Hold a plank for five minutes
A friend has invited you to do this with them.
A plank works the whole trunk with no kit, and a clock makes every gain easy to see. Five continuous minutes on your forearms and toes is a real milestone, and you can read or listen to something while you build up to it.
ModerateFreeA few weeksIndoorsAlone or with others
Someone who has done it
DonnaJean Wilde held a forearm plank for five hours at the Huntsman World Senior Games in October 2026. She has no connection with the guide linked here.
How to start
- Learn the shape from the NHS physiotherapy guide linked here, starting with short holds, against a worktop or on your knees if you need to.
- Time one hold in good form and write it down.
- Three times a week, do four holds with a rest between, and add 15 to 30 seconds to one long hold each week until you reach five minutes.
Where to go
We opened this link on 16 October 2026 and found it to be what we say. Dates, places and prices are on the official page, where they stay up to date.
Plan this
Pick a day, or a month, and we will set out how to get ready, step by step, with a date and a reason for each. Courses and classes have start dates and can fill up, so the plan begins with finding and booking one. Kit comes after the first session, once you know what you need.
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