I first found out about planks over at Life After Bagels (via Travel With Emily).  Basically, it’s an exercise aimed at increasing your core strength — of which, I have none.  In my 20’s, I could get away with running quite a bit and not paying attention to my core.  But now in my mid-30’s, this is starting to contribute to poor posture (generally, and when running) and a sore back and neck.

So in August, I gave planks a shot. My base time that I could hold the position was 20 seconds. (See! No core strength to speak of!)  I’ve been gradually building up my time since then, and have reached 55 seconds so far.  My goal is to being able to hold a plank for a full two minutes — and as part of my Twelve by 2012, I want to do this before 2011 is over!  I promise to keep you updated on my continuing progress.

Want to know more about the plank position?  Here’s some helpful info from Susan of The Great Balancing Act via her guest post on Life After Bagels:

The most important thing to remember is that you should feel this in your belly. Your body is always trying to cheat and take the easy way out of exercises. Especially in plank. Try doing it in front of a mirror to check your form and always be aware of what your body is doing.

• Do not stick your bum in the air. Your body will want to do this naturally, and sometimes you don’t even realize this is happening.
• Conversely, don’t arch your back too much and let your belly fall toward the ground. This puts pressure on your back.
• Elbows should be under your shoulders, or if you’re in a high plank, hands under your shoulders.
• Keep your head down to make sure your whole spine is straight. It should look like a straight line from your heels to your head.
• Speaking of your heels, push them back a little. We have a habit of pushing all our weight forward onto our arms, but balance that out by putting some weight back into your feet too. This will help with that straight line.
• Tuck your pelvis in.
• BREATHE. Focusing on your breathing will help you pull through. Remember, a lot of this exercise is mind over matter!

So, who’s with me?