Bodyweight Mastery: Core

How to complete Bodyweight Mastery: Core

A flawless two-minute plank tests whether your deep core can resist gravity without your lower back taking over. The hard part isn't time. It's holding a straight line from heels to head as fatigue tempts your hips to sag or pike up.

1. Set the position: forearms under shoulders, body in one straight line, glutes and quads squeezed.
2. Build with shorter holds, adding 10-15 seconds each session toward 2 minutes.
3. Brace your abs as if expecting a punch and tuck the pelvis slightly to kill the back arch.
4. Keep breathing steadily; don't hold your breath to white-knuckle through.
5. Test in front of a mirror or camera to confirm your hips stay level.

Tips

• Squeezing glutes hard is the single biggest fix for sagging hips.
• Look at the floor just ahead of your hands to keep the neck neutral.
• If your lower back aches, your hips have dropped, so reset rather than grinding it out.

What counts as done

A held 2-minute forearm plank with hips neither sagging nor piking, confirmed on video or by a watcher.