02/09/2026
Do you do side planks? Vote ⬇️
START DOING SIDE PLANKS. 🔥
If you want a stronger, more stable core, side planks deserve a place in your program.
Unlike crunches and sit-ups, you’re not trying to create lots of movement.
You’re trying to stop movement.
Why I like them:
🔥 TRAINS YOUR OBLIQUES
Your obliques work hard to stop your torso collapsing towards the floor and keep your body aligned.
🧱 BUILDS LATERAL CORE STABILITY
You’re training your core to resist sideways bending — an important function of your trunk.
🍑 TRAINS MORE THAN YOUR ABS
Your glutes, particularly the glute medius, contribute to keeping your hips elevated and pelvis stable.
🏋🏾 HELPS WITH BIGGER LIFTS
A stronger, more stable trunk can help you maintain better positioning when squatting, deadlifting, carrying and performing unilateral exercises.
🎯 EASY TO PROGRESS
Once a normal side plank becomes easy, you don’t need to hold it for five minutes.
Make the exercise harder.
HOW TO DO IT 👇🏾
* Elbow directly underneath your shoulder
* Stack your feet
* Lift your hips away from the floor
* Brace your abs and squeeze your glutes
* Keep your head, shoulders, hips and feet aligned
* Don’t let your hips drop or rotate
* Breathe while maintaining tension
HOW TO ADD THEM TO YOUR PROGRAM 📋
Beginner:
2 sets × 20–30 sec each side
Intermediate:
2–3 sets × 30–45 sec each side
Advanced:
Progress to harder variations such as weighted side planks, Copenhagen planks or side planks with movement.
Aim for 2–3 times per week, ideally towards the end of your workout.
You can also combine them with other core movements to cover different functions:
1. Flexion: Reverse crunch
2. Anti-extension: Ab wheel / dead bug
3. Anti-rotation: Pallof press
4. Anti-lateral flexion: Side plank
You don’t need hundreds of crunches.
Build a core that can create movement AND resist it. 💪🏾
