One of January’s Challenges is to hold a 5 minute plank.  Minneapolis Running retweeted a link from a local blogger who initiated the challenge.  The Right Fits blogs about running and fitness in the Twin Cities and beyond.  She laid down the challenge in her first post of the year and a Facebook Event. She kindly offered a “training” plan to get there in 1 month.

I must admit, it seems a little daunting to think about holding a plank for 5 minutes… I know people who can run a mile that fast!! Or do 100 burpees… but holding one position.  That’s a challenge.  I’m actually 3 days in and I was pretty shaking at the end of today’s 30 seconds.  And I feel like I’m in decent shape! We must find our weaknesses, expose them, and fix them!

Here is the plan:

30 Day Fitness Challenges has pretty much the same formula and an app to go with it! A quick search for 5 minute plank apps produced a couple that do a 5 minute workout moving through different plank positions, but only 1 that I saw that might actually work for this challenge.  Check it out here, I downloaded it on my phone. It has additional plank exercises that I don’t see a way to actually skip or remove but it has a timer on it and it is a pretty straight-forward no frills app.

In a text format the workout goes:

1. 20 seconds
2. 20
3. 30
4. 30
5. 40
6. Rest
7. 45
8. 45
9. 60
10. 60
11. 60
12. 90
13. Rest
14. 90
15. 90
16. 120 (2 minutes)
17. 120
18. 150 (2:30)
19. Rest
20. 150
21. 150
22. 180 (3 minutes)
23. 180
24. 210 (3:30)
25. 210
26. Rest
27. 240 (4 minutes)
28. 240
29. 270
30. Rest
31. 300 (5 minutes)