Calories Burned Plank
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About plank
The Compendium files the plank under light calisthenics at 2.8 METs, the same row it gives abdominal crunches. For a 155 lb person that is 3.3 calories a minute, so the one minute hold most people arrive asking about costs 3 calories. None of that is a knock on the exercise. Calorie burn follows load moved through distance, and a plank moves nothing anywhere, which is the entire point of it. Hold time is the unit this page uses throughout, because almost nobody planks by the half hour.
Calories Burned by Body Weight
Calories burned per 30 minutes of plank at moderate intensity (MET 2.8)
| Body Weight | Calories Burned |
|---|---|
| 120 lbs (54 kg) | 76 cal |
| 140 lbs (64 kg) | 89 cal |
| 155 lbs (70 kg)Reference | 98 cal |
| 170 lbs (77 kg) | 108 cal |
| 185 lbs (84 kg) | 117 cal |
| 200 lbs (91 kg) | 127 cal |
| 220 lbs (100 kg) | 140 cal |
Calories Burned by Duration
Calories burned at 155 lbs body weight, moderate intensity
| Duration | Calories Burned |
|---|---|
| 15 minutes | 49 cal |
| 30 minutesReference | 98 cal |
| 45 minutes | 148 cal |
| 60 minutes | 197 cal |
| 90 minutes | 295 cal |
Calories by Intensity
Different intensities burn different calories. MET (Metabolic Equivalent) measures exercise intensity.
Food Equivalent
30 minutes of plank burns enough calories to offset:
Based on 98 calories burned (30 min at 155 lbs)
Tips for Plank
- Stack the elbows under the shoulders, letting them drift forward turns the hold into a shoulder exercise
- Squeeze the glutes and tuck the ribs down, a sagging hip is where the lower back starts to ache
- Look at the floor a hand's width ahead of you, craning the head up shortens the neck for no benefit
- Breathe in a normal rhythm, holding your breath makes 45 seconds feel like 90 and trains nothing extra
- Once two minutes feels easy, put a plate on your back or lift one foot rather than chasing five minutes