{"id":391881,"date":"2026-03-18T18:59:18","date_gmt":"2026-03-18T18:59:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/391881\/"},"modified":"2026-03-18T18:59:18","modified_gmt":"2026-03-18T18:59:18","slug":"how-long-to-hold-a-side-plank-after-60-for-top-tier-core","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/391881\/","title":{"rendered":"How Long to Hold a Side Plank After 60 for Top-Tier Core"},"content":{"rendered":"

Side planks are an excellent test of core stability and strength.<\/p>\n

Side planks are a stellar addition to your workout routine. This isometric exercise stabilizes your body weight on one side while firing up your core. Side planks are chock-full of goodness, as they strengthen the midsection, boost coordination and stability, protect the spine, and lower your risk of back injury. In fact, they\u2019re an excellent way to measure core stability.<\/p>\n

We spoke with Karen Ann Canham, CEO<\/b> and founder of Karen Ann Wellness<\/a>, a board-certified wellness coach and nervous system specialist with nearly two decades of experience in wellness and corporate leadership, to learn how long you should be able to hold a side plank after 60 for your core stability to rank as top-tier.<\/p>\n

Why Core Stability Matters
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A strong, stable core is one of the most critical foundations of safe movement as you grow older.<\/p>\n

\u201cA strong core helps: maintain upright posture, reducing strain on the spine; stabilize the pelvis during walking, which improves gait efficiency; improve balance reactions when the body is pushed or shifts unexpectedly; [and] reduce fall risk, especially during movements like stepping, turning, or reaching,\u201d Canham notes. \u201cResearch consistently shows that older adults with stronger core and hip stabilizers have better balance control and greater confidence in daily movement.\u201d<\/p>\n

If You Can Hold a Plank This Long After 50, Your Core Is Stronger Than Most<\/a><\/p>\n

If You Can Hold a Side Plank This Long After 60, Your Core Stability Is Top-Tier<\/p>\n

For those 60+, core endurance benchmarks shift naturally due to joint tolerance, muscle mass, and recovery capacity.<\/p>\n

\u201cA solid baseline for most healthy adults over 60 is holding a side plank for 15 to 25 seconds per side with good form,\u201d says Canham. \u201cAn above-average hold would be 30 to 45 seconds per side, while 60 seconds or more with stable alignment would be considered exceptional for this age group.\u201d<\/p>\n

What\u2019s most important is maintaining solid alignment. This means keeping your shoulders stacked, spine neutral, and hips lifted rather than aiming for a longer time while using poor form.<\/p>\n

\u200b\u200b If You Can Do This Many Squats After 50, You Are in Great Shape<\/a><\/p>\n

Muscles Side Planks Activate
\n\"PlankingShutterstock<\/p>\n

Side planks engage several important stabilizing muscles that work in unison to support the pelvis and spine. The main muscles fired up in side planks include the obliques, glute medius, glute maximus, transverse abdominis (also known as the deep \u201ccorset\u201d muscle), and quadratus lumborum.<\/p>\n

\u201cTogether, these muscles create a strong lateral support system for the spine, allowing the body to resist side-to-side movement,\u201d Canham tells us.<\/p>\n

Over 50? If You Can Do This Many Knee Pushups, Your Upper Body Is Stronger Than Most<\/a><\/p>\n

Side Planks Train Anti-Lateral Flexion
\n\"matureShutterstock<\/p>\n

While classic front planks mainly challenge anti-extension strength\u2014which helps your lower back resist arching\u2014side planks train anti-lateral flexion. This means your body must resist the urge to bend sideways.6254a4d1642c605c54bf1cab17d50f1e<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is particularly important because many balance challenges in everyday life occur side-to-side, such as stepping off a curb, carrying a bag, or recovering from a stumble,\u201d Canham explains. \u201cSide planks also activate the obliques and hip stabilizers more directly than front planks, making them especially valuable for improving lateral stability and fall resistance in older adults.\u201d<\/p>\n

Alexa Mellardo<\/p>\n

\t\tAlexa is a freelance writer, editor, and content strategist based in Greenwich, CT. She has 11+ years of experience covering wellness, fitness, food, travel, lifestyle, and home.\t\t\t\t\tRead more about Alexa <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Side planks are an excellent test of core stability and strength. Side planks are a stellar addition to…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":391882,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[278],"tags":[74084,18,539,525,23758,135,19,17,112813,1626],"class_list":["post-391881","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-fitness","tag-core-exercise","tag-eire","tag-exercise","tag-fitness","tag-fitness-test","tag-health","tag-ie","tag-ireland","tag-over-60","tag-workouts"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@ie\/116251719544861742","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/391881","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=391881"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/391881\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/391882"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=391881"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=391881"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=391881"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}