Plank

What is a plank?

The Visualisation

You lay on your stomach and push up onto your elbows. Your back is straight and your toes are pressing into the floor. The clock timer is set for two minutes. You're relying on your bicep muscles to support you, but as the seconds tick down on the clock, you start to feel your abs flex as you make sure to keep your back straight. The clock counts down to 1:43.

You're becoming more and more aware of all the muscles in your core working together to keep your body stiff and straight. You lean into your arms to relieve some of the strain on your center and a hot burning sensation starts to build in your biceps. The clock counts down to 1:20

The burning spreads through your entire body as all of your muscles work to keep you in the plank position. Your gluteal muscles are rock hard and your thighs are beginning to feel the work out. The clock counts down to 0:57

Your stomach starts to sag a bit and you correct it, drawing on the muscles in your lower back to assist your tiring stomach muscles. You desperately want to drop to the floor, but you keep your eyes on the clock, watch the seconds tick down and try not to think of the burning tightness all over your body. Every single one of your muscles is tensed and flexed as you watch the clock count down to 0:28.

You puff in air and exhale loudly. Every second ticking past is both relief and agony. Your biceps are inflamed as are your stomach muscles. You feel your thighs start to shake as the clock hits 0:19.

Your stomach starts to sag a bit, but you pull it back up. Just 13 seconds left. You're determined to maintain a perfect position for the remainder of the count.

0:10, your grit your teeth as the pain in your stomach muscles feels unbearable.

0:09, you lean into your toes to shift the balance off your stomach to your thighs, but they're just as exerted and it barely offers any relief from the pain of the work out.

0:08, you breath and try to balance the weight again. The muscles in your biceps feel hard as rock and hot as fire.

0:07, you close your eyes and try to bear the burn. Just seven seconds, six, five, four...

0:03, you open your eyes again, every second is just agony now.

0:02

0:01

Your body screams with relief as you let it drop from the position. All of your muscles are hard and throbbing.