Core · Bodyweight
Bear Plank
How to do the bear plank, the muscles it works, and the mistakes to avoid. Pulled straight from the Kovo app's exercise library.
- Equipment
- Bodyweight
- Difficulty
- Beginner
- Logged as
- time
- Movement
- Isometric
- Mechanic
- Isolation
How to do it
Start on all fours with hands under your shoulders and knees under your hips. Tuck your toes and lift your knees just an inch or two off the floor, holding that hover with a flat back. Keeping the knees off the ground forces your core to work much harder than a standard plank.
- 1Deep core tension holding the knees off the floor
- 2Shoulders stacked over your hands and pushing the ground away
- 3Flat back with hips level the whole hold
Common mistakes
- Letting your hips sag or pike up toward the ceiling
- Lifting the knees too high and rounding the back
- Holding your breath instead of breathing steadily
Muscles worked
The bear plank mainly works the upper abs and lower abs, with the obliques, quads, glutes, front delts, and hip flexors assisting.
- Upper AbsPrimary
- Lower AbsPrimary
- ObliquesSupport
- QuadsSupport
- GlutesSupport
- Front DeltsSupport
- Hip FlexorsSupport
- TricepsMinor
- ForearmsMinor
- LatsMinor
Bear Plank strength standards
See how your bear plank ranks, from Bronze to Champion. These are the same standards the Kovo app uses to rank your lifts.
Bronzee1RM12.5 lb
Silvere1RM30 lb
Golde1RM57.5 lb
Platinume1RM95 lb
Diamonde1RM125 lb
Champione1RM150 lb
Find your rank
Enter your best set. We estimate your 1RM and match it to a tier.
Kovo tracks this rank automatically as you train, across every lift, and levels you up as you get stronger.
Kovo programs the bear plank for you and tracks it every session.
We build your whole program, drop the right lifts into each workout, and adjust your weights as you get stronger. Free on iOS and Android.
More abs & core exercises
- How to do the ab wheel rollout
- How to do the ankle tap plank
- How to do the ankle taps
- How to do the resistance band dead bugs
- How to do the resistance band pallof press
- How to do the rollout
Last reviewed June 2026.