Stacking sets plans better than one long hold
Planks are usually logged as a single longest hold. Push to failure every time, though, and the record includes the seconds held with a sagging position, while the next set becomes impossible. The common alternative is to cut each set short of the maximum and repeat it, accumulating time under tension. This page takes your max hold and a target time under tension and returns, for plans set at 50, 60 and 70% of that max, the hold per set, the number of sets, the resulting time under tension and the total session time including rest.
The set count divides the target time under tension by the hold per set and rounds up, and rest between sets is set equal to your max hold (as of October 2026). The weekly table simply multiplies out the weekly increase you entered and is not a forecast, which is why the increase is an editable field rather than a fixed value.
No grade, score or level is produced here. Planks have no official grading table, and the charts online disagree with one another. If your lower back dips or your hips rise, end the set rather than finishing the clock, and if you have back pain, check your position before starting again.
Frequently asked questions
Going to failure every set means the last stretch is held with a collapsed position, and the set after that becomes impossible. Cutting each set between half and 70% of your max keeps the position intact across several sets, which makes the target time under tension easier to accumulate.
No. There is no official plank grading table. The charts circulating online come from scattered sources and disagree with each other, so this page assigns no grade and only designs sets from the max you enter.
Scaling rest to the length of the hold keeps conditions similar from set to set. Take longer if your breathing has not settled, and if it feels easy, lengthen the sets rather than shortening the rest.