How much weight should you add to the side plank when you are new to the exercise?

A 2.5 to 5 pound plate or light dumbbell for 2 to 3 holds of 10 to 15 seconds per side is enough to start, since even a small load sharply raises the demand. Add time before adding weight once the line stays straight the whole hold.

What can you use instead of a dumbbell to load the side plank?

A light plate, a filled water bottle, or a partner's gentle hand pressure on the hip all add similar resistance.

What is the weighted side plank good for?

It turns a long bodyweight hold into genuine lateral strength work for the obliques and hip, suited to lifters who can already hold a long bodyweight side plank with ease. It's a poor choice for anyone who still sags or rolls forward in the unweighted version; fix that line first, since added weight only punishes the same leak harder.

Advanced

Weighted Side Plank

The side plank trains the muscles that keep your torso from collapsing sideways, and once a long bodyweight hold is easy the only honest way forward is to add weight. Resting a dumbbell or plate on the top hip forces the down-side obliques and lateral hip to brace harder, turning an endurance hold into a genuine strength exercise. The true lateral flexors of the spine drive this, so treat it as heavy trunk work.

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

How to do it

1
Set up on one forearm with your body in a straight line and feet stacked.
2
Lift your hips so only your forearm and the side of your foot touch down.
3
Have a partner place a dumbbell or plate on your top hip, or hold it there.
4
Brace your obliques and press your hips tall.
5
Hold the loaded position without letting the hips drop toward the floor.
6
Lower under control, then switch sides.

Tips

Stack your top shoulder directly over the bottom one so you do not roll forward.
Drive the bottom hip toward the ceiling to keep the line straight.
Start light; even a small weight sharply increases the demand on the side wall.

Variations

Common mistakes

The weight rocks and slides on the hip as the hold continues, so a chunk of effort goes into rebalancing a plate instead of resisting the sideways pull.
The top hip drops the instant the weight lands, and staying there for the rest of the hold means most of the set is spent sagging under load.
Grabbing a heavy weight because the bodyweight side plank feels easy ignores how sharply even a small load raises the demand on the down-side obliques.
Rolling the top shoulder forward to counterbalance the extra weight twists the torso out of the straight line the hold depends on.

Frequently asked

How much weight should you add to the side plank when you are new to the exercise?: A 2.5 to 5 pound plate or light dumbbell for 2 to 3 holds of 10 to 15 seconds per side is enough to start, since even a small load sharply raises the demand. Add time before adding weight once the line stays straight the whole hold.
What can you use instead of a dumbbell to load the side plank?: A light plate, a filled water bottle, or a partner's gentle hand pressure on the hip all add similar resistance.
What is the weighted side plank good for?: It turns a long bodyweight hold into genuine lateral strength work for the obliques and hip, suited to lifters who can already hold a long bodyweight side plank with ease. It's a poor choice for anyone who still sags or rolls forward in the unweighted version; fix that line first, since added weight only punishes the same leak harder.

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