If You Can Hold a Plank This Long After 55, Your Core Strength Is Stronger Than 90% of Peers

Core strength tends to show up in the moments people don’t think about. Carrying groceries in one trip, walking for a while without shifting side to side, or getting up off the floor without bracing on your hands all rely on it. I’ve seen plenty of active adults in their 50s who stay busy, but once their core starts losing capacity, those same movements take more effort and feel less steady. It’s rarely dramatic. It just slowly becomes noticeable.

From a coaching perspective, the people who move best over time usually have one thing in common. Their core can stay engaged without fading when things get challenging. That ability comes down to strength and endurance working together as your core has to create tension and hold it while the rest of your body moves around it.

That’s exactly why the plank works so well as a test. It doesn’t require equipment or a complicated setup, and it leaves ...