My Journey to a 15 Minute Plank
It's all mental
A few months ago, I set out to challenge my endurance with planking. Whether it was just my body weight or with an Olympic weight on my back, I struggled with the pain of holding a plank. After finally hitting a 2-minute plank for the first time since high school, I set an ambitious goal: achieve a 6-minute plank. It seemed impossible, especially after attempting multiple planks in one session.
I began training regularly, doing 1-2 minute planks almost every time I went to the gym, often repeating them with short breaks. Then I read Can’t Hurt Me by David Goggins. The key takeaway: our brain typically operates at only 40% capacity. As a defense mechanism, our body sends signals to stop when experiencing pain. However, there's a point beyond pain where you begin to merge with it, and it ceases to be a distinct sensation, becoming just another feeling. To manage this, you need to observe the pain dispassionately, treating it like any other sensation, such as happiness or sadness. This concept extends the meditation techniques taught in The Art of Living and discussed in The Art of Learning. It's fascinating when these philosophies connect.
1:00-2:00
One set of planks at the gym during a short ab routine
3:30
One semi-drunk night in Turkey with Eddie. It was painful, but satisfying.
Interlude: 2:00
During Muay Thai training, I consistently did 2-minute planks with other exercises. I did abs twice a day (~10 minutes each time) at the end of each training session.
4:30
Weeks of training paid off as I pushed beyond my perceived 3:30 limit, shaking and biting my t-shirt to hold on.
6:00
In Shanghai, I hit my goal while listening to “The Space In Between” by Jan Blomqvist.
I thought I was done, but I remembered that at my peak, I might only be at 40% of my potential.
10:00
The next day in Shanghai, I surpassed my goal with friends after a long day of sightseeing.
11:00
Still in Shanghai, I needed to see if 10 minutes was my limit.
15:00
Paras and I called it the Infinite Plank. We then did 17 minutes of pushups, teasing exhaustion each time to make sure we truly burned out.
My endurance has certainly improved. I don't start feeling the plank until 3 minutes in. Then, the heaviness quickly sets in to make my shoulders ache, my quads tense up, and my core shake.
I’ve learned that it's all mental.