Day 14 marks two weeks of daily circuits, and the plank day arrives with its stance widened. The card runs a wide plank hold, a side elbow plank on each side, and an elbow plank to finish - 30 seconds each, two minutes of holding still. It is the same shape as the first plank day of the program with the opening panel spread wider, which makes the first 30 seconds friendlier and changes nothing about the three that follow.
The value of this card is in how much of it is lateral. Half the two minutes is spent on your side, and side planks are the one position where there is nowhere for the load to go except into the obliques and the deep muscles wrapping the waist. Front planks share the work between abs, shoulders, back and glutes; a side plank hands it to a much smaller crew and asks them to hold the hips off the ground unaided. Finishing on a front elbow plank is the sensible landing - after a minute on your sides, a position where both hips are supported feels almost restful, right up until the last ten seconds.
In the wide plank, keep the hands under the shoulders even though the feet are spread, and resist letting the hips drop as the base gets easier. In both side planks, drive the supporting forearm into the floor, lift the underneath hip toward the ceiling and hold the top hip stacked directly above the bottom one rather than letting it roll forward. In the elbow plank, tuck the ribs down and keep the neck long.
Halfway through the program, and the planks have started answering back.
Make it Harder: Reach the top arm straight up to the ceiling in both side planks and hold it there for the full 30 seconds.
Make it Easier: Bring the feet to hip width for the opening panel and hold a standard plank instead of a wide one.
