Side Plank Exercise Guide: Master Your Oblique Strength
Learn how to perform the side plank with perfect form to strengthen your obliques, improve spine stability, and enhance core endurance.
How to Perform
- Lie on your right side with your legs straight and your left foot stacked directly on top of your right foot.
- Prop your upper body up on your right elbow and forearm, ensuring your elbow is positioned directly under your shoulder.
- Engage your core and lift your hips off the floor until your body forms a straight line from your head to your feet.
- Hold this position while breathing deeply and maintaining a neutral neck position aligned with your spine.
- Keep your hips pushed forward and your chest open to prevent your torso from rotating toward the ground.
- Slowly lower your hips back to the start position and repeat the process on the left side.
Common Mistakes
- Allowing the hips to sag toward the floor as the core fatigues.
- Rounding the upper shoulder forward instead of keeping the chest open.
- Placing the elbow too far forward, which increases stress on the shoulder joint.
- Holding the breath instead of maintaining steady diaphragmatic breathing.
Muscles Worked
Primary movers
- Obliques
Stabilizers
- Gluteus Medius
- Quadratus Lumborum
- Serratus Anterior
- Transverse Abdominis
Related Guides
- 3008 Abdominal Crunch — Core
- Ab Roller — Core
- Ab wheel — Core
Obliques · Core