30-Day Plank Challenge for Beginners | Free Printable
Do you want to strengthen your core? Have you heard about the fantastic benefits of planking but don't know where to start? Look no further!
This 30-day plank challenge is designed for beginners and will help you cultivate a stronger core in just a few weeks.
This fitness challenge is excellent, even if you've never done a plank!
Planks are one of the best abdominal exercises! Planks can help you develop the strength and stability to perform more advanced exercises when done correctly.
Plus, they’re an accessible beginner exercise that requires no specialized equipment-- only your body weight!
Throughout the 30 days, we'll focus on slowly increasing the time you hold your planks. This way, by the end of the 30 days, your core muscles will be stronger than ever before.
We have included a free printable plank challenge calendar in this blog post that you can download! This calendar will help you build up your core strength, improve balance and coordination, and develop strong muscles.
This 30-day plank challenge is also a great challenge to do with a friend, spouse, or family member!
So grab a mat, set aside a few minutes each day, and join us as we take on this beginner-friendly plank challenge!
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Table of Contents
How do Planks Help Your Core?
Planks are one of the best ways to get a strong core and strengthen your entire body. Your core is the area of your body between your ribs and pelvis.
This muscle group helps support your spine and maintain good posture while providing stability when engaging in other exercises or day-to-day activities.
Plank exercises require you to hold yourself in a single position for an extended period. You do this while engaging your muscles and activating deeper core muscles that are difficult to reach with traditional core workouts.
Regular planking can keep your core strong and improve balance and coordination.
Why are Planks Better than Crunches and Sit-Ups?
Planks are one of the best core exercises! Planks are a great alternative to crunches and sit-ups for core strength and stability.
They require your body to be held in an isolated position. They engage more muscles than traditional exercises like crunches and sit-ups.
Planks also work the deeper core muscles that are difficult to target with crunches and sit-ups. Working these deeper core muscles helps to improve overall strength and posture.
While doing a plank, you don't need to worry about the strain on your neck or lower back because the shoulders, arms, and legs support most of the weight.
Also, planking can help develop better control over the muscles in your abdominals. This better control can help you engage them properly when lifting weights or performing other activities.
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What are the Benefits of Planks?
Plank exercises are a great way to strengthen your entire core. Here are some of the best things about planks:
Improved strength and stability in your core muscles
Better posture
Enhanced control over abdominal muscles
Increased calorie burn
Reduced risk of back pain
More efficient workout overall
Great total body workout
What Muscle Groups Do You Work During Planks?
Plank exercises are an excellent full-body workout, engaging many muscles at once.
Planks can help you develop the strength and stability to perform more advanced exercises when done correctly.
Here's a list of the muscles you work when doing planks:
Rectus abdominis (stomach)
External and internal obliques (sides)
Shoulders
Glutes (buttocks)
Back
Hamstrings and Quadriceps (legs)
How to Do a Plank with Proper Form
Plank exercises effectively develop core strength and stability while engaging multiple muscles throughout your body.
In this 30-day challenge, we'll focus on forearm planks since they are more suitable for beginners compared to a standard plank.
Let's look at good form for forearm planks. When doing a forearm plank exercise, there are a few essential points of form to keep in mind:
Keep your elbows directly under your shoulder blades.
Squeeze your glutes (butt) and draw your belly button toward the spine to engage your core muscles. Form a straight line from the top of your head to the heels of your feet.
Engage other muscle groups, like your back and leg muscles, by slightly squeezing them.
Keep your neck relaxed with your eyes looking down at the floor.
Keep your neck neutral.
Make sure to breathe normally, and don't hold your breath!
Click HERE for a short video demonstration of a plank.
How Do I Know if I'm Overdoing It?
Not doing exercise isn’t good for your health. But doing too much exercise can also be bad for your health.
If you're not sure if you're overdoing it with your plank workout, here are some signs to look out for:
If you're feeling pain rather than muscle fatigue. Often, keeping proper plank form can help prevent feeling pain.
If your form is suffering due to exhaustion, thus putting added strain on your body.
Feeling dizzy or lightheaded during or after the exercise. Staying in touch with your how your body feels as you work out and taking rest days when needed is essential. Always listen to your body's signals. Don't push yourself beyond what is safe and comfortable for you.
