The only adult percentiles are from students
In 471 US college students, the median forearm plank was 110 seconds for men and 72 seconds for women. The scorer rates ages 18 to 40 against their percentiles.
Source 1
Fitness test
Plank test: how long you can hold a plank, and how your time compares
Get into a forearm plank, elbows under your shoulders and your body in one straight line, and time how long you can hold it before your form goes. Enter your time with your age and sex. From 18 to 40, the scorer places you among US college students in the only published table of adult plank percentiles. From 41 to 65 it shows what one small study found, without a rating, and at any age it compares you with your last time, because nobody has published plank norms for each decade of adult life. Most long planks end because of tired arms or legs, not abs, and blood pressure rises quickly during a hold, so breathe throughout and read who should skip the test first.
Score your plank
Choose your sex and enter your age, the version you did and how many seconds you held it. Add your last time to see the change. Tick a box to see the US Army's standard, or, for a child of 8 to 12, Canadian children's percentiles.
Your time
1:55115 seconds
Between the 50th and 60th percentile for men in a study of US college students (average age 20): around the middle.
| Percentile | Seconds |
|---|---|
| 10th | 62 |
| 20th | 79 |
| 30th | 89 |
| 40th | 97 |
| 50thyour time reaches this | 110 |
| 60th | 122 |
| 70th | 137 |
| 80th | 157 |
| 90th | 201 |
These percentiles come from 471 US college students, held once to failure. We found no adult plank norms for each decade, so compare yourself with yourself too.
Breathe normally throughout. In a lab study, blood pressure rose quickly during a plank held to fatigue: in 97% of healthy young adults the lower number passed 115 mmHg within about a minute.
With heart failure, the British Heart Foundation advises against planks. If your blood pressure is 160/100 or higher and not yet treated, wait until it's treated before holding to failure. In the first weeks after a birth, the NHS advises avoiding planks to start with.
How to do the plank test
You need a mat, a timer and, ideally, a helper or a phone filming you from the side. The position and stop rules are those of the study behind the adult percentiles (Strand 2014) and the US Army's plank event. The practice hold, the warm-up and the 4-minute stop are our additions (editorial).
- On an earlier day, try one practice hold, so the test isn't your first plank. On the day, warm up for a few minutes with easy movement.
- Kneel on a mat and put your forearms on the floor, elbows directly under your shoulders and hands in front of your elbows, as fists or palms down.
- Step your feet back onto your toes, together or a little apart, and lift into one straight line from your head to your heels: legs straight, hips level, neck in line, eyes on the floor.
- Start the timer as soon as you're in position, and breathe normally throughout. Counting out loud helps.
- Hold for as long as you can keep the line. Your helper tells you once if your hips sag or rise; the test ends the second time your form goes and you can't fix it. Shaking is fine if the line holds.
- Stop at once for a headache, dizziness, chest pain or any pain that isn't just tired muscles.
- Stop at 4 minutes if you get there, and note your time in whole seconds.
- Test again every 4 to 8 weeks on the same surface, at about the same time of day.
Loading the 3D figure…
The movement on the figure: Forearm plank
The short version
No norms for each decade
We found no plank norms for each decade of adult life. From 41 to 65 the scorer gives one small Brazilian study's averages as context, with no rating, and from 66 it compares you with your last time.
Arms and legs give out first
About a third of the students stopped because of their legs and a third because of their arms; only a fifth stopped because of their abs.
Source 1
Practise once, then compare yourself
Plank times repeat well from day to day. A change of up to about 15 seconds may still be day-to-day difference (our editorial line, from a smallest real change of about 13 seconds in one study).
Blood pressure rises fast
In healthy young adults asked to hold to fatigue, 97% were stopped when the lower blood pressure number passed 115 mmHg, after about 50 seconds. Breathe throughout, and skip the test if you have heart failure.
Army and police times are job standards
The US Army's pass mark is 1:30 at 17 to 21, down to 1:10 from 37; the Marine Corps scores 1:10 to 3:45; Queensland and New South Wales police ask recruits for 90 seconds.
