How to do the Up-Down Plank
Step by step
- Start in a forearm plank with elbows under shoulders and body in a straight line.
- Press one hand flat on the floor, then the other, to push up into a high plank.
- Lower back down one arm at a time to return to the forearm plank.
- Keep alternating which arm leads and stay braced the whole set.
The thing people get wrong
Keep your hips as still and level as possible - the tendency is to swing them side to side each time you switch arms.
Coaching cue
Plant each hand right where that elbow was so you are not crawling forward down the mat.
Make it easier or harder
- Easier: Do it from your knees.
- Harder: Bring your feet closer together, or add a push-up at the top.
Muscles worked
- Primary: Core
- Secondary: Front delts, Triceps
What to do instead
Same job, different movement — useful if you don't have the equipment or it doesn't feel right today.
Daily Coach builds this into a real weekly plan. It picks the exercises for your equipment and experience, swaps around injuries you tell it about, and tracks what you actually lifted.