The straight-arm plank is the plank held at the top of a push-up: hands under your shoulders, arms straight, body in one line from head to heels. The trunk does the same job as in a forearm plank while your shoulders push the floor away, and because it is also the start position of push-ups, mountain climbers and plank walk-ups, a solid hold here pays off in all of them.
How to do it
- Hands directly under the shoulders, fingers spread, arms straight.
- Push the floor away so your chest does not sink between your shoulder blades.
- Squeeze the glutes and pull the ribs down — one line from head to heels.
Common mistakes
- Holding on with sagging or piked hips once it gets hard — end the set there instead.
- Letting the head hang so the chin drops toward the floor.
What it trains
- Abs
- hold the hips level against gravity pulling your middle toward the floor
- Obliques
- keep the hips square and the torso from twisting
- Shoulders
- push the floor away and hold your upper body on straight arms — far more work than on the forearms
- Glutes
- squeeze to lock the hips in line with the shoulders
Variations and alternatives
Common questions
Is a straight-arm plank easier than a forearm plank?
For the abs, slightly — your body sits at a steeper angle, so the trunk holds a little less of your weight. The shoulders and wrists work harder, though, and if those are your weak link it will feel like the harder of the two. Treat them as separate exercises and do not compare their times.
How long should I hold a straight-arm plank?
20 to 60 seconds with a clean line, ending the set when the hips start to sag or pike. Past a minute, make it harder rather than longer: lift one foot, or walk your hands a few centimetres further forward.
How do I track a straight-arm plank in a workout log?
By time. StackUp logs it with a stopwatch, one duration per set and no distance, and a hold never gets an up or down mark — when to move on to a harder version is your call. Every hold stays in your history, so the extra seconds are easy to see.
What if my wrists get sore in a straight-arm plank?
Spread your fingers and grip the floor so the load is not all in the heel of the hand, and stack your shoulders directly over your wrists. If that is not enough, hold push-up handles or a pair of dumbbells so the wrists stay straight, or do the forearm plank instead.
In StackUp. Logged with a stopwatch that keeps running if you leave the app. Get the app.
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