Norms, and how far to trust them
Strand 2014's percentiles for time to fatigue in a forearm plank, in seconds, printed from the scorer's own table. The scorer uses them from 18 to 40 and places your time between the percentiles either side of it; a time equal to a percentile counts as reaching it.
Men
194 US college men, average age 20.
- 10th: 62 seconds
- 20th: 79 seconds
- 30th: 89 seconds
- 40th: 97 seconds
- 50th: 110 seconds
- 60th: 122 seconds
- 70th: 137 seconds
- 80th: 157 seconds
- 90th: 201 seconds
Source 1
Women
277 US college women, average age 20 (the published table heads their column 275).
- 10th: 35 seconds
- 20th: 48 seconds
- 30th: 58 seconds
- 40th: 63 seconds
- 50th: 72 seconds
- 60th: 84 seconds
- 70th: 95 seconds
- 80th: 108 seconds
- 90th: 142 seconds
Source 1
Who was tested
471 students at two universities in Chicago and Los Angeles, 109 of them varsity athletes, all screened with the PAR-Q (Physical Activity Readiness Questionnaire) first. Most were active: 41% exercised 3 to 5 times a week and 19% more often. Each held one plank, timed to a tenth of a second, after a demonstration. Heavier students held for slightly less time, and those active more than 5 times a week held longest.
Source 1
Why this table, and why only to 40
It's the only adult percentile table for a timed forearm plank, with its method and population stated, that we could open. The scorer uses it from 18 to 40 (editorial): the students averaged 20, and 40 is where the Brazilian study's younger group ends.
Ages 41 to 65: one small study, as context
In 152 adults in Ribeirão Preto, Brazil, those aged 41 to 65 held a prone bridge (a forearm plank) for these average times in seconds, with the standard deviation in brackets. Each group had 17 or 18 people, they held it on an examination table after hip strength tests, and people with back pain were left out. So the scorer gives these averages in words, as context, and never rates your time against them:
- Active men: 81.2 (11.7), 17 people
- Inactive men: 68.5 (11.6), 18 people
- Active women: 77.4 (11.8), 17 people
- Inactive women: 68.1 (12.5), 17 people
Source 2
Ages 66 and over
In 120 US adults, people aged 60 to 79 held a plank for less time than people aged 20 to 35, and the average across both groups was about 2 minutes 25 seconds. With no table by age, the scorer shows your time and the change since last time.
Source 3
Children: the US national survey
Median plank times in seconds for children aged 6 to 15 in the US National Youth Fitness Survey (2012), a nationally representative sample. Boys' and girls' times didn't differ significantly at any single year of age, and the survey gave children no results because there were no established standards to judge them by. The scorer shows the median for a child's age as context:
- Age 6: boys 39.0, girls 40.4
- Age 7: boys 50.4, girls 54.6
- Age 8: boys 58.0, girls 56.7
- Age 9: boys 52.5, girls 63.7
- Age 10: boys 64.3, girls 52.3
- Age 11: boys 67.4, girls 66.4
- Age 12: boys 62.1, girls 69.7
- Age 13: boys 80.5, girls 64.9
- Age 14: boys 89.8, girls 74.7
- Age 15: boys 97.9, girls 69.7
Children: Canadian percentiles (an option)
Percentiles in seconds from 9,606 planks by Canadian children aged 8 to 12 at 11 sites, 2014 to 2017, a convenience sample. One correction was allowed and one trial timed. Tick the box in the scorer to compare a child of 8 to 12 with them. Each row runs from the 5th to 95th percentile in steps of 5; boys of 10 sit above boys of 11, as published. In an earlier study, almost all 8 to 12-year-olds could score on a plank.
