elbow Plank
Mountain Climbers
Toe Touch Plank Walks
Workout 48 (4–3–2–1)
Leg Raises
Leg Flutters
Leg Drops (3pt)
Leg-up Crunches
Reverse Crunches
Reverse Salamander
Reverse Table Top (?)
Plank Saws
Plank Spidermans
Elbow Plank Forearm Push-up
Workout 49 (Animals)
Cocoons
Starfish
Penguins
Dead Bug
Butterfly Sit-Ups
Bird Dogs
Panther Var.
Reverse Salamander
Dolphin Plank Roll
Down to Up Dog
Workout 50 (Characters)
Frankenstein
Russian Twist
Turkish Half Get-Up
Bananamans
Ashton Hall Var.
Mountain Climbers
Superman Hold
Jen_Mtl
Spiderman Pushups
Character Freestyle
Workout 51
Elbow Plank
Crunches
Superman Extensions
Seated Rowers
Plank Swimmers
Axe Sit-Ups
Slow Cross Climbers
Sit Twist Spread
Plank Reaches
Bicycle Crunches
Workout 52 (S-Works)
Starfish or Sunshine
Seated Rowers
Single Leg Jack-Knife
Sit-Up Negatives
Staple Removers
Supine Toe Taps
Superman FSBU
Side Plank Var. (L)
Side Plank Var. (R)
Sifiso Climbers
Workout 53
Crunches
Oblique Twists
Leg Raises
Low Boat to High Boat
Elevated Scissors
Cocoons to Hollow Hold
Toe Taps?
Iso Hold Push-Ups
Variation Panthers
Elbow Plank to Side Roll
Workout 54 (Up & Down)
Seated Stable Scissors
Heel Touch Crunches
Generators (Leg Rainbows)
Table Top
Torture Twists (3s Hold)
Superman Hold
Bird Dogs
Staccato Plank Saws
High Plank Var.
Elbow Climbers
Workout 55 (Alphabet 1)
Ashton Hall: Reverse Crunch Fusion
Butt Lifts
Criss-Cross Leg Raises
Dead Bug Table Top
Elbow Plank Staple Removers
Frankensteins
Generators
Hip Rockers
Inchworm
Jack-Knife
Workout 56
Hollow Pulses
Hip Thrusts
Axe Sit-Ups
Penguins
Seated Rowers
Superman Swimmers
Jen_Mtl (L)
Jen_Mtl (R)
Side Plank Var. (L)
Side Plank Var. (R)
Workout 57
Leg Raise Butt Lifts
Sunshine
Crunch Holds
Rope Pull
Supine Leg Circles
Mountain Climber Var.
Down to Up Dog
Elbow Plank
High Plank Reaches
Freestyle
CIRCUITS
Workout 58 — Circuit 1 (20 reps each)
Crunches
Russian Twists
Plank Reaches
Superman Pulses
Workout 59 — Circuit 2
Sit, Twist, Spread (10/side)
Plank Wraps (10/side)
Hollow Cocoons (15)
Plank Staple Removers (10/side)
Workout 60 — Circuit 3
Deadbug (16)
Panther Tap Var. (20)
Starfish (16)
Slow Cross Climbers (20)
Workout 61 — Circuit 4 (Hexadecimal)
Reverse Crunches (10)
Dolphin Plank Roll (16)
Ashton Hall Bicycle Fusion (10)
Superman Swimmers (16)
Workout 62 — Circuit 5 (10–8–6–4–2)
Criss-Cross Leg Raises
Down to Up Dog
Sit-Up Negatives (5–4–3–2–1)
Plank Swimmers
Workout 63 — Circuit 6
Axe Sit-Ups (5x2)
Side Plank Elbow Tap (5x2)
Low to High Boat (10)
Pushup Negatives (5)
Workout 64 — Circuit 7 (16–12–8–4)
Penguins
High Plank Shoulder Taps
Leg Rainbows
Hip Rockers
[Elbow Plank to the end]
Workout 65 — Circuit 8 (10 reps)
Jen_Mtl (L)
Jen_Mtl (R)
Ashton Hall Bicycle Fusion
Sit-Ups
Workout 66 — Circuit 9 (10)
Ashton Hall: Reverse Crunch Fusion
Shoulder Extensions
Hollow Cocoons
3-pt Leg Throughs (5/side)
Workout 67 — Circuit 10
Plank variation until you’re dying.
Crunch variation until you’re dying.
Repeat. Take breaks as needed.
