“Little Things Make Big Things Happen.” — John Wooden
Atomic Planks may not sound inspirational at first, but the concept behind them absolutely is. It’s all about changing yourself for the better—just 1% at a time. Atomic Planks is meant to inspire transformation through small, consistent progress, encouraging you to take that first step toward something bigger.
Too often, our goals seem so far away that we never even begin. But what if the key is to simply start small?
You might have heard of Atomic Habits by James Clear. It’s a powerful book about building good habits and breaking bad ones by making tiny behavioral changes. My friend Brad Hall was deeply inspired by it and set out to apply the concept of making a daily 1% improvement to something tangible. Brad and I met through Team in Training, a fundraising arm of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society that combines endurance sports with the fight against cancer. He is a fellow Ironman World Championship finisher, and he decided to take the idea of daily 1% improvement and apply it to physical strength.
In 2024, Brad started a personal challenge: hold a plank every day, and increase the time by 1% daily. He began with just one minute on January 1st and, by December 31st, held a plank for over 37 minutes.
If you’re not familiar with a plank, it’s a core-strengthening, isometric exercise where you hold a position similar to a push-up, but resting on your forearms instead of your hands. The idea is to keep your body straight—like a plank of wood—supported only by your toes and forearms, engaging your core the entire time.
The goal of this post isn’t necessarily to get you to do a plank—although I highly encourage it! I joined the challenge a little late, but I’m now four months in, and it’s been incredibly rewarding. What I want to highlight is the power of 1% improvement. Over time, those tiny gains become transformational. Even as someone who has completed five Ironman triathlons, the idea of a 37-minute plank seemed nearly impossible. But Brad proved it was possible—one day, one second, one percent at a time.
Of course, not every goal is as easy to measure. I want to be a better husband and father—but how do I quantify a 1% improvement in that? I can’t. What I can do is focus on small, daily actions that move me in the right direction. Over time, those small changes can lead to dramatic improvement. (At least, my wife and kids certainly hope so!)
I officially joined the Atomic Plank challenge in February 2025 after seeing Brad share his journey and the simple Atomic Plank website he created to help others get started. The site includes a counter that calculates your 1% daily increase automatically. That counter started from January 1st so you will have to do the math yourself if you begin mid year or you can reach out to me. I am happy to share a spreadsheet that will allow you to start whenever you choose.
On Saturdays, we do a challenge plank, where the goal is to go as long as possible—ideally longer than the scheduled time. Mondays are an optional rest day, though I usually push through. Just this past weekend, my challenge day plank lasted 10 and a half minutes—even though the required time for that day was just over three minutes.
I’m 58 years old, and if you had asked me if I would do a 10 minute plank in my remaining lifetime, I would’ve bet a lot of money against it. But that is exactly what I did. I felt incredible at the accomplishment and I’m impressed with the actual physical results I am seeing. My core is getting very tight and I am seeing tone in my arms and shoulders as well.
But the real benefit isn’t just physical. It’s mental strength. Some days, your mind will tell you to quit before the timer runs out. That’s fear talking. And there’s something powerful about facing that doubt, pushing it aside, and doing it anyway.
Whether or not you ever do a plank, I encourage you to take one small step toward something that matters to you.
As Martin Luther King Jr. once said:
“Faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the whole staircase.”
That first step is always the hardest. But I promise—the view from the top of the staircase is worth every ounce of effort.
Update as of August 27, 2025: I am now doing 15 minute planks on a daily basis and have exceeded a 20 minute plank as my new personal best. If I can do this as a 59 year old, anybody can do this. Trust the process and apply this 1% rule to something you want to change in your life.
