I Challenged My Strength in a Plank Contest Today

My goal was 1 minute and 30 seconds

My husband and I headed to the gym at 6:30 am, as we do most mornings. Our facility has the typical COVID-19 guidelines in place like required mask wearing, physical distancing, and closing every 2 hours for deep cleaning.

They’re doing one thing a little different — trying to keep morale up. We strolled into the lobby and saw a sign advertising a plank contest.

Rules: Challenge ends January 31st
1. Two attempts per member
2. Must be correct form
3. You drop, you stop
4. Employee must be present to time

Times to beat
Women: Karen 0:42.37
Men: Joe 3:57.50

Okay, you have my attention. I’m not usually eager to compete in these things, but my husband loves 3D energy drinks and I know I can plank longer than 42 seconds. I told the lady up front, we’ll call her Jess, that I wanted to try. She grabbed a timer and we headed to a less crowded area.

My goal was 1 minute and 30 seconds. I did 1 minute planks frequently without too much struggle, so figured I’d push myself a little. We arranged my mat parallel to a mirror so I could keep tabs on my form. I set the stopwatch up on my phone as well, knowing if I saw my time, I’d be more likely to push myself to reach the next milestone.

3, 2, 1, Go

I started my timer and assumed my best plank position. I felt good. “How long have you worked here?” I asked Jess, hoping for distraction. She answered, followed by, “Come on, you’ve got it. You’re almost there” I glanced at my timer — 40 seconds already. I still had great energy, keep going. My husband and Jess continued discussing jobs, and I chimed in when appropriate.

My body was shaking, but I was focused. “2 minutes!” I’m still not ready to stop. “I’ve never seen your face so red,” my husband said. I looked in the mirror — he was right, so I focused on intentional…

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