How long should you hold a side plank for when you are new to the exercise?

2 to 3 rounds of 15 to 20 seconds per side with the feet staggered for balance, resting about 30 seconds between. Once you can hold 30 seconds per side with a straight line and no hip sag, switch to stacked feet before adding weight.

How do you make the side plank easier or harder?

Easier: drop to a bent-knee side plank with the bottom knee on the floor, or stagger the feet for a wider base. Harder: stack the feet, lift the top arm overhead, or add a light weight on the hip.

What is the side plank good for?

It trains the obliques and hip abductors to resist lateral flexion, a key piece of spinal health and rotational strength, and a good foundation before loaded rotation or carries. It's a poor choice for anyone with an acute shoulder injury on the supporting side, since the whole hold rests on that one elbow and shoulder.

Intermediate

Side Plank

The side plank targets the obliques and lateral core in a way front planks cannot, teaching the trunk to resist lateral flexion while the hip abductors keep the pelvis lifted. It is a key anti-lateral-flexion exercise for spinal health and rotational strength. Build it before loaded rotation and carries.

Equipment: Body Weight
Body part: Abs
Type: Strength
Browse by muscle: Abdominal External Oblique
Browse by movement: Core Brace

How to do it

1
Lie on your side with your elbow directly under your shoulder.
2
Stack your feet or stagger them for a wider base.
3
Brace your core and lift your hips off the floor.
4
Form a straight line from head to feet, facing forward.
5
Hold while breathing steadily and keeping the top hip from dropping.
6
Lower with control, then switch sides.

Tips

Push the bottom hip up toward the ceiling to keep a straight, strong line.
Stagger the feet if stacking them makes balancing too hard.
Keep your shoulder packed down, not shrugged toward your ear.

Variations

Common mistakes

The hips sag toward the floor as the hold drags on, bending the straight line at the waist instead of keeping it locked from head to feet.
The top shoulder and hip roll forward to face the floor instead of staying stacked, quietly turning a side plank into a half front plank.
The elbow drifts out ahead of the shoulder instead of staying stacked underneath it, twisting load into the shoulder joint instead of the core.
Once the hold gets hard, the breathing turns shallow and rushed, tightening the neck and jaw instead of keeping the obliques doing the bracing.

Frequently asked

How long should you hold a side plank for when you are new to the exercise?: 2 to 3 rounds of 15 to 20 seconds per side with the feet staggered for balance, resting about 30 seconds between. Once you can hold 30 seconds per side with a straight line and no hip sag, switch to stacked feet before adding weight.
How do you make the side plank easier or harder?: Easier: drop to a bent-knee side plank with the bottom knee on the floor, or stagger the feet for a wider base. Harder: stack the feet, lift the top arm overhead, or add a light weight on the hip.
What is the side plank good for?: It trains the obliques and hip abductors to resist lateral flexion, a key piece of spinal health and rotational strength, and a good foundation before loaded rotation or carries. It's a poor choice for anyone with an acute shoulder injury on the supporting side, since the whole hold rests on that one elbow and shoulder.

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