How long is your plank?

[_Izual]

I am not an active person by any means. I don't make a point to exercise and I spend most of my day sitting at a computer or else just walking around.

Over the years, I've noticed that whenever I am doing some group-based exercise activity (e.g. yoga), and it comes time to plank, everyone else whines and complains, but I just don't understand their struggle. I can plank for ages without any struggle. So long that it is just flat out boring and does not feel like I am gaining anything from the activity.

Is the plank exercise supposed to be difficult? How long can you plank? Does it give benefits even if you aren't "feeling it" (I wouldn't think so)?

---------- Post added at 01:46 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:42 PM ----------

Oh, for reference: I can plank for 5 minutes without feeling it at all and one time I planked for a good 10 minutes and only slightly "felt it" but I was incredibly bored and just decided to stop.

I'm wondering if this is normal or what. I guess for some people some exercises aren't a problem at all. I knew a girl in high school that did constant situps for a solid half hour until the gym class was over and everyone else had long ago stopped. We were all just staring at her, quite impressed. She did hundreds..

[bluevitriol]

Actually I can plank for 2 minutes. The thing which makes plank hard is that you have to squeeze your abs when performing it. Try doing it and then tell me :D

[_Izual]

(I thought the point of the exercise was that just being in that position at all forces your abs to engage to keep you in an elevated straight line)

I just did it and made it to 4 minutes.. started to feel it in my abs, but mostly my arms were getting tired. Weird.. I'd never had that problem before. I'm like 10 pounds below my "usual" weight and I haven't exercised at all in over a year. I guess I'm slipping. :)

[bluevitriol]

I think my gym trainer told me that the longest plank record was "15 minutes and 15 seconds"

[_Izual]

I think my gym trainer told me that the longest plank record was "15 minutes and 15 seconds"

At first I was very impressed with myself... but then I googled "longest plank record" and saw that it was five hours, 15 minutes, and 15 seconds. I think your trainer missed the "5 hours" part, hahahaha. Also, apparently a female athlete did it for 8 hours. Talk about boredom .___.

[bluevitriol]

At first I was very impressed with myself... but then I googled "longest plank record" and saw that it was five hours, 15 minutes, and 15 seconds. I think your trainer missed the "5 hours" part, hahahaha. Also, apparently a female athlete did it for 8 hours. Talk about boredom .___.

Oh hahaha :D I forgot to add it :P

[Sci_Girl]

About a minute. I do not "engage the core" though. I cannot stand working out in any capacity for any reason whatsoever so when I am told to plank I just hold myself up and start counting down lol. If you have no problem with that position then your arms and core are already plenty toned.