- Boys aged 8: 12.1, 17.0, 21.1, 24.7, 28.1, 31.4, 34.7, 38.0, 41.4, 44.9, 48.7, 52.8, 57.5, 62.8, 69.2, 77.0, 87.4, 102.3, 129.2
- Boys aged 9: 12.5, 17.6, 21.8, 25.5, 29.1, 32.5, 35.9, 39.3, 42.8, 46.4, 50.3, 54.6, 59.4, 64.9, 71.5, 79.6, 90.2, 105.7, 133.4
- Boys aged 10: 13.8, 19.4, 24.0, 28.2, 32.1, 35.9, 39.7, 43.4, 47.3, 51.3, 55.6, 60.3, 65.6, 71.7, 79.0, 88.0, 99.7, 116.8, 147.5
- Boys aged 11: 13.4, 18.8, 23.3, 27.3, 31.1, 34.8, 38.4, 42.1, 45.8, 49.7, 53.9, 58.4, 63.6, 69.5, 76.5, 85.2, 96.6, 113.1, 142.8
- Boys aged 12: 15.4, 21.7, 26.8, 31.4, 35.8, 40.0, 44.2, 48.4, 52.7, 57.2, 62.0, 67.2, 73.1, 80.0, 88.0, 98.0, 111.1, 130.1, 164.3
- Girls aged 8: 13.6, 18.7, 22.9, 26.5, 30.0, 33.4, 36.7, 40.0, 43.4, 46.9, 50.6, 54.8, 59.4, 64.7, 71.1, 78.9, 89.3, 104.3, 131.4
- Girls aged 9: 14.1, 19.4, 23.6, 27.4, 31.0, 34.5, 37.9, 41.3, 44.8, 48.4, 52.3, 56.6, 61.4, 66.9, 73.5, 81.6, 92.2, 107.8, 135.8
- Girls aged 10: 14.6, 20.0, 24.4, 28.3, 32.0, 35.6, 39.1, 42.6, 46.3, 50.0, 54.0, 58.4, 63.4, 69.1, 75.8, 84.2, 95.2, 111.2, 140.1
- Girls aged 11: 15.0, 20.6, 25.1, 29.2, 33.0, 36.7, 40.3, 44.0, 47.7, 51.6, 55.7, 60.2, 65.3, 71.2, 78.2, 86.8, 98.2, 114.7, 144.5
- Girls aged 12: 15.5, 21.2, 25.9, 30.1, 34.0, 37.8, 41.5, 45.3, 49.1, 53.1, 57.4, 62.1, 67.3, 73.4, 80.6, 89.5, 101.2, 118.2, 148.9
The US Army's standard (an option)
The plank times for 60 points (the pass mark) and 100 points (the maximum) in the US Army Fitness Test, effective 1 June 2025, the same for men and women; every group from 37 up has the same times. Soldiers in combat roles need 60 points in every event. It's a soldier standard, not a norm:
- 17 to 21: pass mark 1:30, maximum 3:40
- 22 to 26: pass mark 1:25, maximum 3:35
- 27 to 31: pass mark 1:20, maximum 3:30
- 32 to 36: pass mark 1:15, maximum 3:25
- 37 and over: pass mark 1:10, maximum 3:20
Worked examples (our arithmetic)
As the scorer works them out:
- A man of 22 who holds 115 seconds: between the 50th (110) and 60th (122) percentile, around the middle. For soldiers aged 22 to 26, the Army's pass mark is 1:25 and its maximum 3:35.
- A woman of 30 who holds 60 seconds: between the 30th (58) and 40th (63) percentile, around the middle.
- A woman of 24 who holds 150 seconds: at or above the 90th percentile (142), longer than most.
- A man of 19 who holds 55 seconds: below the 10th percentile (62), shorter than most.
- A woman of 26 who holds 72 seconds equals the 50th percentile, so she reaches it: between the 50th and 60th.
- A woman of 52: no rating. As context, active women aged 41 to 65 in the Brazilian study averaged about 77 seconds and inactive women about 68.
- A girl of 10 who holds 60 seconds, with the Canadian option ticked: between the 60th (58.4) and 65th (63.4) percentile.
