# High Plank: how to do it

- Main muscles: abs
- Also works: front delts, triceps, glutes
- Equipment: bodyweight
- Level: beginner
- 3D demo (side view): https://media.trainaq.com/exercises/high_plank/d8ff7d6ae2/side-m-720.mp4

## Steps

1. Kneel on all fours with your hands flat under your shoulders.
2. Step your feet back one at a time until your legs are straight, feet about hip width apart.
3. Tighten your stomach, buttocks and thighs so your body forms a straight line.
4. Push the floor away and hold, breathing steadily.
5. Lower your knees to the floor to finish.

## Cues

- Hands under shoulders, arms straight.
- Push the floor away.
- Hips in line with shoulders and heels.

## Common mistakes

- Sagging hips: squeeze your buttocks and pull your ribs down.
- Hands too far forward: move them back under your shoulders.
- Chest sinking between the shoulders: press the floor away to fill your upper back.

## The version in our demo

Straight-arm plank on the hands and toes (the top of a push-up), feet hip width apart. ACE uses this as the "push-up position" start for its high-plank drills; it is the common version and slightly easier on the trunk than the forearm plank because the body is more inclined.

## Starting position

Face down on the hands and toes. Elbows straight but not forced back. Legs straight behind, feet about hip width apart (15–20 cm), on the balls of the feet. One straight line from ear through shoulder, hip and knee to ankle; head neutral, eyes on the floor 20–30 cm ahead of the hands.

## The movement

An isometric hold. Thighs and buttocks are tightened, the abdomen braced and the ribs held down so the line does not change. Hands push the floor away so the upper back stays full, not sunk between the shoulder blades. Only the ribcage moves slightly with breathing.

## Breathing

Steady, slow breaths throughout the hold.

## Tempo

No hip, head or hand movement. Real sets: 10–30 s holds, 2–3 rounds.

## Form in numbers

- Elbow flexion 0° (straight, not hyperextended); wrists directly under the shoulders (source).
- Hip flexion 0°, knee flexion 0°.
- Wrist extension about 90° (palm flat under a vertical forearm).

## Sources

1. [ACE, "High Plank T-spine Rotation"](https://www.acefitness.org/resources/everyone/exercise-library/330/high-plank-t-spine-rotation/)
2. [ACE, "Plank-ups"](https://www.acefitness.org/resources/everyone/exercise-library/320/plank-ups/)
3. [NASM, "The Plank: Coaching Progressions and Variations for Every Client"](https://www.nasm.org/resource-center/blog/training/the-plank-coaching-progressions-and-variations-for-every-client)

Source: https://trainaq.com/exercises/high-plank