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What Happens to Your Body When You Do a Plank Every Day, Personal Trainers Reveal

By Korin Miller Parade - Health Stories

Updated May 27, 2026 11:09 AM

Less than 25% of Americans meet the Physical Activity Guidelines for aerobic and muscle-strengthening activity each week. If you're trying to fit it all in but are crunched for time, it makes sense to try to get the most out of each form of exercise you do. For some, that means planking.

"Planking is a great way to train trunk and core strength with no equipment required," Taylor Beebe, CPT, a personal trainer in California, tells Parade. "It's also a very scalable exercise to tailor to your ability level." Most people can do a plank in some form, and you can build on a foundation you create, Beebe points out.

It's easy to track your progress with planking over time, both in terms of how long and comfortably you can hold a plank and your form, Beebe adds.

You get a lot of bang for your buck with planking, making it a good choice to add into your strength training rotation, explains Dani Singer, CPT, founder of Fit2Go Personal Training. While planking shouldn't be the only thing you do for exercise and strength-building, trainers say you can get a lot out of incorporating a plank into your daily schedule. Here's what you can expect.

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What Happens to Your Body When You Do a Plank Every Day

A few things can happen to your body when you do a plank every day.

"Doing them daily builds significant ‘bracing' strength, which protects the spine during everyday movements like lifting groceries or sitting at a desk," Singer says.

That can help to lower your risk of back pain or back injury, he adds.

Planking is a "total body exercise" and can tone up multiple areas of your body, from your shoulders to your glutes, according to Beebe. But doing a plank daily targets your core the most, specifically your inner and external obliques and transverse abdominis, the deepest layer of your abdominal muscles, she explains. The transverse abdominis "acts like a belt" to pull in your waist, Singer says.

By strengthening your core, you may notice better posture and more defined abdominal muscles, according to Beebe.

As for how long it will take to see changes, it depends. "You'll likely feel taller within two to four weeks of consistent daily planking," Singer says. "This is because you've built a stronger base of support in your core, which allows the spine to stack vertically."

When it comes to defined abs, that will likely take more time. "For visible definition, it typically takes six to 12 weeks of consistency," Singer says. This is "heavily dependent" on your body fat percentage, he points out. Still, you should have a noticeable amount of muscle-building in your abdominal wall within 12 weeks, he says.

How To Start Planking

If you're new to planking, Singer recommends starting with 20- to 30-second holds for three sets.

"Focus on quality over quantity," he says. "Once you can hold a perfect plank for 60 seconds, it's more effective to increase the difficulty, like adding leg lifts, rather than just adding more time."

Beebe also suggests that people new to planking start with an elevated plank, where the forearms or hands are on a surface that's higher than your feet. "As you build strength, you can move closer to the ground, in addition to scaling up in duration over time as well," she says.

The Ideal Planking Form, According to Trainers

The right planking form is important to maximize results and lower the risk of injury, according to trainers.

To start, lie on the ground face-down, with your legs stretched straight below you. Place your hands or forearms beneath your shoulders and push up until your body is elevated and in a straight line.

"I like to cue my clients to think about dragging their elbows down towards their ribcage to lock in the upper body," Beebe tells Parade. "For their lower body, I encourage them to squeeze their glutes, pull their quads up towards their hips, dig their big toes into the ground and push their heels to the ceiling."

Singer also suggests thinking about pulling your belly button toward your spine. "Avoid letting your hips sag or your neck scrunch," he says. "Keep a straight line from your heels to the top of your head."

Having "whole body tension" helps to create a more stable and solid base, so you can hold the position for longer, Beebe says.

Try doing this once a day, along with your regular exercise routine. You may be surprised at how much of an impact it has on your body.

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Sources:

Dani Singer, CPT, founder of Fit2Go Personal Training
Taylor Beebe, CPT, a personal trainer in California
Exercise or Physical Activity. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. February 6, 2026

This story was originally published May 27, 2026 at 10:50 AM.