{"id":570120,"date":"2026-03-30T05:30:09","date_gmt":"2026-03-30T05:30:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/570120\/"},"modified":"2026-03-30T05:30:09","modified_gmt":"2026-03-30T05:30:09","slug":"how-long-to-hold-a-plank-after-60-for-strong-core","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/570120\/","title":{"rendered":"How Long To Hold a Plank After 60 for Strong Core"},"content":{"rendered":"

A fitness expert reveals the plank benchmark that separates strong cores from weak ones after 60.<\/p>\n

Building a strong, resilient core is essential for performing daily tasks and hobbies with ease. There are many productive exercises you can add to your workouts to build and maintain core strength\u2014with planks<\/a> being one of the most common. Planks train your core muscles<\/a>\u2014including the rectus abdominis, transverse abdominis, and obliques\u2014and there are plenty of variations to choose from. That said, if your goal is to focus on core strength, classic planks can get the job done. We spoke with Chad Lipka<\/a>, Wellness and Fitness Expert and President of North Shore Sauna<\/a>, who shares how long you should hold a plank after 60 to prove your core strength is top-notch.<\/p>\n

Why Core Strength Is Essential After 60
\n\"pickleballShutterstock<\/p>\n

Once you hit your 50s and 60s, core strength becomes more essential than ever before, as it serves as the foundation for spinal stability, balance, and daily power transfer, from picking up heavy grocery bags to walking uneven terrain.<\/p>\n

According to Harvard Health Publishing<\/a>, the core muscles<\/a> can be compared to a stable \u201ccentral link in a chain\u201d that connects your lower body to your upper body. Whether you\u2019re playing a match of pickleball<\/a> with friends or vacuuming the floors in your home, these motions either come from or move through the core. A strong core<\/a> helps you bend down to pick something up, twist, and stand. It also helps alleviate lower back pain while promoting solid posture.6254a4d1642c605c54bf1cab17d50f1e<\/p>\n

This 15-Minute Morning Routine Reverses Muscle Loss Faster Than Long Workouts After 45<\/a><\/p>\n

How Long To Hold Planks for After 60<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re looking for a solid plank hold benchmark, Lipka suggests aiming for 45 to 60 seconds.\u201dIn my own training with senior veteran fellow friends over the years, I\u2019ve found that adults who can maintain a clean, controlled plank for 45 to 60 seconds tend to move better, have fewer back flare-ups and bounce back more quickly from minor strains,\u201d Lipka tells us.<\/p>\n

5 Effective Core Exercises That Build Strength Better Than Gym Workouts After 45<\/a><\/p>\n

Why Planks Are a Beneficial Exercise To Master
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According to Lipka, you can rely on planks because they lay everything out on the table at the same time\u2014activation of the deep abs, shoulder stability, glute engagement, and loading through a position where you\u2019re unable to \u201ccheat.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen someone older than age 50 can do an impressive plank, it shows me that their kinetic chain (meaning all the muscles and joints involved in performing tasks) is cooperating, with less side-to-side wobbling at the waist and hips, less sagging of the shoulder girdle, more\u2002integrity through the spine,\u201d Lipka adds.<\/p>\n

5 Bodyweight Exercises That Fight Muscle Loss After 40<\/a><\/p>\n

Changes Associated With Age
\n\"womanShutterstock<\/p>\n

As you age, your body endures many changes. In addition to the loss of lean muscle mass and strength, the deep stabilizing muscles may lose endurance.<\/p>\n

\u201cSome people maintain it easier just because they stick with a few small habits: Walking in an upright posture, doing resistance training regularly, adding five minutes of core work to the end of their regular workouts,\u201d Lipka notes. \u201cWhen people over 50 try a plank, the most common deficiencies I find are hips dipping because the glutes aren\u2019t engaging and taking over; shoulders shaking from lack of serratus engagement; and breath-holding, which is just sabotaging stability.\u201d<\/p>\n

Alexa Mellardo<\/p>\n

\t\tAlexa is a freelance writer, editor, and content strategist based in Greenwich, CT. She has 11+ years of experience covering wellness, fitness, food, travel, lifestyle, and home.\t\t\t\t\tRead more about Alexa <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A fitness expert reveals the plank benchmark that separates strong cores from weak ones after 60. Building a…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":570121,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[49,48,103261,407,59860,84,139628],"class_list":{"0":"post-570120","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-fitness","8":"tag-ca","9":"tag-canada","10":"tag-core-exercise","11":"tag-fitness","12":"tag-fitness-test","13":"tag-health","14":"tag-over-60"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/570120","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=570120"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/570120\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/570121"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=570120"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=570120"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=570120"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}