- A time of 250 seconds shows as 4:00 or more, the scorer's stop.
How far a time can be out
Between two sessions 5 to 9 days apart, 120 adults' times agreed closely (an intraclass correlation of 0.915, where 1 is perfect agreement). In 33 young adults the standard error was 4.8 seconds and the smallest real change 13.3 seconds, and a review found strong evidence of moderate reliability for the prone bridge across studies. In a harder plank test for athletes, scores repeated almost perfectly once the first of three tries counted as practice. So practise once on an earlier day, and treat a change of up to about 15 seconds as possibly day-to-day difference (our editorial line).
What your result does and doesn't tell you
How long you can hold one positionStrong evidence
The test measures how long you can hold one position against your own body weight. In the students, heavier people held for slightly less time, and the most active held longest.
Source 1
Your arms and legs, as much as your absEmerging evidence
In 471 students, 32% stopped because of their legs, 32% their arms, 21% their abs and 6% their back. In a working population whose holds were stopped at 2 minutes, plank time didn't track a crunch test.
Times fall with age, but nobody has mapped itEmerging evidence
Older adults held for less time than younger ones in a US study, and Brazilians aged 41 to 65 averaged less than those aged 18 to 40. In a workforce study stopped at 2 minutes, most people reached the stop. None of these gives norms for each decade.
Not a test for back painMixed evidence
People with back pain held shorter planks in one clinic study (28 against 73 seconds), longer ones in a mostly student sample, and the same in active young adults, and plank time didn't predict who had back pain. Back-muscle endurance predicted first back trouble in men in one Danish study, but a review of 12 cohorts found no link between back-muscle endurance or abdominal strength and later back pain.
Training raises it quicklyEmerging evidence
In 30 novice weightlifters, 8 sessions of core training over 4 weeks took the average plank from 56 to 115 seconds, with no control group. In runners, 8 weeks of core training lengthened a harder plank test more than in a control group.
Not a health targetMixed evidence
We found no study linking adult plank time with disease or death, and the US youth survey gave children no results because there were no standards to judge them by. Treat your time as a marker of trunk and shoulder endurance (editorial).
Blood pressure during a plank
It rises fast, even in healthy peopleEmerging evidence
62 healthy adults, average age 27, held a plank after a practice session while their blood pressure was measured beat by beat, and were stopped at the American College of Sports Medicine's (ACSM's) limits. 97% were stopped because the lower number passed 115 mmHg, after 50 seconds on average and at an effort of only about 5 out of 10. All the women reached that limit, sooner than the men. Nobody reached the upper limit of 250, and nobody had a problem.
Source 4
Heart failureStrong evidence
The British Heart Foundation (BHF) advises people with heart failure to avoid exercise that involves "holding your breath" or "using your whole body as a weight, such as press-ups or planks".
Source 5
Raised blood pressure
Blood Pressure UK says to speak to your doctor or nurse before new activity if your readings are 180/100 or higher, and not to start any new activity at 200/110 or higher. Our own line for all-out efforts is stricter: if your readings are 160/100 or higher and not yet treated, wait until they're treated before holding a plank to failure (editorial). People with raised readings reached the 115 limit sooner in the lab study.
Army, Marine, Navy and police plank tests
US ArmyStrong evidence
The Army Fitness Test's plank: forearms or fists on the ground no more than a fist-width apart, elbows under the shoulders, a straight line from head to heels, and one verbal warning. The event ends if anything but the feet, forearms or hands touches the ground, a foot or hand lifts, or the line breaks; shaking is allowed. Scores depend on age and are the same for men and women.
US Marine CorpsStrong evidence
The plank has been the mandatory core event in the Marines' physical fitness test since 1 January 2023. 1:10 earns the minimum score and 3:45 the maximum, a single standard for everyone.
US Navy and Air ForceStrong evidence
The Navy dropped curl-ups for the forearm plank in 2021, and the Air Force offers the plank as one of three core options. We couldn't open either service's plank scoring charts.
