Day 7 is the first plank day, and it asks for nothing that is not a plank. 24 shoulder taps, 24 thigh taps and 24 slow climbers as one round, 2 minutes rest, and 3, 4 or 5 sets by level. Three exercises, all four-point, all done from the same starting position, and every count doubled from what the full-body days ask for.
Shoulder taps you know: one hand rises to the opposite shoulder while the plank holds still, 12 per hand. Thigh taps keep the plank and reach the hand back to touch the opposite thigh - a smaller reach and a bigger challenge, because the hips will want to twist toward the hand and the exercise counts only when they do not. Slow climbers draw one knee in under the body toward the chest, slowly, then return it and draw the other, 12 per leg - a mountain climber with all the speed taken out, which leaves the trunk holding a plank on two hands while a knee travels through underneath it. Seventy-two plank reps a set, three different ways of moving a limb while the base stays put. This is a strength day for the shoulders and trunk disguised as a core day, and by the last set the shoulders will make that clear.
Feet wide for stability, hips level, and the moving limb the only thing moving - the same standard for all three. In thigh taps, if the hips rock, widen the feet before you shorten the reach. In slow climbers, the knee comes in over a full count and the hips do not lift toward the ceiling to make room.
Not one of the seventy-two reps a set leaves the plank - the plank days are where this program's stillness gets built.
Make it Harder: Bring the feet together for every exercise so the base is as narrow as it gets.
Make it Easier: Drop all three counts to 16 and keep the level you would normally take.
