Exercise
SIDE PLANK
Form cues
About
The side plank is an anti-lateral flexion core exercise — meaning it trains the ability to resist side-bending forces rather than creating them. It heavily loads the obliques, quadratus lumborum, and gluteus medius, which are critical for spinal stability in rotational sports, single-leg activities, and running. Unlike crunches, it creates no spinal flexion under load, making it a safer and more functional core exercise for people managing lower back issues. Duration and hip height (not sagging) are the two variables to control.
Instructions
Step-by-step technique
Set up on your side
Lie on your side with legs straight. Place the bottom elbow directly beneath your shoulder — not in front. Stack both feet, with the top foot resting on the bottom foot. Keep the head in line with the spine.
Elbow under shoulder, feet stackedLift the hips
Press through the forearm and the edge of the bottom foot, lifting your hips off the mat. Your body should form a straight diagonal line from the ear through the hip to the ankle. The top arm can extend upward or rest on the hip.
Hips lift to form a straight lineDrive the hip upward
Actively press the hip toward the ceiling — do not just stop the sag. The obliques and glute medius on the underside contract to keep the body elevated. Think of lifting the bottom hip as high as possible.
Push hip up, do not just prevent sagHold and breathe
Maintain the position for the target duration while breathing normally. Keep the neck long — avoid dropping the head or scrunching the neck toward the shoulder. Check the hip line periodically — it should remain elevated.
Breathe normally, hip stays highLower and switch sides
Slowly lower the hips to the mat. Rest briefly, then rotate to perform the same hold on the opposite side. Both sides should receive equal training time — do not skip the weaker side.
Equal time on both sidesCommon mistakes
What goes wrong — and why
Hip sagging toward the floor
Allowing the hip to drop reduces the oblique activation to near zero — the floor is doing the work rather than the muscles.
If your hip drops, shorten the hold duration and focus entirely on actively pressing the hip up. A shorter hold with correct form is far superior to a long hold with a sagging hip.
Elbow not under the shoulder
Placing the elbow forward creates a rotational torque on the shoulder joint and makes maintaining the position mechanically inefficient.
Before lifting, place one finger directly below the shoulder joint to find the correct elbow position. This one adjustment immediately makes the position more stable.
Hips rotated forward
Letting the hips rotate so the top hip is in front of the bottom hip turns the side plank into a partial front plank — eliminating the lateral core benefit.
Stack hips vertically. The front of both hips should face the same direction. If stacking the feet makes this hard, stagger the feet instead to improve balance while maintaining hip alignment.
Variations · Progressions · Regressions
Adaptations for every level
Side Plank from the Knee
Perform the side plank with the bottom knee on the floor instead of the foot. This reduces the lever arm significantly and makes it achievable for beginners while still training the obliques effectively.
Side Plank with Hip Dip
From the side plank position, lower the hip toward the floor then drive it back up. Adds dynamic loading to the obliques instead of isometric holds — increasing training intensity for experienced practitioners.
Star Side Plank
Raise the top leg and top arm simultaneously into a star shape while maintaining the side plank. Dramatically increases the glute medius demand and reduces the base of support, challenging balance and stability.