Australian policeStrong evidence
Queensland and New South Wales police recruits must hold a 90-second prone bridge. Queensland allows one chance to correct the posture and fails a second change or excessive shaking.
Other plank tests
Knee and straight-arm planks
There are no norms for either, so the scorer gives your time and the change since last time only.
McGill's trunk endurance tests
The back researcher Stuart McGill's battery times a back-extensor hold, a front-of-trunk (flexor) hold and side planks, with no front plank. Its targets are ratios between the holds, such as the side plank lasting about as long as the flexor hold, rather than times for your age.
Single-leg and staged planks
A US Navy study dropped a single-leg plank for poor reliability, and staged plank tests for athletes use their own scores, so neither compares with the percentile table.
Moves that improve your score
The forearm plank is the test itself. Our plank guide suggests 3 holds of 20 to 45 seconds, then a harder version rather than a longer hold once 45 to 60 seconds is easy. Side planks, dead bugs, bird dogs and carries train the trunk in other directions.
3D demoForearm plankIntermediate · No equipment
3D demoKnee plankBeginner · No equipment
3D demoStraight-arm plank (high plank)Intermediate · No equipment
3D demoSide plankIntermediate · No equipment
3D demoKnee side plankBeginner · No equipment
3D demoDead bugBeginner · No equipment
3D demoBird dogBeginner · No equipment
3D demoHollow body holdIntermediate · No equipment
3D demoPlank walk-upAdvanced · No equipment
3D demoAb wheel rollout from the kneesAdvanced · An ab wheel
3D demoHalf-kneeling Pallof pressBeginner · A band + An anchor point
3D demoSuitcase carryIntermediate · A dumbbell + A kettlebellWorkouts for your trunk
Start with the beginner core workout or the McGill big 3, and move to the plank challenge and advanced core sessions as holds get easy.
Beginner core workout
A 15-minute beginner core workout on the floor: dead bugs, bird dogs, knee planks, side planks and curl-ups.
15 minBeginner6 movesNo equipment
McGill big 3 core routine
The McGill big three for the core: curl-ups, side planks and bird dogs, each held for 10 seconds at a time in falling sets of 5, 3 and 1 reps.
12 minBeginner3 movesNo equipment
Plank challenge workout
A 12-minute plank session for the 30-day plank challenge: front planks that get harder, not longer, plus side planks and bird dogs for the whole trunk.
12 minBeginner12 movesNo equipment
Ab workout (no equipment)
An intermediate ab workout with no equipment: planks, side planks, reverse crunches, hollow holds and mountain climbers.
20 minIntermediate7 movesNo equipment
Advanced core workout
Hard core training: ab wheel rollouts, hanging leg raises, L-sits, Copenhagen planks, plank walk-ups and dragon flags.
30 minAdvanced6 movesAn ab wheel, Pull-up barPlans with planks built in
The 30-day plank challenge starts and ends with this test, and gets harder rather than longer in between.
3 days a week
30-day plank challenge: harder planks, not longer ones
A free 30-day plank challenge that gets harder, not longer: three plank sessions a week, two optional McGill big 3 days and a plank test at each end.
3 training days12 minBeginner2 days a weekBeginner workout plan: your first 4 weeks
Your first four weeks: two, then three short strength sessions a week at home plus walks, building gently to a full routine.
2 training days20 minBeginner3 days a weekCalisthenics workout plan for beginners
A 12-week calisthenics plan for beginners: three bodyweight sessions a week with push-up, pull-up, squat and dip ladders, and a bar if you have one.
3 training days40 minBeginnerWho it isn't for
Choose an easier version, or another test, if any of these apply.
A yes on the PAR-Q+
If you answer yes to any question on the PAR-Q+, such as a heart condition, chest pain, dizziness or fainting in the past year, or a bone or joint problem, check with your GP or a qualified exercise professional before a hard test.
