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Yoga poses

Side Plank: Strengthen Your Waist and Shoulders

Balance on one hand and the edge of one foot, body in one line, top arm up, then roll through Plank to the other side. Works your waist and shoulder.

Strength · Shoulders · Core · Inner thighs · 2 min read

Why it works: Chapter 15, Your core is a barrel, not a six-pack

How to do it

  1. 1

    Start in a plank

    Hands under your shoulders, one straight line from heels to head. You come back through this Plank between every side, so set it well.

  2. 2

    Roll onto one hand

    Shift onto your left hand and turn onto the outside edge of your left foot, right foot stacked on top. Let your chest turn to the side as your right hand leaves the floor.

  3. 3

    Push the floor away

    Hand right under your shoulder, fingers spread, the whole palm pressing down. Push the floor away so your shoulder stays wide and well away from your ear.

  4. 4

    Lift the bottom hip

    The hip wants to sag toward the floor. Lift the underside of your waist until your body is one straight line again, heels to head.

  5. 5

    Reach the top arm up

    Fingertips to the ceiling, top shoulder stacked over the bottom one. Look forward, or up at your hand once you are steady.

  6. 6

    Roll through the middle

    Bring the top hand down into Plank, pivot on your toes and keep going: onto the other hand, the other foot edge, the other arm up. Do not stop in the Plank. Roll slowly enough that each side lands in one straight line, and keep breathing.

  7. 7

    The test

    The underside of your waist and your bottom shoulder should be working hard. If the balance is the problem, put your top foot on the floor in front of the bottom one. If the shoulder hurts or the hip keeps sagging, put your bottom knee down, shin behind you.

Watch for

  • The bottom hip sagging. Your waist stops working and your weight drops into your wrist and shoulder.
  • The shoulder creeping up to your ear. The joint jams, and it aches instead of working.
  • Pausing in the Plank between sides. You get two short holds with a rest, and the change of support you came for is gone.
  • Holding your breath to get through it. Your trunk stiffens, the roll turns jerky and the hips start to sag.

Questions

What does a Side Plank work?

Mostly the side of your waist: the obliques and the deep muscle beside your lower spine that holds your hips up. The side of your bottom hip and your bottom shoulder work hard too.

Why are side planks so hard?

All your weight sits on one hand and the edge of one foot, and the side of your trunk has to hold your hips up on its own. Few things in an ordinary day load you that way. With the bottom knee down you train the same thing with much less weight, and it is not cheating.

Why does Side Plank hurt my shoulder?

Usually you are hanging in the shoulder instead of pushing through it: the hand drifts away from under the shoulder and the shoulder rises to your ear. Put the hand right under the shoulder, push the floor away, and put the bottom knee down if it still hurts. If it hurts with the knee down too, stop.

How long should you hold a Side Plank?

You do not hold it here. In the Balance · 01 routine it is a two-minute roll, left hand, Plank, right hand, Plank, until the timer stops. There is no daily target: roll when your training day has that routine. Those are the times in the normal-length session: a long day holds a little longer, and a short day trims only the holds longer than a minute.