Precerpt from Grandma's Ninja Training Diary: Planking It
I’ve been thinking about planks lately — mostly because I keep hearing that Cher holds a plank for five minutes and swears it’s the secret to her good health. Five minutes. I admire her, but I also suspect she has a higher tolerance for boredom than I do. I tap out around the two‑minute mark, not because my core gives up, but because my brain does. There’s only so long I can stare at the floor and contemplate my life choices.
Still, planking has become one of my quiet, reliable rituals — the kind that keeps me functional, upright, and able to get off the floor without looking like I’m reenacting a Greek tragedy.
What I actually get out of planking
When I plank, I can feel the deep core muscles switch on — the ones that don’t show up in photos but keep me steady in real life. My glutes fire, my quads brace, my shoulders stabilize, and my diaphragm negotiates with me about breathing. It’s a full‑body negotiation, really.
This is why I keep doing it. Planks aren’t glamorous, but they’re the scaffolding of everyday strength. They help me stand taller, move better, and avoid the slow forward collapse that seems to be the national posture.
How long is “good enough”?
Here’s the truth I’ve learned: I don’t need Cher’s five minutes. I don’t even need my own two.
Sports medicine folks say the sweet spot is 10–30 seconds, repeated several times. Short, high‑quality holds beat one long, heroic one. The core is a stabilizer, not a marathoner.
So when I hold a plank for 90 seconds or two minutes, that’s not “bare minimum.” That’s “Grandma Ninja territory.”
How short is too short?
Anything under ten seconds is basically just a polite hello to your core. But ten to twenty seconds, repeated a few times, absolutely counts.
If someone can only do ten seconds, they’re still in the club.
When do diminishing returns kick in?
Right around the two‑minute mark — exactly where my boredom kicks in. After that, the benefits flatten out. You’re mostly training your ability to endure tedium.
Cher can have that medal.
Why I keep planking anyway
Planks help me:
get up from the floor without drama
keep my spine stable
maintain posture
stay balanced
avoid falls
keep the everyday muscles strong enough to support the rest of my life
They’re not flashy, but they’re foundational. And at this stage of life, foundations matter more than flourishes.
A boredom workaround
Since I’m not trying to win the Cher Olympics, I could and possibly should break it up:
3 x 45 seconds
or 4 x 30 seconds
or a mix of front and side planks
or a leg lift here and there to keep my brain awake
That would work. It would keep me consistent. And consistency is the real secret. BUT I am a person of limited time and patience, so I stick to my two minutes, which, I am told, is "elite territory" for a grandma heading toward her eighth decade/
My Grandma Ninja conclusion
I don’t need to plank for five minutes. I don’t even need to plank for two. I just need to show up, hold steady, breathe, and stop before I start resenting the floor.
That’s the whole practice — strength, sanity, and a little humor.
Grandma’s Ninja Training Diary is the inspiring true story of a septuagenarian grandmother who dared to dream big—by training for American Ninja Warrior. Teaming up with her coach and trainer, she embarks on a three-year journey to build strength, resilience, flexibility, balance, and endurance—starting from scratch.
Told in a dynamic mix of diary entries, coaching insights, and behind-the-scenes reflections, this book chronicles the ups and downs of late-in-life athletic training. From gym workouts to rock climbing, yoga to injury recovery, sleep to mindset—every aspect of the transformation is explored with honesty and humor.
Grandma shares what she’s learning; her coach explains why she’s right—or wrong. Together, they offer a realistic, encouraging look at what it takes to pursue an extraordinary goal at any age.
Part training manual, part motivational memoir, Grandma’s Ninja Training Diary is packed with practical tips for readers over 50 who want to improve their fitness, health, and confidence. You’ll also get insider insights into the world of American Ninja Warrior, strategies for balancing real life with ambitious goals, and hard-won wisdom about success, failure, and the joy of simply showing up.
To read more precerpts from Grandma's Ninja Training Diary, click HERE.
has gained mass recognition for releasing highly acclaimed books of varying genres
that are distributed internationally. Check us out on Wikitia.
To purchase copies of any MSI Press book at 25% discount,
use code FF25 at MSI Press webstore.
Want to read an MSI Press book and not have to pay for it?
(1) Ask your local library to purchase and shelve it.
(2) Ask us for a review copy; we love to have our books reviewed.
VISIT OUR WEBSITE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT ALL OUR AUTHORS AND TITLES.
Sign up for the MSI Press LLC monthly newsletter: get inside information before others see it and access to additional book content(recent releases, sales/discounts, awards, reviews, Amazon top 100 list, links to precerpts/excerpts, author advice, and more)Check out recent issues.
Turned away by other publishers because you are a first-time author and/or do not have a strong platform yet? If you have a strong manuscript, San Juan Books, our hybrid publishing division, may be able to help. Ask us. Check out more information at www.msipress.com.
Planning on self-publishing and don't know where to start? Our author au pair services will mentor you through the process. See what we can do for your at www.msipress.com.
Interested in receiving a free copy of this or any MSI Press LLC book in exchange for reviewing a current or forthcoming MSI Press LLC book? Contact editor@msipress.com.
Want an author-signed copy of this book? Purchase the book at 25% discount (use coupon code FF25) and concurrently send a written request to orders@msipress.com.Julia Aziz, signing her book, Lessons of Labor, at an event at Book People in Austin, Texas.
Want to communicate with one of our authors? You can! Find their contact information on our Authors' Pages.Steven Greenebaum, author of award-winning books, An Afternoon's Discussion and One Family: Indivisible, talking to a reader at Barnes & Noble in Gilroy, California.MSI Press is ranked among the top publishers in California.
Check out our rankings -- and more -- HERE.
Comments
Post a Comment