Source 33
Heart failure
The BHF advises against planks with heart failure. Ask your heart team which trunk exercises suit you, and see our heart failure guide.
Source 5
Other heart disease
Keep breathing, and ask your cardiac team before long holds, as our move cautions advise.
Blood pressure of 160/100 or higher, not yet treated
Wait until it's treated before holding to failure. Shorter knee plank holds with steady breathing are a gentler start, as our blood pressure guide explains.
The weeks after giving birth
The NHS says: "Try to avoid exercises such as sit-ups, planks and high-impact exercises to start with." Before testing, see our guide to exercise after giving birth. If the gap between your stomach muscles is still obvious 8 weeks after the birth, the NHS says to contact your GP, and our diastasis recti guide explains more.
Source 34
Pregnancy
Talk to your midwife or doctor first, as the PAR-Q+ advises. Our prenatal routines use kneeling and side-lying trunk work instead; ask your midwife about front planks as your bump grows.
After tummy surgery or a hernia repair
After an inguinal hernia repair, the NHS says not to do any heavy lifting or strenuous activity for at least 4 to 6 weeks. Ask your surgical team when holds are safe.
Source 36
Pain in your shoulders, elbows, wrists or back during a plank
The position loads all of them. Try a side plank or bird dog instead, and see our back pain guide.
Source 37
Glaucoma
Eye pressure rises during holds, more at a harder effort. Ask your eye team before testing, and see our glaucoma guide.
Under 18
The adult percentiles don't apply. The scorer gives the US youth survey's median for ages 6 to 15, or Canadian percentiles for 8 to 12 if you tick the box.
When to stop and get help
Stop the test
Stop at once for a headache, dizziness, or any pain that isn't just tired muscles, as the study behind the norms did.
Source 1
Call 999
Call 999 if:
- You get sudden pain or discomfort in your chest that doesn't go away, pain that spreads to your arms, neck, jaw, stomach or back, or chest pain with feeling sweaty, sick, light-headed or short of breath.
- You have palpitations that don't go away, or palpitations with chest pain, shortness of breath, or feeling faint or fainting (or go to A&E).
- Someone faints while exercising.
Back pain that needs help
Call 999 or go to A&E for back pain with pain, tingling, weakness or numbness in both legs, a loss of feeling around your genitals or anus, or changes in your bladder or bowels. Ask for an urgent GP appointment or contact 111 for severe back pain that starts suddenly or is getting worse quickly.
Source 37
Myths
"There's a normal plank time for your age"Strong evidence
Only one adult percentile table exists, from US college students, and the age data come from small samples. Times do fall with age in those studies, but nobody has published norms for each decade.
"The American College of Sports Medicine has plank norms by age"Mixed evidence
The plank table credited to ACSM that circulates uses Strand's student percentiles with new labels, and gives the same seconds at every age. We found no ACSM document with plank norms that we could open.
"A long plank shows strong abs"Emerging evidence
In the student study, 32% stopped because of their legs and 32% their arms; only 21% stopped because of their abs.
Source 1
"A strong plank protects your back"Mixed evidence
People with back pain held shorter, longer or the same in different studies, and plank time hasn't been shown to predict back pain.
"Planks are gentle on blood pressure"Emerging evidence
In healthy young adults holding to fatigue, the lower number passed 115 mmHg after about 50 seconds in 97%. The BHF advises against planks with heart failure.
"Army plank times are fitness norms"Strong evidence
They're job standards: the Army's pass mark runs from 1:30 down to 1:10 by age, and the Marines score 1:10 to 3:45.
"Everyone should be able to hold 2 minutes"Mixed evidence
No source sets a health target. Two minutes is above the median for male students (110 seconds) and above the 80th percentile for female students (108 seconds).