If you feel that you are overdoing it, take extra breaks between plank sets or extra rest days as needed.
Also, before making any drastic changes to your exercise program, it's important to consult with your doctor. This is especially true if you have any medical conditions.
How to do the 30-Day Plank Challenge
Ready to get started on the 30-day challenge? Here are the steps you need to take for success:
Grab your free download below and ensure it’s ready for each day's workout.
Start with day one and follow the instructions for each day noted on the plank calendar.
If the planks on week one are too difficult, decrease the times noted on the calendar by 10 seconds for the first week. Then, each subsequent week, increase the time you hold the plank by 5 seconds.
Pin this post for later so you can return to the instructions and tips!
Check out the tips to get great results below to maximize your results during the challenge.
Remember that you want to challenge your body while not increasing the risk of injury. Adjust times as needed, and don't push yourself too hard!
How to Get Your Free Download of the 30-Day Plank Challenge
Enter your name and email address in the form below for your free download.
Once you get your download, hit the print icon on the upper right-hand side of the download. You will then have the option to print it at that time, or you can save it as a PDF file and print it later.
You can also pin this post for later if you don't have time to download it now.
If you run into any issues with your download, please contact me!
↓ DOWNLOAD ↓
Tips to Get Great Results
Here are some other essential factors for getting great results during the plank challenge:
Get enough sleep and manage stress levels to maximize recovery. Using a fitness tracker can help you track your sleep patterns. It can even help you track stress so you can come up with a plan to manage it!
Eat plenty of fruits and vegetables while reducing or eliminating processed foods.
Stay hydrated by drinking as much water as you can throughout the day. Carrying a water bottle around with you can help you ensure your drinking throughout the day!
Incorporate other strength exercises into your routine to help build muscle mass, target different areas of your body, and help increase flexibility and mobility.
Add some cardio to your rest day or days you are doing planks. Doing cardio exercises helps improve your cardiovascular conditioning.
Cardiovascular conditioning makes it easier for your body to recover from strenuous workouts.
Also, getting your heart rate up on your rest days will help keep your metabolism up and burning fat even when you're not working out. A fitness tracker watch can help you track your daily activity and even your heart rate!
Some examples of cardio workouts include the elliptical, running, swimming, or walking.
Stay consistent with your plank workouts. Challenge yourself when appropriate to ensure progress and avoid plateaus.
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How to Keep Progressing After the 30 Days
To continue progressing after the 30-day plank challenge you can increase the intensity of your planks.
Try doing the challenge over again using a high plank position rather than doing forearm planks. Progressing to a full plank will help you build even more strength and balance.
You can also try out more difficult plank variations to challenge yourself further.
Here are some different plank variations to challenge you:
The side plank: this variation targets your oblique muscles and is done by propping yourself up on one elbow
Elevated plank: prop your arms up on raised platforms like a weight bench or low table to add difficulty
Moving plank: have moving arms and legs while in plank position.
Reverse Plank: Works the lower back, glutes, and hamstrings.
Pike Pushup Plank: Helps engage the shoulders, chest, core, and quads in one move.
Spiderman Plank: Involves bringing each knee up toward the opposite elbow for an added core challenge.
Plank Reach: Engages the arms, shoulders, and core as you reach one arm out in front of you while keeping your body steady.
Plank Taps: A challenging move that involves alternating tapping hands on your shoulders while maintaining good form.
Swimming Plank: Works the shoulders, chest, and back muscles with a dynamic movement.
The variation you choose as a progression will depend on your fitness goals.
Whichever variation of plank you choose, remember not to hold a plank for over 2 minutes at a time.
You don't get much more benefit after that amount of time. You could also risk injury if you start to have an improper form from holding a plank for too long.
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Conclusion
Incorporating planks into your routine is a great way to challenge your body and build strength in the core.
Planks not only help to improve posture and stability, but they can also increase muscular endurance, tone abs, and even reduce back pain.
With so many variations available, there's something for everyone – no matter their fitness level!
This 30-day plank challenge is a great way to take your exercise routine up a notch and see real results. Take the plunge and get ready for a rewarding workout with this 30-day plank challenge!