What is a sensible starting dose for the Copenhagen adduction, and what should you build up to it with?

Start with 2 sets of 4 to 6 reps per side using the knee-supported version, where the top leg rests closer to the body instead of at the ankle. You should already be able to hold a solid forearm side plank for 30 seconds before adding a moving leg to that same position.

How do you make the Copenhagen adduction easier or harder?

To make it easier, support the top leg at the knee instead of the ankle, which shortens the lever the inner thigh has to control. To make it harder, add a slow 3-count on the way down once the lift itself feels solid, or pause for two seconds at the top with the bottom leg pressed up into the bench.

What is the Copenhagen adduction good for, and who should hold off on it?

It is one of the more well-regarded exercises for cutting groin-strain risk in field and court athletes, since it trains the adductors through a demanding range instead of only holding them isometrically. Hold off on it if you cannot yet control a static Copenhagen hold or a solid side plank, since the moving version asks for real strength in a position that is already difficult to sustain.

Advanced

Copenhagen Adduction

The dynamic Copenhagen takes the famous adductor plank and adds a moving bottom leg, so the inner thigh works through a range instead of just holding. Supported on a forearm with the top leg on a bench, you raise the underneath leg to meet it, hammering the adductors while the lateral core keeps the hips lifted. It has strong research support for cutting groin-strain risk in field and court athletes, but it demands real strength, so earn it after mastering the static Copenhagen.

Equipment: Bench
Body part: Thighs
Type: Functional, Strength
Browse by muscle: Adductor Longus, Adductor Magnus
Browse by movement: Core Brace, Hip Adduction

How to do it

1
Set up in a side plank on your forearm with a bench alongside you.
2
Rest your top leg on the bench, supported near the ankle for the full version.
3
Lower your hips slightly and let your bottom leg hang below the bench.
4
Lift your hips and raise the bottom leg up until it meets the top leg.
5
Squeeze the inner thigh at the top with your body in a straight line.
6
Lower under control and repeat, then switch sides.

Tips

Shorten the lever by supporting the top leg at the knee if the ankle version is too hard.
Keep your hips square and stacked; do not let the top hip roll forward.
Stop the set when your hips start sagging rather than grinding out ugly reps.

Variations

Common mistakes

The supporting forearm creeps forward of the shoulder as the set goes on, tipping the whole plank out of a straight line and taking load off the hip.
The bottom leg only lifts a short distance toward the bench instead of all the way to meet the top leg, so the hardest part of the range, right at the top, never gets trained.
The breath gets held through the entire lift, which makes an already demanding side-plank position harder to sustain for the several reps a set usually needs.
The head drops down or cranes up to look at the moving leg, pulling the spine out of the straight line the rest of the body is working to hold.
The same side gets trained more than the other because the weaker hip's set ends early from fatigue while the stronger side always finishes its full count.

Frequently asked

What is a sensible starting dose for the Copenhagen adduction, and what should you build up to it with?: Start with 2 sets of 4 to 6 reps per side using the knee-supported version, where the top leg rests closer to the body instead of at the ankle. You should already be able to hold a solid forearm side plank for 30 seconds before adding a moving leg to that same position.
How do you make the Copenhagen adduction easier or harder?: To make it easier, support the top leg at the knee instead of the ankle, which shortens the lever the inner thigh has to control. To make it harder, add a slow 3-count on the way down once the lift itself feels solid, or pause for two seconds at the top with the bottom leg pressed up into the bench.
What is the Copenhagen adduction good for, and who should hold off on it?: It is one of the more well-regarded exercises for cutting groin-strain risk in field and court athletes, since it trains the adductors through a demanding range instead of only holding them isometrically. Hold off on it if you cannot yet control a static Copenhagen hold or a solid side plank, since the moving version asks for real strength in a position that is already difficult to sustain.

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