{"id":21446,"date":"2019-01-09T13:02:44","date_gmt":"2019-01-09T18:02:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/whatsgood.vitaminshoppe.com\/?p=21446"},"modified":"2019-03-04T11:28:44","modified_gmt":"2019-03-04T16:28:44","slug":"30-day-plank-challenge","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vitaminshoppe.com\/blog\/30-day-plank-challenge\/","title":{"rendered":"I Did Planks Every Day For A Month\u2014Here’s What Happened"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>When I tell people that I have two herniated discs in my lower back at 29 years old, I proudly note that it\u2019s one of the most common injuries in professional athletes. \u201cI just went too hard, I guess,\u201d I smirk.<\/p>\n<p>However, my orthopedist knows I sit on a throne of lies. In fact, I didn\u2019t injure my back during a set of gloriously heavy squats or any impressive feat of athleticism; I just started noticing pain when I bent over to pick something up or rolled over in bed. Why? Apparently because I have a <em>very<\/em> weak core.<\/p>\n<p>While I can pile on plate after plate during my usual leg workouts and love a good spin or HIIT class, I can\u2019t stand Russian twists, sit-ups, or my sworn enemy: bicycle crunches. So I never work my abs. Ever. (And it\u2019s really backfired on me.)<\/p>\n<p>Despite my general dislike for most abs moves, though, I never 100 percent hated planks. Actually, they were one of the exercises I did during my short stint in physical therapy that seemed to help alleviate my back pain.<\/p>\n<p>Since back pain has continued to be an ever-present annoyance since I fell off the physical therapy bandwagon, I decided to plank every day for a month to see if there really was hope for my core strength.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Week 1: How\u2019s It Feel To Be Below-Average? <\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Excited as I was for my planking time to (hopefully) improve, I wasn\u2019t even sure how long I\u2019d be able to plank for that first day. My answer: 32 seconds. Twelve seconds longer than I had even planked in physical therapy, that seemed pretty good.<\/p>\n<p>Until I Google searched \u2018average plank time for women,\u2019 that is. I was a full minute below the average! I\u2019d never been so below-average at something athletic in my life. Even <a href=\"https:\/\/www.vitaminshoppe.com\/blog\/30-day-pushup-challenge\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pushups!<\/a><\/p>\n<p><noscript><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"21677\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.vitaminshoppe.com\/blog\/30-day-plank-challenge\/beginningplank2\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.vitaminshoppe.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/BeginningPlank2.jpg?fit=2576%2C1748&ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"2576,1748\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{"aperture":"2.2","credit":"","camera":"iPhone 6s","caption":"","created_timestamp":"1542114880","copyright":"","focal_length":"2.65","iso":"100","shutter_speed":"0.066666666666667","title":"","orientation":"1"}\" data-image-title=\"BeginningPlank2\" data-image-description data-image-caption data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.vitaminshoppe.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/BeginningPlank2.jpg?fit=300%2C204&ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.vitaminshoppe.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/BeginningPlank2.jpg?fit=740%2C502&ssl=1\" tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\" class=\"size-full wp-image-21677 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.vitaminshoppe.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/BeginningPlank2.jpg?resize=740%2C502&ssl=1\" alt width=\"740\" height=\"502\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.vitaminshoppe.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/BeginningPlank2.jpg?w=2576&ssl=1 2576w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.vitaminshoppe.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/BeginningPlank2.jpg?resize=300%2C204&ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.vitaminshoppe.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/BeginningPlank2.jpg?resize=768%2C521&ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.vitaminshoppe.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/BeginningPlank2.jpg?resize=1024%2C695&ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.vitaminshoppe.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/BeginningPlank2.jpg?resize=272%2C185&ssl=1 272w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.vitaminshoppe.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/BeginningPlank2.jpg?resize=740%2C502&ssl=1 740w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.vitaminshoppe.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/BeginningPlank2.jpg?w=1480&ssl=1 1480w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.vitaminshoppe.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/BeginningPlank2.jpg?w=2220&ssl=1 2220w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 740px) 100vw, 740px\"><\/noscript><img decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"21677\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.vitaminshoppe.com\/blog\/30-day-plank-challenge\/beginningplank2\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.vitaminshoppe.