This plank timer is strict about what a plank is. It's a forearm plank here, and the clock runs only while your body line, level torso, elbows and hips all hold together.
The coach uses two cues you'll learn fast: “Hips up” and “Arms at ninety”. Fix that part of your position and the clock picks up where it left off.
Phone setup
Set the phone in landscape on the floor roughly 2 meters (6 feet) away, low enough to see your whole plank from head to feet.
Get into your forearm plank side-on to the phone.
- Leave the phone alone once the hold starts and keep your angle to it the same. Moving either mid-hold can throw off the elbow check.
Form cues
- Elbows under shoulders. Stack them directly beneath you with your forearms flat, so the elbows sit at about a right angle.
- Squeeze into one line. Your shoulders, hips and knees should form a straight line from the side.
- Lift your hips. Keep them from sinking below the line between your shoulders and knees.
- Stay level. The torso needs to be roughly level, and standing up never counts.
Common mistakes
- Sagging hips. When your hips sink below the line from shoulders to knees, the clock stops and the coach says “Hips up”.
- Switching to straight arms. A high plank on straight arms won't keep the clock running. This timer is built for the forearm version.
- Hiking your hips up. Your shoulders, hips and knees need to stay in a single line, so a pike breaks the line too.
How FitnessBruh times it
The clock runs only while four things hold at once: a straight line from shoulders through hips to knees, a roughly level torso, elbows bent at about a right angle under you, and hips that aren't sagging below the shoulder-to-knee line.
It takes a slightly longer settle than the other holds before the clock starts, and that settling time isn't credited. If your hips drop you hear “Hips up”, and if your elbows drift, “Arms at ninety”. Get back into position and the clock resumes from where it stopped.
If tracking drops or you leave the frame, the clock simply waits; that isn't a break. Reach the target time and the set ends, with every break recorded.
FAQ
Does a straight-arm plank count on this timer?
The elbow check expects a forearm plank, with elbows bent at about a right angle under you, so a high plank on straight arms won't keep the clock running.
Why did my clock stop with my body still straight?
Check your elbows and your hips. “Arms at ninety” means the elbows drifted and “Hips up” means your hips sank. Fix either and the clock resumes where it stopped.
Can I move the phone during a plank?
It's better not to. Moving the phone, or changing your angle to it, mid-hold can throw off the elbow check. Set it side-on, then leave it alone.
