Side Plank

How to do it

1. 1

   1. Lie on your side with your forearm on the ground, elbow directly beneath your shoulder, and legs extended.

2. 2

   2. Stack your feet or place one foot in front of the other for stability, keeping your body in a straight line from head to heels.

3. 3

   3. Engage your core and lift your hips off the ground, creating a lateral bridge supported by your forearm and foot.

4. 4

   4. Maintain a neutral spine—avoid rotating your torso forward or backward, and keep your top shoulder stacked above your bottom shoulder.

5. 5

   5. Hold this position while breathing steadily, ensuring your hips stay elevated and aligned with your shoulders and ankles.

6. 6

   6. Lower your hips back down gently and repeat on the other side.

Benefits

• Strengthens the quadratus lumborum and lateral core muscles to stabilize the spine and prevent lateral flexion during daily movement.
• Reduces lower back pain by building the deep stabilizer muscles that support spinal alignment and reduce compensatory stress.
• Improves postural control and balance by training the hip abductors and obliques to maintain upright posture during standing and walking.

Common mistakes

• Allowing your hips to sag or rotate, breaking the straight-line alignment and reducing core engagement effectiveness.
• Positioning your elbow too far forward or backward relative to your shoulder, which shifts load away from the core and strains the shoulder.
• Holding your breath instead of breathing steadily, which increases tension and reduces the duration you can maintain proper form.