How to: Do the Side Plank

The Side Plank - Good

Name:  Side Plank.

Also known as:  Side Bridge.

Main muscles used:  Stomach and sides.

Other muscles used:  Shoulders.

Top tips:

• Look down your body and make sure your shoulders, hips, knees and feet are all lined up straight.
• Try to arch your hips up if you can.
• Line up the elbow on the floor and both your shoulders in a dead vertical line.
• Work both sides of your body equally.

The Side Plank - Bad

Common mistakes:

• Folding at the hips, so your body is bent and jack-knifed.
• Sagging the hips down, so your body slumps.
• Twisting your upper body so your supporting elbow and both shoulders are not in a vertical line.

Comments:

The Side Plank is a progression of the Front Plank.  It helps strengthen your body and “core” muscles that support and stabilise your spine.  These strong muscles then act as a solid foundation in a different plane, from which our limbs can generate effective force.  So when you push/pull an object, it moves and your body does not buckle/collapse.