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/BeginningPlank2.jpg?fit=2576%2C1748&ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"2576,1748\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{"aperture":"2.2","credit":"","camera":"iPhone 6s","caption":"","created_timestamp":"1542114880","copyright":"","focal_length":"2.65","iso":"100","shutter_speed":"0.066666666666667","title":"","orientation":"1"}\" data-image-title=\"BeginningPlank2\" data-image-description data-image-caption data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.vitaminshoppe.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/BeginningPlank2.jpg?fit=300%2C204&ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.vitaminshoppe.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/BeginningPlank2.jpg?fit=740%2C502&ssl=1\" tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\" class=\"size-full wp-image-21677 aligncenter lazyload\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20viewBox%3D%220%200%202576%201748%22%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E\" alt width=\"2576\" height=\"1748\" srcset=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20viewBox%3D%220%200%202576%201748%22%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E 2576w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 740px) 100vw, 740px\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.vitaminshoppe.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/BeginningPlank2.jpg?w=2576&ssl=1 2576w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.vitaminshoppe.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/BeginningPlank2.jpg?resize=300%2C204&ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.vitaminshoppe.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/BeginningPlank2.jpg?resize=768%2C521&ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.vitaminshoppe.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/BeginningPlank2.jpg?resize=1024%2C695&ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.vitaminshoppe.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/BeginningPlank2.jpg?resize=272%2C185&ssl=1 272w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.vitaminshoppe.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/BeginningPlank2.jpg?resize=740%2C502&ssl=1 740w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.vitaminshoppe.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/BeginningPlank2.jpg?w=1480&ssl=1 1480w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.vitaminshoppe.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/BeginningPlank2.jpg?w=2220&ssl=1 2220w\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.vitaminshoppe.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/BeginningPlank2.jpg\"><\/p>\n<p>I tried to blame my pitiful plank performance on my injury, but knowing my weak core strength pretty much caused that injury left me feeling terrible.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Related: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.vitaminshoppe.com\/blog\/best-abs-moves\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>The 5 Most Effective Abs Moves<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Although my plank time crept up to 44 seconds by the end of that first week, I was still frustrated with my performance. Every time I got into that plank position, time seemed to move at half-speed\u2014and no amount of fidgeting or staring at the stopwatch on my phone passed the dreaded seconds any faster.<\/p>\n<p>However, since I didn\u2019t really feel sore, I knew I had more to give that next week.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Week 2: Okay, Now This Hurts<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Fuming about my below-average planking ability and motivated by my lack of soreness, I was ready to put some <em>oomph<\/em> into week two.<\/p>\n<p>While I didn\u2019t necessarily feel stronger or have drastically better form throughout my second week of planking, my anger about being below-average really revved up my willpower. With my face red and the veins in my neck bulging, I slowly built my plank time up to a solid 60 seconds.<\/p>\n<!-- Shortcode [rr-products] does not match the conditions -->\n<p>Still, my abdomen didn\u2019t look or feel any firmer, and I could still see my stomach dipping toward the floor in the photos I snapped. However, I finally noticed the satisfying soreness my first week of planking lacked. I was on the right track!<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Week 3: The Glute-Squeeze That Rocked My World<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Have you ever realized you\u2019ve been doing something wrong your entire life, and that just one tiny tweak could change everything? That happened to me during a workout class in my third week of planking.<\/p>\n<p>After a few rounds of rowing intervals, we moved to the floor and moved through not one, but six (!), different plank variations. The instructor told us to squeeze our glutes as tight as we could, and to try and shift some weight out of our arms and shoulders.<\/p>\n<p>So, I squeezed my butt and shifted my weight\u2014and I had a total a-ha moment. Planking was instantly easier! If I hadn\u2019t been slathered in sweat at the end of class, I would have hugged that instructor. With his advice, I was able to up my plank hold times to 70, 80, and then 90 seconds by the end of the third week.