Monday, July 6, 2020

MRTT SRTT July Plank Challenge



Welcome to the July Challenge Event!! If you’re new to our monthly challenges, here’s how it works. Every month we host a challenge to help improve personal accountability and motivation to reach our goals. Challenges are also a great way to provide support and encouragement to each other. You can join our monthly challenges at ANY point during the month!

It has a been a strange year! With nearly all races canceled, I’ve noticed many ladies are really stepping it up and conquering frequent virtual races. Others have opted to take a break from racing/strict training plans and are running for fun and/or are increasing their cross-training. Then there is me…wow, I am struggling to get going. I did not run in June. YIKES! I hate to admit that, but it is true. Maybe some of you can relate. I’ve continued to stay active with my family and have started HIIT again, but my workouts have been infrequent and inconsistent. Okay, confession time is over…let’s get to it. July is a new month, a fresh start, a great opportunity to reset, and this challenge is a good fit for everyone.

In July we are PLANKING!!

Why planks? Planks are a wonderful way to strengthen your core while also improving overall balance, stability, posture and running form. There many ways to modify planks to fit a variety of fitness levels.

For this challenge, I’m asking you (and me) to commit to one of the plank challenges listed below (or one that is a good fit for your strength level), and post frequent selfies/updates regarding your progress. Get creative…include your children, your pets, unique locations, fun backgrounds, funny costumes, theme days, etc. BONUS if you post a picture of a plank with a goat!! And if you don’t have a goat…maybe a dog or a cat. :-)

Included is a chart with time goals for beginners and advanced level. Please use the chart as a guide. There are many charts available online if the options listed are not a good fit for you.

As with all of our challenges, upgrade, downgrade and modify exercises to fit your personal fitness level. The following website has an extensive list of plank modifications (beginner, intermediate and advanced): https://greatist.com/move/plank-variations-for-core-strength#beginner. If you have carpal tunnel, history of wrist injury/fracture, etc, please listen to your body and complete appropriate modifications.

In addition to planking, don’t forget to set a monthly mileage goal and update us regularly on how it is going.

PRIZES!!!!

We will be giving away some small prizes at the end of the month, with the following categories:

◼ Most creative plank picture
◼ Greatest percentage increase of improved time for plank hold (To calculate percentage increase, take total plank time (in seconds) on last day – total plank time (in seconds) on first day to determine time increase. Then divide the time increase (in seconds) by the total plank time (in seconds) on first day and x 100)
◼ Longest plank hold in standard plank position (either on hands or forearms)

I will post at the end of the month requesting your entries for the three categories. You may enter as many of the categories as you desire....entry is completely OPTIONAL.

The main goal is to PLANK and have fun!