This trainer-endorsed plan offers a safe and efficient way to boost your core strength.
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Many mistakenly approach planking by dropping to the floor, setting a timer, and holding steady until fatigue sets in—often leading to sagging hips and an arched back. This technique might not yield problems in your twenties, but beyond age 60, it transforms what should be a core-focused exercise into an avoidable back strain.
Thankfully, there’s a more effective strategy for seniors aiming to regain core strength. By incrementally increasing plank time by mere seconds, rather than going to extremes, your core can properly adjust to the stress. Embraced in this five-day plank challenge, the method involves extending your hold by five seconds each day across three sets, helping muscles develop genuine endurance, rather than struggling through one lengthy hold with poor form.
We consulted James Brady, a certified personal trainer with OriGym, who crafted this program specifically for older adults rebuilding their core strength. “Instead of striving to sustain a plank indefinitely, gradually extend your planks over five days,” Brady advises. “If completing a full plank becomes too strenuous before time is up, it’s smarter to pause, rest, and retry than let your form falter. Quality trumps duration as we age.”
The Plank Form
Before starting Day 1, it helps to know what proper plank positioning looks like, since every day of this challenge uses the same form. “To perform a plank, rest on your forearms and toes with your elbows directly under your shoulders,” says Brady. “Engage your core by maintaining a straight line from your head to your heels by tucking your pelvis and squeezing your glutes.”
How to do it:
- Rest on your forearms and toes with your elbows directly under your shoulders.
- Maintain a straight line from your head to your toes.
- Tuck in your pelvis.
- Squeeze your glutes.
- Breathe steadily through your nose during the hold.
Day 1
Day one is about establishing the position and getting a feel for how your core responds under load, not testing your limits. “On Day 1, start with a 20-second plank and repeat this for three sets,” Brady advises.
How to do it: Set up in the plank position above, hold for 20 seconds, rest for 30 to 40 seconds, then repeat for a total of three sets.
Day 2
By day two, your core has already had one session to adapt, so the five-second increase should feel manageable. “Over the next five days, increase the time by five seconds, but still only repeat this for three sets,” Brady says.
How to do it: Hold for 25 seconds, rest for 30 to 40 seconds, and repeat for a total of three sets.
Day 3
Halfway through the challenge is often where fatigue starts to test your form more than your first two days did. Sticking to Brady’s guidance on quality over duration matters most here.
How to do it: Hold for 30 seconds, rest for 30 to 40 seconds, and repeat for a total of three sets.
Day 4
You’re close to the finish line! The extra five seconds today should reflect real progress from where you started on Day 1. Keep the same three-set structure as described above.
How to do it: Hold for 35 seconds, rest for 30 to 40 seconds, and repeat for a total of three sets.
By the final day, you’ll be holding double the time you started with, all while keeping the same clean form. “This means by day 5, you will be performing a 40-second plank for three sets.”
How to do it: Hold for 40 seconds, rest for 30 to 40 seconds, and repeat for a total of three sets.
The Bottom Line
Once you’ve finished the five days, you don’t need to keep increasing your plank-hold time. Instead, repeat the Day 5 target of a 40-second plank for three sets a few times a week to maintain what you’ve built, or start the progression over at a slightly higher starting point and work your way up to 60 seconds. Core strength built this way carries real benefits beyond how your midsection looks, helping to support balance, posture, and stability as you age.