<\/p>\n<p><noscript><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"21679\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.vitaminshoppe.com\/blog\/30-day-plank-challenge\/middlecore\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.vitaminshoppe.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/MiddleCore-e1547037798495.jpg?fit=2576%2C1932&ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"2576,1932\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{"aperture":"2.2","credit":"","camera":"iPhone 6s","caption":"","created_timestamp":"1544881928","copyright":"","focal_length":"2.65","iso":"320","shutter_speed":"0.041666666666667","title":"","orientation":"3"}\" data-image-title=\"MiddleCore\" data-image-description data-image-caption data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.vitaminshoppe.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/MiddleCore-e1547037798495.jpg?fit=300%2C225&ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.vitaminshoppe.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/MiddleCore-e1547037798495.jpg?fit=740%2C555&ssl=1\" tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-21679\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.vitaminshoppe.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/MiddleCore-e1547037798495.jpg?resize=740%2C555&ssl=1\" alt width=\"740\" height=\"555\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.vitaminshoppe.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/MiddleCore-e1547037798495.jpg?w=2576&ssl=1 2576w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.vitaminshoppe.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/MiddleCore-e1547037798495.jpg?resize=300%2C225&ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.vitaminshoppe.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/MiddleCore-e1547037798495.jpg?resize=768%2C576&ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.vitaminshoppe.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/MiddleCore-e1547037798495.jpg?resize=1024%2C768&ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.vitaminshoppe.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/MiddleCore-e1547037798495.jpg?resize=272%2C204&ssl=1 272w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.vitaminshoppe.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/MiddleCore-e1547037798495.jpg?resize=740%2C555&ssl=1 740w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.vitaminshoppe.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/MiddleCore-e1547037798495.jpg?w=1480&ssl=1 1480w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.vitaminshoppe.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/MiddleCore-e1547037798495.jpg?w=2220&ssl=1 2220w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 740px) 100vw, 740px\"><\/noscript><img decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"21679\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.vitaminshoppe.com\/blog\/30-day-plank-challenge\/middlecore\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.vitaminshoppe.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/MiddleCore-e1547037798495.jpg?fit=2576%2C1932&ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"2576,1932\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{"aperture":"2.2","credit":"","camera":"iPhone 6s","caption":"","created_timestamp":"1544881928","copyright":"","focal_length":"2.65","iso":"320","shutter_speed":"0.041666666666667","title":"","orientation":"3"}\" data-image-title=\"MiddleCore\" data-image-description data-image-caption data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.vitaminshoppe.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/MiddleCore-e1547037798495.jpg?fit=300%2C225&ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.vitaminshoppe.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/MiddleCore-e1547037798495.jpg?fit=740%2C555&ssl=1\" tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-21679 lazyload\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20viewBox%3D%220%200%202576%201932%22%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E\" alt width=\"2576\" height=\"1932\" srcset=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20viewBox%3D%220%200%202576%201932%22%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E 2576w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 740px) 100vw, 740px\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.vitaminshoppe.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/MiddleCore-e1547037798495.jpg?w=2576&ssl=1 2576w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.vitaminshoppe.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/MiddleCore-e1547037798495.jpg?resize=300%2C225&ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.vitaminshoppe.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/MiddleCore-e1547037798495.jpg?resize=768%2C576&ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.vitaminshoppe.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/MiddleCore-e1547037798495.jpg?resize=1024%2C768&ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.vitaminshoppe.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/MiddleCore-e1547037798495.jpg?resize=272%2C204&ssl=1 272w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.vitaminshoppe.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/MiddleCore-e1547037798495.jpg?resize=740%2C555&ssl=1 740w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.vitaminshoppe.