Plank (PLK) Training Guide

Start Here: Weekly PLK Training

Start with two focused PLK sessions per week. Add a short third session when recovery allows.

Use repeated holds to build more time in a good position, then use occasional longer holds to practice staying there when fatigue builds.

A simple week looks like this:

Session A — Position and Volume

Session B — Longer Holds

ArmyFitHub PLK Training at a Glance

Practice the Actual AFT Plank Position

Before building working holds, make the training position match the current scored position. Keep a straight line from head to heels, with the feet, forearms, and hands or fists in contact with the floor. Use the official PLK rules and test-day standard and ATP 7-22.01 for the current details.

Choose a legal hand position you can sustain. If you plan to switch from fists or the pinky-side position to palms down during the test, practice the change while keeping both hands in contact with the floor.

Shaking during a hard hold is acceptable while the required position remains intact. End training holds when the required alignment clearly breaks.

Session A — Position and Volume

Start with:

Plank — 4–5 working sets

Hold each set for a duration you can maintain without your hips dropping, rising, or shifting.

Rest 60–90 seconds between sets.

Start around 50–70% of your current clean maximum hold. End the set when the required PLK position changes, even if the planned time has not elapsed.

If your best clean plank is 2:00, your working sets might start around 1:00–1:20.

Then do:

Side Bridge — 2–3 sets per side

Use the Army technique shown below.

Keep the trunk and pelvis in one line and continue breathing throughout the hold.

Finish with:

Bent-Leg Raise — 2–3 controlled sets

Move slowly enough to keep the trunk position under control.

Use controlled repetitions and keep the trunk position stable.

Session B — Longer Holds

Start with:

Plank — 3 working sets

Use longer holds than Session A.

Rest 2–3 minutes between sets.

These should be challenging, but they should still look like the position you need on test day.

For example, if your best clean hold is 2:30, you might begin with three holds around 1:30–1:45 rather than trying to repeat 2:30 three times.

Then perform:

Leg Tuck and Twist — 2–3 controlled sets

Use the Army movement technique shown below.

Keep the movement deliberate and stop when trunk control starts to disappear.

Keep the third session low-fatigue: three short clean holds plus a small amount of support work.

How to Choose Your Plank Hold Time

Choose hold times from your current clean PLK, not from time accumulated after alignment breaks.

Your working duration is appropriate if you can keep:

your head, shoulders, trunk, hips, and legs aligned;

your hips from dropping;

your hips from rising;

your shoulders stable;

and your breathing under control.

Shaking during a hard hold is acceptable while the required position remains intact.

If a planned 90-second set starts changing at 70 seconds, record 70 seconds as the useful hold and base the next session on that.

How to Progress Your PLK

Add time slowly.

A simple progression is:

All sets stay clean

→ Add 5–10 seconds per set next time.

The last set is difficult but position stays good

→ Repeat the same duration.

Your hips start moving before the planned time

→ Shorten the holds and rebuild clean volume.

Your first set is already worse than normal

→ Reduce the day's volume and check recovery.

You can also progress by adding one set.

Progress one variable at a time: hold duration, set count, or rest.

Train for the Time You Actually Need

Use your next AFT scoring target to define the PLK performance gap.

If the target is 15 seconds away, train for that gap. Once the target is reached consistently, reassess whether PLK or another AFT event deserves more weekly work.

Why Train the PLK This Way?

The PLK is a timed muscular-endurance event, so the most specific work is time in the required AFT position. Confirm the current standard in ATP 7-22.01.

Repeated submaximal holds let you accumulate more clean position time than a single maximum hold.

For example:

one 2:00 maximum hold gives you two minutes of plank work.

Four clean 1:00 holds give you four minutes of useful position practice.

The Army also lists the Bent-Leg Raise, Leg Tuck and Twist, and Side Bridge for PLK preparation in U.S. Army AFT guidance. FM 7-22 supports repeated, controlled endurance work across the week.

Place the Army-listed trunk exercises after the PLK holds.

If You Only Have One PLK Day Per Week

Start with:

Plank — 4 working sets

Use a challenging but repeatable duration.

Rest 90 seconds to 2 minutes between sets.

Then choose one support exercise:

Side Bridge — 2 sets per side

or

Bent-Leg Raise — 2–3 sets

or

Leg Tuck and Twist — 2–3 sets

If You Are New to the PLK

Start with shorter holds.

Start with:

4–5 sets of 20–40 seconds

Rest enough to reset completely.

If 20 seconds is already difficult, start there.

If 40 seconds is easy and clean, gradually make the holds longer.

Build from the position you can currently control. Once several short holds are consistent, combine that capacity into longer sets.

How to Increase Your AFT Plank Time

Identify what ends the clean hold first: hip position, shoulder support, breathing, asymmetry, or general endurance.

If the hips sag: shorten the work sets. If position changes at 60 seconds, try several clean holds around 40–50 seconds and add Bent-Leg Raise after the PLK sets for trunk-control work.

If the hips rise: end the set, reset one straight line, and repeat a shorter hold.

If shoulders or one side fail first: use shorter holds with more rest. Add Side Bridge after the PLK sets for controlled lateral-trunk work.

If breathing breaks the position: keep the body tight while taking controlled breaths. Practice on 30–60 second holds, shortening the set if each breath makes your hips move. Build total clean plank time gradually when position stays intact.

How to Train the PLK Without Equipment

PLK training needs only a level surface. Use PLK holds, Side Bridge, Bent-Leg Raise, and Leg Tuck and Twist. A mat is optional for floor comfort.

How Often Should You Test a Maximum Plank?

Use a maximum PLK periodically to check current hold time and where position begins to fail. Between tests, return to repeated submaximal holds and progression work.

The Week Before Your AFT

Reduce trunk volume during the final week. Keep one short early-week session with three clean PLK holds and a small amount of familiar support work, then prioritize recovery.

PLK is event four, with the 2MR still to follow.

Common PLK Training Mistakes

• Doing a maximum plank every day. Use max attempts to measure endurance; use the other sessions to build it.
• Keeping the timer running after the position changes. Train the position you need on test day.
• Increasing hold time too quickly. Add a few seconds while the movement stays clean.
• Holding your breath. Learn to maintain tension while breathing before fatigue gets severe.
• Skipping lateral and rotational trunk work. Use Side Bridge and Leg Tuck and Twist after the PLK holds.
• Letting shoulder fatigue end every work set. Shorten holds, add rest, and keep the position controlled.
• Chasing a huge plank time when you need only a small score improvement. Train toward your actual AFT target and spend the rest of your recovery where it matters most.

PLK Training Questions