Lateral Side Plank

The Lateral Side Plank strengthens your core and stabilizes your shoulders.

  1. Lie on your side with your legs straight and stacked.
  2. Prop your upper body on your forearm, keeping your elbow directly under your shoulder.
  3. Lift your hips off the ground, forming a straight line from head to heels.
  4. Hold this position, engaging your core and glutes.

How to perform the Lateral Side Plank

  1. Set up. Set up in a stable, balanced starting position appropriate for the Lateral Side Plank using your body weight.
  2. Brace and execute. Brace your core, control the descent, and move through a full pain-free range of motion while emphasizing your quadriceps.
  3. Reset. Reverse the movement under control and reset between repetitions, keeping your form crisp on every rep.

Coaching cues

  • Move with intent — every rep should feel deliberate, not rushed.
  • Drive force through your quadriceps rather than momentum.
  • Keep your breathing steady: exhale on the hard part, inhale on the reset.

Common mistakes

  • Using too much weight and losing positional control.
  • Cutting the range of motion short and missing the target muscle.
  • Letting your spine round or hyperextend instead of staying neutral.

Detailed cues, common mistakes, and demonstration video are available in the Fitly app.

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Variations of Lateral Side Plank

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