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/MiddleCore-e1547037798495.jpg?w=1480&ssl=1 1480w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.vitaminshoppe.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/MiddleCore-e1547037798495.jpg?w=2220&ssl=1 2220w\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.vitaminshoppe.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/MiddleCore-e1547037798495.jpg\"><\/p>\n<p>Though I still hadn\u2019t noticed any major physical changes, I felt stronger and more stable for the first time. And despite the soreness that rocked my midsection, the jarring lower-back pain I\u2019d get when bending to pick something up or shifting in bed started to dissipate.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Week 4: Just Breathe<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Despite my continuous gains, I was still woefully <em>average<\/em> (at least according to Google) at the start of my fourth week. And worse, by mid-week, I\u2019d hit a plateau. I couldn\u2019t get past 90 seconds of planking without flopping onto the ground, core on fire and self-esteem completely deflated.<\/p>\n<p>I began to wonder if I was just psyching myself out. My constant fidgeting and phone-watching proved that though my body could keep going, my mind was absolutely losing it.<\/p>\n<p>If I could just find a way to help pass the time\u2014or feel calmer\u2014I knew I could make it past that annoying 90-second threshold. After all, the people we often think of as pro plankers are pretty disciplined folks\u2014Marines, police officers, yogis.<\/p>\n<p>I decided to focus on quieting my mind the next time I planked, and let me tell you: It worked! Though I didn\u2019t exactly meditate my way through my planks, I did start listening to my favorite news podcast. I got so peeved by all of the political talk that I completely forgot how on-fire my core was!<\/p>\n<p><noscript><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"21678\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.vitaminshoppe.com\/blog\/30-day-plank-challenge\/endplank\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.vitaminshoppe.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/EndPlank-e1547037836787.jpg?fit=2576%2C1932&ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"2576,1932\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{"aperture":"2.2","credit":"","camera":"iPhone 6s","caption":"","created_timestamp":"1543415669","copyright":"","focal_length":"2.65","iso":"320","shutter_speed":"0.066666666666667","title":"","orientation":"3"}\" data-image-title=\"EndPlank\" data-image-description data-image-caption data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.vitaminshoppe.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/EndPlank-e1547037836787.jpg?fit=300%2C225&ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.vitaminshoppe.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/EndPlank-e1547037836787.jpg?fit=740%2C555&ssl=1\" tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\" class=\"size-full wp-image-21678 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.vitaminshoppe.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/EndPlank-e1547037836787.jpg?resize=740%2C555&ssl=1\" alt width=\"740\" height=\"555\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.vitaminshoppe.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/EndPlank-e1547037836787.jpg?w=2576&ssl=1 2576w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.vitaminshoppe.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/EndPlank-e1547037836787.jpg?resize=300%2C225&ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.vitaminshoppe.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/EndPlank-e1547037836787.jpg?resize=768%2C576&ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.vitaminshoppe.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/EndPlank-e1547037836787.jpg?resize=1024%2C768&ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.vitaminshoppe.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/EndPlank-e1547037836787.jpg?resize=272%2C204&ssl=1 272w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.vitaminshoppe.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/EndPlank-e1547037836787.jpg?resize=740%2C555&ssl=1 740w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.vitaminshoppe.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/EndPlank-e1547037836787.jpg?w=1480&ssl=1 1480w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.vitaminshoppe.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/EndPlank-e1547037836787.jpg?w=2220&ssl=1 2220w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 740px) 100vw, 740px\"><\/noscript><img decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"21678\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.vitaminshoppe.com\/blog\/30-day-plank-challenge\/endplank\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.vitaminshoppe.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/EndPlank-e1547037836787.jpg?fit=2576%2C1932&ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"2576,1932\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{"aperture":"2.2","credit":"","camera":"iPhone 6s","caption":"","created_timestamp":"1543415669","copyright":"","focal_length":"2.65","iso":"320","shutter_speed":"0.066666666666667","title":"","orientation":"3"}\" data-image-title=\"EndPlank\" data-image-description data-image-caption data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.vitaminshoppe.