Workout 68 — Circuit 11 (10,8,6,4,2)
Pushups
Bird Dogs
Plank Walks
Single Leg Jack Knife
[Elbow Plank to the end]
Workout 69 — Circuit 12 (12 reps)
Supine Leg Circles
Toe Tap Variation
Russian Twists
Elbow Plank to Side Roll
Workout 70 — Circuit 13
Superman Pulses (20)
Hex Taps (5)
MSS Leg Raises (5)
Reverse Salamander (5)
Workout 71 — Circuit 14 (7–6–5 reps)
Leg Drops
Iso-Hold Pushups
Sit-Up Negatives
Down to Up Dog
Workout 72 — Circuit 15 (10–8–6–4–2)
Sunshine
Single Leg Bridge
Staple Removers
Sifiso Climbers
Workout 73 — Circuit 16 (16–12–8–4)
Butt Lifts
Superman Swimmers
Low to High Boat
Slow Cross Climbers
Workout 74 — Circuit 17 (10–8–6–4–2)
Sit, Twist & Spread
High Plank Shoulder Taps
Side Plank Dips/Wraps
Dolphin Plank Roll
Workout 75 — Circuit 18 (10–8–6–4–2)
Bicycle Kicks (10/side)
Elbow Plank Reaches (10/side)
Torture Twists (5/side)
Reverse Crunches (10)
Workout 76 — Circuit 19 (10–2n ladder)
Leg Raises
Panther Toe Touches
Starfish
Shoulder Extensions
Workout 77 — Circuit 20 (Pick Your Own Rep Range: PYORR)
Crunch Hold to Failure
Plank Swimmers
Penguins
Jen_Mtl (L & R)
Workout 78 — Circuit 21 (PYORR)
Dead Bug Table Top
High Plank Toe Touches
Criss-Cross Leg Raises
Slow-Cross Climbers
Workout 79 — Circuit 22 (PYORR)
Axe Sit-Ups
Hex Taps
MSS Leg Raises
Superman Pulses
Workout 80 — Circuit 23 (PYORR)
Sit-Up Negatives
Plank Saws
Leg Drops
Side Plank Var.
Workout 81 — Circuit 24 (10–2n)
Cocoons
3-Pt Leg Throughs
Frankensteins
Russian Twists
Workout 82 — Circuit 25 (10–2n)
Butterfly Sit-Up
Side Plank Elbow Twist
Bananamans
Panther Var.
Workout 83 — Circuit 26
Elevated Scissors
Sifiso Climbers
Hollow Hold Pulses
Superman Swimmers
Workout 84 — Circuit 27
Crunches
Dolphin Plank Roll
Reverse Crunches
Hip Rockers
Workout 85 — Circuit 28
Cocoons
Plank Walk Reaches
Rope Pull
Reverse Salamanders
Workout 86 — Circuit 29
Side Plank Staple Removers
Down to Up Dog
Ashton Hall Bicycle Fusion
Plank Variation
Workout 87 — Circuit 30
Elbow Plank (80% of max)
Sit-Ups (10–20, perfect form)
Breathe, Repeat.
Workout 88 — Noemia’s Circuit (10–2n)
High Plank Forward Taps
Russian Twists
Reverse Crunches (20–4n)
Side Plank Staple Removers
Workout 89 — Zoe’s Workout
Start: Plank
Circuit (10 reps):
- High to Low Boat
- Butterfly Crunches
- Candle
- Windshield Wipers
Workout 90 — Juanita’s Workout
Start: 3-Minute Plank
Circuit (12 reps):
- Crunch Claps
- Leg Raises
- Russian Twists
End: 3x 4–7–8 Breathing
Workout 91 — Circuit 31 (20 Reps)
Jumping Jacks (total)
Bird Dog Jumps (total)
High Knees (each)
Standing Staple Removers (total)
Shoutout to:
Ashton Hall (Instagram: @AshtonHallOfficial) and
Jennifer Pregnolato (Instagram: @Jen_MTL)
for inspiring some of the exercises above.
BONUS: Plank Readings
Here’s a list of some books we used to read from while planking back in The Plank People days:
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People — Stephen R. Covey
Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff… And It’s All Small Stuff — Richard Carlson
How to Teach Quantum Physics to Your Dog — Chad Orzel
The Wisdom of Crowds — James Surowiecki
The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari — Robin Sharma
Sum — David Eagleman
Waking Up — Sam Harris
Lord of the Rings — J.R.R. Tolkien
Range — David Epstein
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy — Douglas Adams
The Happiness Advantage — Shawn Achor
Make Time — Jake Knapp & John Zeratsky
The Gold-Bug and Other Tales (Ligeia) — Edgar Allen Poe
Cosmos — Carl Sagan
How to Do the Work — Dr. Nicole LePera
Meditations — Marcus Aurelius
You Are a Badass — Jen Sincero
Congratulations, you made it to the end! Thank you for reading (or scrolling) to the bottom of the page.
Check out my LinkTree for plenty more content I’ve created over the past 5 years, including a science podcast and personalized rap business.
If you have any questions about the exercises or the process or anything at all related to the content of this blog post, please reach out by email to jeremy.ullman@mail.mcgill.ca.
