October 9, 2025, 10:30 am | Read time: 5 minutes

Training Plan by Level: Plank Duration and Number of Sets

First, everyone should realistically assess their current condition. If you’ve never trained the plank or are just starting, you’re a beginner. If you can perform the exercise well and have incorporated it into your workout a few times, you’re intermediate. If you can hold the forearm plank perfectly for an extended period and it’s a regular part of your bodyweight exercises, you can consider yourself an expert.

Beginners

“For beginners, I would start with 20 to 30 seconds at a time—three to four days a week for three to five sets,” recommends Markus Bremen. It’s especially important to maintain muscular tension, pay attention to key points, and avoid sagging in the lower back. Correct execution of the exercise is a must. “Especially if you train hard or a lot, it can backfire,” says the fitness expert. This refers to possible lower back pain from a swayback or neck and shoulder pain or tension if you hold your head incorrectly.

Intermediate

“Then I would slowly increase to 40 to 60 seconds,” advises Markus Bremen for intermediates. “I wouldn’t go any longer.” The three or at most four weekly training days and the three to five sets remain the same.

Advanced

Even experts don’t need to go beyond one minute of forearm plank—also at a maximum of four training days and in five sets. “The advanced should then vary, similar to squats. Here, leg lifts or arm lifts could be considered, or supporting yourself on your hands instead of your forearms.” Intermediates who are already doing well can also start incorporating variations.

By the way: Of course, appropriate rest times between sets are important when planking, so the body can briefly recover and the heart rate can drop. This way, you can give your full performance in each set. “After each set, beginners, intermediates, and advanced should take about two to three minutes of rest,” says Markus Bremen.

New Stimuli for Muscle Growth

To perform the classic plank correctly, you support yourself on your forearms and toes. The body forms a straight line, and the core is tightly engaged. After a while, the body gets used to it, and no more muscles are built.

To regularly set new stimuli so that the muscles have to adapt and ultimately develop, the forearm plank offers plenty of different and progressive execution options.

For beginners, the standard plank is perfectly fine, but everyone else will quickly find it insufficient. Then the exercise becomes ineffective over time. It would be more challenging and thus more effective to, for example, place the arms further forward or work on an unstable surface.

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These Plank Variations Are Particularly Effective

The expert recommends, for example, lifting one leg during the plank. The result: The body becomes more unstable, and the deep core muscles have to work harder to keep the pelvis stable. This leads to higher core activation. The gluteal area and the rear thigh muscles also work harder. You activate more muscles, increasing the energy or calorie consumption with this dynamic modification.

A similar effect applies to the plank when you lift an arm. What happens? Instead of four contact points with the ground, there are only three. To counterbalance the upper body, which tends to tilt slightly to the side, the core has to engage. This primarily trains the oblique abdominal muscles. The stabilizers of the core, such as the transversus abdominis or deep abdominal muscles, also work hard. The shoulders and back muscles are involved as well, making the exercise a full-body workout.

Supporting yourself on both hands, which now bear the body weight, is also well-suited. This especially involves the shoulders and arms more. Additionally, the lever to the body’s center of gravity becomes longer due to the extended arms, requiring the core to work diligently. It’s still important to keep the hips tense and in line. Supporting yourself on your hands also positively affects your wrists, grip strength, and forearms.

Also interesting: My Favorite Bodyweight Exercises for Abs

How the Plank Can Change the Body in Just Four Weeks

According to Markus Bremen, there could be noticeable changes, especially in the shoulder area, after four to six weeks. “You build tension there and look more defined,” he explains. “Additionally, the deep muscles are engaged, and perhaps a bit of the transversus, which is around the pubic area, is also well engaged. But that’s not a muscle you see,” the expert emphasizes. However, you can look forward to more everyday tension and possibly more stable flanks or sides around your pelvis.

At least if regularity, correct technique, sufficient rest times, and a protein-rich and balanced diet are in place. “You have to do and invest something to get something. And that doesn’t just refer to pure muscle but also to everything that plays a role. You should always keep that in mind. It’s simply a constant exchange with your body,” says Markus Bremen.

Note: Those who want to build a six-pack solely through planking will likely reach their limits. “This is primarily visible through body fat percentage,” Markus Bremen also knows. For men, a body fat percentage of no more than 12 percent is required for a visibly defined six-pack, while for women, the value is about 18 to 22 percent.