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/EndPlank-e1547037836787.jpg?fit=300%2C225&ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.vitaminshoppe.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/EndPlank-e1547037836787.jpg?fit=740%2C555&ssl=1\" tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\" class=\"size-full wp-image-21678 aligncenter lazyload\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20viewBox%3D%220%200%202576%201932%22%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E\" alt width=\"2576\" height=\"1932\" srcset=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20viewBox%3D%220%200%202576%201932%22%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E 2576w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 740px) 100vw, 740px\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.vitaminshoppe.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/EndPlank-e1547037836787.jpg?w=2576&ssl=1 2576w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.vitaminshoppe.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/EndPlank-e1547037836787.jpg?resize=300%2C225&ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.vitaminshoppe.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/EndPlank-e1547037836787.jpg?resize=768%2C576&ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.vitaminshoppe.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/EndPlank-e1547037836787.jpg?resize=1024%2C768&ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.vitaminshoppe.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/EndPlank-e1547037836787.jpg?resize=272%2C204&ssl=1 272w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.vitaminshoppe.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/EndPlank-e1547037836787.jpg?resize=740%2C555&ssl=1 740w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.vitaminshoppe.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/EndPlank-e1547037836787.jpg?w=1480&ssl=1 1480w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.vitaminshoppe.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/EndPlank-e1547037836787.jpg?w=2220&ssl=1 2220w\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.vitaminshoppe.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/EndPlank-e1547037836787.jpg\"><\/p>\n<p>No, I wasn\u2019t suddenly able to plank for 10 minutes straight, but I <em>was<\/em> able to hold the position for 122 seconds that final day. That\u2019s more than two minutes!<\/p>\n<h2><strong>How 30 Days of Planking Transformed My Core<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>While I didn\u2019t have rock-hard abs by the end of my month-long planking experiment, I never really expected to. After all, I\u2019m a firm believer that abs are defined in the kitchen\u2014and I really love pizza, wine, and mozzarella sticks.<\/p>\n<p>However, I was really surprised by my progress. Thought I\u2019d always considered myself a pretty athletic person, this challenge reinforced the fact that if I neglected certain parts of my body, I would pay the price. I still felt disappointed in myself for neglecting my core for so long, but I was proud of myself for finally making a concerted, daily effort to rebuild strength.<\/p>\n<p>And, while my lower-back pain is still there, it\u2019s definitely less prominent\u2014and I don\u2019t think that\u2019s a coincidence. I might not continue to plank for as long as possible for every day moving forward, but I will certainly incorporate more core work into my usual exercise routine.<\/p>\n<p><em><strong>Diggin\u2019 What\u2019s Good? For more essential health facts, tips, and inspiration, joi<\/strong><\/em><em><strong>n our Facebook communities, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/groups\/EatingHealthyVitaminShoppe\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Eating Healthy<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/groups\/StayingFitVitaminShoppe\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Staying Fit<\/a>, today!<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>When I tell people that I have two herniated discs in my lower back at 29 years old, I proudly note that it\u2019s one of the most common injuries in professional athletes. \u201cI just went too hard, I guess,\u201d I smirk. However, my orthopedist knows I sit on a throne of lies. In fact, I<a class=\"more-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.vitaminshoppe.com\/blog\/30-day-plank-challenge\/\">Read More <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">I Did Planks Every Day For A Month\u2014Here’s What Happened<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":173,"featured_media":21676,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[4,9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-21446","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-fitness","category-the-latest"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.7 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>I Did Planks Every Day For A Month\u2014Here's What Happened<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"To improve her somewhat lacking core strength, Julia decided to plank for as long as she could every day for a month. 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