Holding a plank for two minutes is a real achievement. Once you’re here, a natural question is how much you need to keep doing to stay here. The good news is that keeping strength usually takes much less work than building it.

Keeping takes less than building

Research on maintaining fitness found that strength could be held for several months with as little as one strength session a week, as long as the effort in that session stayed high. In other words, it’s how hard you work in each session that matters most, not how many sessions you do.

Why your plank needs a regular touchpoint

A plank builds staying power rather than pure strength, and staying power tends to fade a little faster when you stop. Research suggests strength is largely kept for around four weeks without training, while endurance starts to dip sooner. So keeping planks in your week regularly, even briefly, helps you hold on to your time.

How much is enough

Many health guidelines recommend muscle-strengthening activities on at least two days a week. For your plank, that could look like:

• Two plank sessions a week, at a steady, challenging effort.
• Keeping your forearm plank on your toes as part of each session.
• Using your weekly check-in to make sure your time is holding.

If your check-in time starts to drop, that’s a simple sign to add a session back in.

Making it easy to keep

The easier your routine is to fit in, the more likely it is to last. Many people find it helps to keep plank sessions on the same days each week, linked to something they already do, like before a shower or after work.

Something to try this week

Choose two days this week for your plank sessions and keep them at a challenging effort. Use your next check-in to see whether your time holds.

What to take away

• Keeping strength usually takes less than building it.
• The effort in each session matters more than the number of sessions.
• Two plank sessions a week is a good target for keeping your time.
• If your check-in time drops, add a session back in.

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