Having started Pilates recently, I know it’s a lot harder to do a purposeful plank than it is to hold a plank like shape.

Exactly – as I said last night. There is looking like you are doing a Plank and actually doing a Plank correctly. I wager that all the people who did 5 minutes+ at their first attempt didn’t do it correctly.

My instructions for what is essentially a ‘half plank’ are:

Leg Pull in prone
Starting position: Lie on your front in the ‘sphinx’ position. Lift your waist, lower ribcage and breastbone away from the mat. Slide your shoulder blades downwards and lengthen the back of your neck. Legs parallel, hip distance apart.

Level 1
INHALE to prepare
EXHALE lift your pelvis off the mat bringing your head, neck, trunk and pelvis into a modified horizontal ‘plank’ position. Roll your pelvis backwards to prevent arching your back.
INHALE and hold your modified plank position
EXHALE, lower to resume the sphinx position
Reps: 10

Tips
Imagine a harness suspended from the ceiling lifting and supporting your pelvis
Imagine that the trunk is buoyant and is lifting upwards out of the shoulder joints to avoid sinking into the ribcage or shoulders
Keep the elbow and knee joints soft

The Plank is a good exercise, but it can be over done.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-3030983/The-ultra-competitive-exercise-fad-ruin-health-called-planking-suddenly-sweeping-gyms-Pilates-classes.html

Started doing the plank at the gym last year. Started at 1.30 minutes and i’m not up to 5 minutes (but shaking violently in the last minute)

Planking is quite redundant if you dont have the bodyweight required to make it tough in the first place. I used to be quite underweight and could do them forever* with absolutely no sign of fatigue. Not because I was super strong, just because I didn’t have any body weight to support.

I weight a lot more now after eating big for a few years, I should try again.

*until I got bored around 2/3 minutes.

Try the hollow hold also, make sure small of back is pressed to floor otherwise is fail.

i’ve been carrying my apprentice since october whos a plank.