Every athlete and fitness aficionado has the same love-hate relationship with abs. It is almost as if each of our bodies has a secret code to crack in search of a flat stomach. An ab Rubiks Cube, if you will. Well, planks are the magic formula for a vast majority of us.

With just three plank variations done three times a week, you will have a stronger core in no time.

First, I want to clarify what a plank is. There are different ways people like to do them and that is ok; however, when I say plank this is what I mean. To do this exercise get into a push up position. Now, instead of using your hands to form the base, lower yourself onto your elbows. Keep your back extra straight and hold this position. The goal of this is to reach a time target.

This is a great exercise for the core because it works your lower back, obliques, and your entire core. For this workout, we will call this stance our home base.

To start, get into the plank position and hold it for 30 seconds. Next, we are going to do some planken-jacks. They are basically jumping jacks while in the plank. Keep your elbows in place and your back straight. Then take your feet and jump them to shoulder width apart. Then jump back to the starting position. Next, jump them twice your shoulder width and back to the start. This is one complete repetition. Do 15.

Go back to 30 seconds of plank and then 15 more reps. Do this one more time for a total of three sets of planken-jacks and one minute and 30 seconds of planks. Then take a 30 second break.

Now, it is time to attack the obliques. Here we are going to get back into the plank. Hold it for ten seconds and then twist our body, raising our left arm into the air. Our right elbow is still on the ground and feet in the same position. Our left arm should be pointing straight to the ceiling. Hold this for three seconds and then go back to the starting position.

Do a five second plank and then raise the right arm. Again, hold for three seconds and return to the start. This is one complete rep. Do ten total. After your last one hold the plank stance for 15 seconds.

This is a great series to do while watching tv in the evening or when you first roll out of bed.