How many reps of the side plank with hip dip should you do when you are new to the exercise?

Start with 2 sets of 8 dips per side, moving slowly enough to control both the lowering and the lift. Add reps up to about 15 per side before you look for ways to make the dip itself harder.

How do I make the side plank with hip dip easier or harder?

Bend the bottom knee and let it rest on the floor to make it easier while you build shoulder and oblique endurance. To make it harder, elevate your top foot on a low step, or hold a light weight against your top hip as you dip.

What is the side plank with hip dip good for?

It builds lateral core and hip strength that helps runners and lifters who notice a hip dropping on one side during single-leg work. It is a poor choice for someone whose forearm or wrist cannot yet tolerate weight-bearing, since the static plank position loads that joint the whole set.

Intermediate

Side Plank with Hip Dip

This turns the static side plank into a working set for the obliques by adding controlled up-and-down reps at the hip. Dipping and raising the pelvis trains lateral flexion strength, not just endurance, and lights up the side of the trunk. It is a great progression once a straight side-plank hold feels easy.

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

How to do it

1
Lie on your side and prop up on your forearm with elbow under your shoulder.
2
Stack your feet and lift your hips into a straight-line side plank.
3
Brace your obliques and keep your body in one plane, chest facing forward.
4
Lower your bottom hip toward the floor without touching down.
5
Drive the hip back up past neutral, hiking it slightly toward the ceiling.
6
Repeat for reps, then switch sides.

Tips

Keep your top shoulder from rolling forward; hold the whole body in one line.
Control the dip rather than dropping fast and bouncing off the bottom.
If the elbow-position is harsh, place a pad under your forearm.

Variations

Common mistakes

The hips rotate open toward the ceiling on the way down instead of dipping straight toward the floor, turning lateral flexion into a twist.
Walking the supporting elbow forward of the shoulder over the course of a set changes the load angle and starts putting strain on the joint instead of the obliques.
The top hand presses down into the floor or hip for extra lift, quietly doing the work the side of the trunk is supposed to do.
Cranking the neck down to watch the dip pulls the whole line out of one plane even when the hips are moving correctly.

Frequently asked

How many reps of the side plank with hip dip should you do when you are new to the exercise?: Start with 2 sets of 8 dips per side, moving slowly enough to control both the lowering and the lift. Add reps up to about 15 per side before you look for ways to make the dip itself harder.
How do I make the side plank with hip dip easier or harder?: Bend the bottom knee and let it rest on the floor to make it easier while you build shoulder and oblique endurance. To make it harder, elevate your top foot on a low step, or hold a light weight against your top hip as you dip.
What is the side plank with hip dip good for?: It builds lateral core and hip strength that helps runners and lifters who notice a hip dropping on one side during single-leg work. It is a poor choice for someone whose forearm or wrist cannot yet tolerate weight-bearing, since the static plank position loads that joint the whole set.

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