Planksgiving: A Month-Long Plank Challenge

Melanie Mitchell
·3 min read

This article originally appeared on Womens Running

It’s coming!

November is almost here and time to kick off our month-long Planksgiving Challenge. Building and maintaining a strong core over the winter months can be the kick starter to emerge a stronger runner in 2023.

Starting on November 1st, 2022 join us to plank through the month, one day at a time. Consult your abdominals and ask them if they’re ready to take on this challenge with us.

30 Days of Planks

It can’t be that hard, can it?

  • We’ll start off with a cool 20 seconds on Day #1, your abs will be mocking you saying, ‘we’ve got this’.

  • Make it to a minute on Day #11 and they might be still be confident they are ahead of your mind.

  • By Day #23, at two minutes, what will your abs be saying then? ‘Thank you’? Or words unrepeatable in a respectable publication.

  • By Day #30 we’ll cross the finish line with a three minute plank and we can collectively collapse knowing that we are still 4:16:55 short of the women’s world planking record, but victorious all the same.

Download and print the full month of planks here

Planksgiving 2022
Planksgiving 2022

What Do You Win?

  • Absolutely nothing! Nothing, except a stronger core and some bragging rights.

How To Play Along

  • Follow Women’s Running on Instagram where we’ll remind you daily of the length of plank for that day.

  • There are rest days, plankers!

  • Download our Plankgiving printable for us visual learners who get satisfaction by crossing off each day with a bold, black, sharpie pen

  • Share pics of your planks for more planking power – or at least for solidarity.

  • Be sure to tag @womensrunningmagzine on Instagram and use #planksgiving for some social love.

  • Bonus kudos to all those who share photos and double bonus kudos for videos – especially with uncooperative pets, coffee, turkey (or vegan alternatives), small children, outdoors, indoors, mid-run, post swim, skiing? Anything goes, just keep it clean, keep it clean.

RELATED: It’s Time to Get To Know Your Abdominal Muscles

Plank Alternatives

For those not able to plank, don’t worry, we have some alternatives for you from our friends over at Yoga Journal. Take a look at these Standing Postures for Core Strength and Five Yoga Moves to Practice for Core Strength and join the party in an upright position.

Bonus: IG Live Core Strength Tutorial 11.12.22

On November 12th, at 12 pm EST, we're offering a free virtual core strengthening tutorial streamed live on the Women's Running Instagram account. We’re teaming up with strength trainer Jennifer Blackburn who has been teaching strength, HIIT, and TRX for over 25 years. Jennifer will be giving advice on range of functional core exercises you can add into a base training routine past the end of the Planksgiving challenge.

Set a reminder on your phone, or see below for how to be notified when Women’s Running goes live.

How to be notified when Women’s Running goes live on Instagram

  1. Open Instagram.

  2. Go to the Women's Running Instagram.

  3. Tap on the bell icon located at the top of the screen

  4. Select Live Videos and select Get All Notifications

 

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