Source 1
Read next
- How long to hold a plank
- How to do a side plank
- How to get abs
- Core exercises
- 30-day plank challenge
- Back pain
- Exercise for high blood pressure
- Exercise with heart failure
- Exercise after having a baby
- Diastasis recti
- Sit-up test
- 3-minute step test
- 2-minute step test
- Wall sit test
- Push-up test
- Sit-and-reach test
- Grip strength test
- Sitting-rising test
- 30-second chair stand test
- Timed up and go test
- Single-leg balance test
- 6-minute walk test
- Resting heart rate
- Beep test
- Vertical jump test
- All fitness tests
Questions people ask
How do you do the plank test?
Put your forearms on the floor with your elbows under your shoulders, step back onto your toes and hold one straight line from head to heels for as long as you can. In the study behind the norms, the tester corrected form once and stopped the test the second time it slipped, or at any headache, dizziness or pain that wasn't just tired muscles. Time it in whole seconds, one attempt.
What is a good plank time for my age?
There's no health target, and no published norms for each decade of adult life. From 18 to 40 the scorer compares you with US college students, whose middle times were 110 seconds for men and 72 for women. From 41 to 65 it gives one small Brazilian study's averages, 68 to 81 seconds depending on sex and activity, as context rather than a rating.
What is the average plank time?
In 471 US college students, half held for longer than 110 seconds (men) and 72 seconds (women). In 120 American adults, the average was about 2 minutes 25 seconds, with people aged 20 to 35 holding longer than those aged 60 to 79. Averages depend heavily on who was tested and how strictly.
How long should a 60-year-old hold a plank?
No study gives a figure for one age. Older adults held planks for less time than younger ones, and in a small Brazilian study adults aged 41 to 65 averaged 68 to 81 seconds. For training, our plank guide suggests 3 holds of 20 to 45 seconds rather than one long hold, and 20 to 30 seconds, 2 or 3 times, if you're older and starting out.
Is the plank test a good test of core strength?
It tests endurance in one held position, and it repeats well from day to day. In a study of 471 students, about a third stopped because of their legs, a third their arms and a fifth their abs, so it tests your shoulders and legs as much as your middle.
How long is the army plank?
The US Army scores the plank by age, the same for men and women: the 60-point pass mark is 1:30 at 17 to 21, down to 1:10 from 37, and the maximum is 3:40 down to 3:20. The Marine Corps scores 1:10 to 3:45, and police in Queensland and New South Wales ask for a 90-second hold.
Does a long plank protect you from back pain?
There's no good evidence that it does. In different studies, people with back pain held planks for less time, longer or the same, and plank time didn't predict back pain. Exercise helps back pain in general, as our back pain guide explains.
Is the plank test safe?
For most people, yes, but blood pressure rises quickly: in healthy young adults the lower number passed 115 mmHg within about a minute. Breathe throughout, and skip the test with heart failure, with blood pressure of 160/100 or more that isn't treated, or in the first weeks after a birth.
How can I improve my plank time?
Plank times rise quickly with core training: in 30 novice weightlifters, 8 sessions over 4 weeks took the average from 56 to 115 seconds. Our plank guide suggests 3 holds of 20 to 45 seconds and then harder versions rather than ever-longer holds, with side planks and bird dogs. Test again every 4 to 8 weeks.
Can I do the test on my knees?
Yes, to track yourself, but there are no norms for knee planks, so the scorer shows your time and the change since last time without a comparison. With heart failure, skip plank tests altogether.
