How to Do a Side Plank (and Easier Versions to Start With)

To do a side plank, lie on your side with your elbow under your shoulder and your feet stacked, then lift your hips until your body forms one straight line from head to heels. If that is too hard right now, start with your knees bent on the floor or lean against a wall, and build up from short holds of 10 to 20 seconds on each side.

The full version asks a lot of your shoulder and the side of your trunk on day one, so this guide, part of our series on doing the big movements properly, gives you the form cues, the easier versions and a 4-week plan. If you have not tried a front plank yet, our guide on how to do a plank properly is a good place to begin.

What muscles does a side plank work?

The side plank is a hold. Your job is to stop your hips dropping towards the floor, and several muscles share the work:

• Obliques. The muscles that run diagonally down the sides of your waist. They help hold your ribcage and pelvis in line.
• Quadratus lumborum. A deep muscle in your lower back that runs from the top of your pelvis to your lowest rib. It is one of the main muscles that stops your trunk bending sideways.
• Glute medius. A muscle on the outside of your hip. It holds your pelvis up in a side plank, and does a similar job every time you stand on one leg.
• The supporting cast. Your deep stomach muscles, the muscles around your bottom shoulder blade and the inner thigh of your bottom leg all chip in.

Professor Stuart McGill, a well-known spine researcher, included the side plank (he calls it the side bridge) in his Big 3 core routine, alongside the curl-up and the bird dog, as a way to build core endurance. In other words, it is about holding a good position, not grinding out a personal best.

How do you do a side plank with good form?

These cues are for the full forearm side plank, and the same set-up applies to every easier version below.

• Lie on your side. Keep your legs straight with your feet stacked, one on top of the other.
• Elbow under shoulder. Place your bottom elbow directly under your shoulder, with your forearm flat on the floor and pointing forwards. A folded towel under your elbow helps.
• Top hand. Rest your top hand on your hip. Reaching it to the ceiling is harder, so save that for later.
• Lift. Press your forearm and the side of your bottom foot into the floor and lift your hips until your body forms one straight line from head to heels.
• Stack your hips. Keep your top hip directly above your bottom hip. Do not let it roll forwards towards the floor or backwards behind you.
• Push the floor away. Drive your forearm into the floor so your shoulder does not creep up towards your ear.
• Squeeze and brace. Squeeze your glutes to keep your hips forward and tighten your stomach as if someone were about to poke you in the belly.
• Head and breathing. Keep your neck long and look straight ahead. Breathe steadily. If you have to hold your breath, the version is too hard for now.
• Lower and switch. Lower with control, rest, then repeat on the other side.

Tip: film yourself from the front or face a mirror. Most people feel straight when their hips are actually sagging or pushed back.

What are the easier versions of a side plank?

You do not have to start with a full side plank. The more upright you are, or the shorter the lever from your elbow to the floor, the easier it gets. Start on whichever rung lets you hold good form for 15 to 20 seconds.

• Rung 1: Wall side plank. Stand side-on to a wall and place your forearm on it at shoulder height, elbow under your shoulder. Walk your feet a little way out and let your body lean in as one straight line, then hold. The further your feet are from the wall, the harder it gets. Handy if getting down on the floor is tricky.
• Rung 2: Bent-knee side plank. Lie on your side with your knees bent to about 90 degrees, so your feet are behind you. Lift your hips until there is a straight line from your head to your knees. This is the rung most beginners should spend the most time on.
• Rung 3: Staggered-feet side plank. Straighten your legs, but place your top foot on the floor just in front of your bottom foot. Two points of contact make balancing much easier.
• Rung 4: Full side plank. Legs straight, feet stacked, top hand on your hip. This is the standard version described above. You can also do it on your hand with a straight arm, which asks more of your wrist and shoulder.
• Rung 5: Raised-leg side plank. From a full side plank, lift your top leg a little way and hold it there. This adds work for the outside of both hips and makes the balance tougher.

Move up a rung when you can do 3 holds of 30 seconds on each side without your hips sagging. There is no rush. Once rung 5 feels solid, the Copenhagen plank is a tougher next step that also works your inner thighs.

How long should you hold a side plank?

Shorter than you might think. Once your hips start to drop, the extra seconds add very little, so several short, clean holds beat one long, wobbly one.

• Starting out. 2 to 3 holds of 10 to 20 seconds on each side, with 20 to 30 seconds of rest between them.
• Building up. 3 holds of 30 to 45 seconds on each side.
• How often. 2 to 3 times a week is plenty. The whole thing takes about five minutes.
• Both sides. Always train both sides. Start with your weaker side, then match that time on your stronger side so the gap does not grow.

Once you can hold a clean side plank for 45 seconds, make it harder rather than longer. Move up a rung, reach your top arm to the ceiling, or add slow hip dips: lower your hips a few centimetres towards the floor and lift them back up, for 6 to 10 controlled reps on each side.

What does a 4-week beginner side plank plan look like?

Follow this plan two or three times a week with at least a day between sessions, for example Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Rest for 20 to 30 seconds between holds. If a week feels too hard, repeat it.

If you are still on the bent-knee version after week 4, that is completely normal. Stay there for another week or two and keep the holds clean.

What are the most common side plank mistakes, and how do you fix them?

• Sagging hips. Your bottom hip drifts towards the floor. Squeeze your glutes, lift back into line and shorten the hold, or drop back a rung.
• Hips pushed back. Your bum sticks out behind you. Push your hips forward until they line up with your shoulders and feet.
• Rolling forwards or backwards. Your top hip and shoulder tip towards the floor or away from it. Stack hip over hip and shoulder over shoulder.
• Sinking into your shoulder. Your shoulder creeps up towards your ear. Push the floor away and check your elbow is directly under your shoulder, not out in front.
• Dropping your head. Look straight ahead so your neck stays in line with your spine.
• Only training your good side. Always do both, and start with the weaker one.

If your bottom shoulder feels uncomfortable, try the wall version, which takes much of the load off it, and see a physio if a niggle does not settle.

How do side planks fit into a hybrid week with running?

Easily. Side planks barely tire your legs and take about five minutes, so add them after an easy run or at the end of a strength session. Running is a series of single-leg landings, and the muscles a side plank trains help keep your pelvis level each time, so they may help you hold your shape late in a run. For more on why holding still beats endless crunches, see our guide to core training for runners. The one thing to avoid is a hard core session just before a long run or a fast workout, when you want your trunk fresh.

A simple week could look like this:

• Monday. Strength session, finished with side planks.
• Tuesday. Easy run.
• Wednesday. HIIT session or rest.
• Thursday. Intervals or a tempo run, with no core work beforehand.
• Friday. Easy run, then five minutes of front and side planks.
• Saturday. Long run.
• Sunday. Rest or gentle mobility.

If you would rather not piece this together yourself, Edge, a free fitness app with 20,000+ members, treats running, strength, HIIT and mobility as one plan. Edge Pro (£19.99 a month after a 7-day free trial, which needs a card) gives you a fully personalised plan, ready within 24 hours, plus a real coach to message anytime.

This article is general guidance, not medical advice. If you are new to exercise, returning from injury, or managing a health condition, speak to your GP before starting, and see a physio for any niggle that does not settle.