A strong core is integral to any health plan. It is the foundation of any fit body, making everyday movements a cinch while improving your posture, breathing and preventing injury.

If you’re looking for the most effective way to a toned stomach, then try the plank. It’s a challenging exercise but it works all of your core (and more) at once, and gets easier over time.

Check out this Expert Village video (2 ½ minutes long) for the plank. It includes variations as well so that you can increase the difficulty as you strengthen your core:

The plank is one way to measure fitness levels . Can you hold the plank for 60 seconds? Go ahead - try assessing your core strength !