Sources
- Strand 2014 · Norms for a forearm plank test in 471 US college students (study, J Hum Kinet)
- Oliveira 2018 · Reference values and reliability for trunk and hip strength and endurance in 152 adults in Brazil (study, Braz J Phys Ther)
- Bohannon 2018 · The prone bridge test in 120 younger and older adults: performance, validity and reliability (study, J Bodyw Mov Ther)
- Jones 2026 · Blood pressure during a plank and a wall sit held to fatigue, in 62 healthy adults (study, J Hypertens)
- British Heart Foundation · Exercise for heart failure: tips for exercising safely
- US Army · Army Fitness Test score tables (effective 1 June 2025)
- US Marine Corps · Plank change to the physical fitness test (2023; Internet Archive copy)
- Queensland Police Service · Recruit entry fitness assessment standard (2025)
- NSW Police Force · Recruitment: fitness (Internet Archive copy, December 2025)
- Cuenca-Garcia 2022 · Reliability of field-based fitness tests in adults (systematic review, Sports Med)
- Tong 2014 · A staged sport-specific plank test and its reliability (study, Phys Ther Sport)
- Ervin 2014 · Strength and body weight in US children and adolescents: the 2012 National Youth Fitness Survey (national survey, Pediatrics)
- CDC · National Youth Fitness Survey plank exercise procedures manual (2012)
- Tremblay 2018 · Physical literacy levels of Canadian children aged 8 to 12, with plank percentiles (normative study, BMC Public Health)
- Boyer 2013 · The plank as a field test of trunk endurance for children aged 8 to 12 (study, Pediatr Exerc Sci)
- US Army · Army Fitness Test (2026; read in the Internet Archive's copy of 12 October 2026)
- Winslow 2025 · Fitness tests in a general working population, with plank holds stopped at 2 minutes (study, Front Sports Act Living)
- Schellenberg 2007 · Prone and supine bridge tests in 75 adults with and without back pain (study, Am J Phys Med Rehabil)
- Eimiller 2025 · Plank performance and low back pain in 117 adults (study, J Clin Med)
- Turner 2026 · Plank performance in active adults with and without low back pain (reliability and comparison study, Int J Sports Phys Ther)
- Biering-Sørensen 1984 · Physical measurements as risk indicators for low back trouble over a year (cohort study, Spine)
- Sadler 2017 · Physical measures that predict low back pain: 12 prospective cohorts (systematic review, BMC Musculoskelet Disord)
- Szafraniec 2020 · Four weeks of core stability training in 30 novice weightlifters (study, J Hum Kinet)
- Hung 2019 · Eight weeks of core training, core endurance and running economy (controlled trial, PLoS One)
- Blood Pressure UK · Healthy lifestyle and blood pressure (booklet)
- US Marine Corps · MARADMIN 404/21: forthcoming changes to the physical fitness test (2021; Internet Archive copy)
- US Navy · NAVADMIN 024/21: the physical readiness test drops curl-ups (2021; Internet Archive copy)
- US Air Force · Air Force releases alternate component fitness score charts (2021; Internet Archive copy)
- McGill 1999 · Endurance times for trunk stabilisation exercises: clinical targets from a normal database (study, Arch Phys Med Rehabil)
- American Council on Exercise · McGill's torso muscular endurance test battery (protocol form)
- Whitehead 2012 · Possible new events for the US Navy's physical readiness test (study, Mil Med)
- Lawson 2025 · Fitness tests in a US military education cohort, with a plank table credited to ACSM (cross-sectional study, Int J Exerc Sci)
- PAR-Q+ Collaboration · The Physical Activity Readiness Questionnaire for Everyone (2025)
- NHS · Your post-pregnancy body
- NHS · Exercise in pregnancy
- NHS · Inguinal hernia repair
- NHS · Back pain
- Li 2021 · Leg holds and eye pressure in healthy adults (meta-analysis, J Fr Ophtalmol)
- Morenas-Aguilar 2026 · Eye pressure during isometric exercise in people with glaucoma (study, Graefes Arch Clin Exp Ophthalmol)
- NHS · Chest pain (past its review date: reviewed August 2023, review due August 2026)
- NHS · Heart palpitations
- NHS · Fainting
Fitness tests compared with published norms for adults (and for children on the beep test, the vertical jump test and the plank test), not a diagnosis, and clinical review of these pages is pending. Check with a GP before a hard test if you have a heart condition, high blood pressure, chest pain, dizziness or breathlessness when active, and have someone with you for the balance, walking, stepping and floor tests if you've fallen or feel unsteady. Health disclaimer.