TempoLife › Features › Fitness reference values › plank
Plank hold
How to measure plank hold correctly, the published reference values (McGill SM, "Core training: evidence translating to better performance" (2010)), and what your own number does — and does not — say.
How to measure it
Forearms on the floor, elbows under the shoulders, body in one straight line from head to heels. Hold without letting the hips sag or pike. Stop when form breaks.
Published reference
No universal time norm exists. Published core-endurance research (McGill's work on spine stability) reports wide ranges even in healthy young adults, and the test position differs between studies — which is why this page does not print a single target time.
Source: McGill SM, "Core training: evidence translating to better performance" (2010) · checked 2026-09-03
Your number
—
Short holds with perfect form beat long holds with a sagging back. If you cannot hold 20 seconds, start from the knees or on an incline.
Reference values describe populations, not you. Your own trend — same test, same method, month after month — is the comparison that actually matters.
Frequently asked questions
How is plank hold measured?
Forearms on the floor, elbows under the shoulders, body in one straight line from head to heels. Hold without letting the hips sag or pike. Stop when form breaks.
What is a good plank hold result?
No universal time norm exists. Published core-endurance research (McGill's work on spine stability) reports wide ranges even in healthy young adults, and the test position differs between studies — which is why this page does not print a single target time.
What if my plank hold result is outside the reference?
Short holds with perfect form beat long holds with a sagging back. If you cannot hold 20 seconds, start from the knees or on an incline. A single number outside a population reference is a data point, not a diagnosis — but symptoms are always a clinician's business.
Resting heart rate
American Heart Association
Cooper 12-minute run
Cooper KH, "A means of assessing maximal oxygen intake" (JAMA 1968); formula as published.
Push-ups
American College of Sports Medicine test description; Cooper Institute FITNESSGRAM
Grip strength
JAMAR test protocol; population reference values as reviewed in published handgrip normative studies
VO2max estimates
Kline GM et al., "Estimation of VO2max from a one-mile track walk" (Med Sci Sports Exerc 1987); Cooper 1968
The trend beats the table
TempoLife stores your resting heart rate and workouts over time, so re-tests read as a trend, not a verdict.