Working up to a plank

Planks are one of my favorite exercises.

But I recently had a problem - I had some clients to work with who couldn't do a proper plank. What do you do?

Here are the suggestions I received:

Plank on a Bench. A normal plank, but using a bar, bench, or other raised surface to keep a steeper angle and make it easier. Can also be done straight-armed.

Straight-arm Plank. Basically, the top position of a pushup. It's a steeper angle so it's easier to hold good posture.

Swiss ball Rollouts. A good way to build up some abdominal/lower back stability for a future plank workout. Here's a nice video.

Inchworm Walkouts. Bend at the waist and put your hands on the floor. Now "walk" the hands out away from the body until you get to a plank (or close), then walk back.

That's just scratching the surface. But the straight-arm plank is a good start, and worked for the people who needed it.