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Side Plank

Side Plank trains 3 of the 18 muscle groups Full Coverage tracks: Obliques 80%, Abductors (outer hip) 40%, Abs 25%.

Accessory Level: Beginner Bodyweight Hold Easy on the lower backEasy on the kneesNo load on the spineEasy on the shoulders

Side Plank - Start position
Start position
Side Plank - Finish position
Finish position

How to do it

  1. Lie on your side, propped on your forearm, elbow directly under your shoulder.
  2. Stack your feet and lift your hips until your body is one straight line.
  3. Keep your top shoulder stacked over the bottom one - do not roll forward or back.
  4. Hold, breathing normally, then switch sides.
  5. Let your hips drop and the set is finished, regardless of the clock.

Muscles it trains

Percent of one session's target for that muscle. Anything at 100% finishes that muscle on its own.

Light Main

How it compares

Compared with the Cable Crunch, it loads Abs 65 points lower, Obliques 50 points higher, Abductors (outer hip) 40 points higher. It needs Bodyweight where the other uses Cable machine. Compared with the Lying Windshield Wipers, it loads Abs 45 points lower, Abductors (outer hip) 40 points higher.

Other ways to train this

Other exercises for the Obliques

Related guides

Exercise illustrations and data by RepDB (repdb.co), used under licence.

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