Megan Falk joined the Shape.com team in 2019 and serves as the assistant editor, primarily covering exercise tips, fitness modalities, workout trends, and more. Previously, she was Shape’s editorial assistant and covered food trends and nutrition, sustainability, health and wellness, and beauty topics, among others. Before joining the team, Megan worked as an editorial intern at DoctorOz.com. Megan graduated with a bachelor’s degree in magazine journalism and a minor in food studies from the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University. Her writing has also appeared in Health, SAVEUR, her hometown’s magazine, Hour Detroit, and more. She’s currently preparing to earn her personal trainer certification through the American Council on Exercise.
Welcome to Modify This Move, the ongoing series where you'll find everything you need to amend a standard exercise to meet your goals, your body, and your mood. Each story breaks down how to perform a foundational fitness move, then offers various modifications based on your current fitness or energy level, present or prior injuries, or the muscles you want to target most. So check your ego at that door and ensure every workout meets you where you're at today.
The side plank is most well-known for one key characteristic: The exercise puts your obliques — the core muscles that are responsible for rotating your trunk — through the wringer.
While that benefit shouldn’t be understated, it’s not the only perk that comes with performing the bodyweight move, says Sal Nakhlawi, a certified functional strength coach and weightlifting coach in New York City. The side plank challenges your balance and also calls on your hip and shoulder muscles to keep you stable, she says. Since it’s a unilateral exercise (meaning it works one side of your body at a time), the side plank may help correct any muscle imbalances too, explains Nakhlawi. “So if you feel like your left side is stronger than your right, you can do the right side plank to help improve strength in that side,” she notes.
The takeaway: The classic side plank can be a seriously tough move. And luckily, there are plenty of modification options if it doesn’t feel right for you. Whether you’re giving the exercise a shot for the very first time or the 50th, you can use a scaled-down side plank variation to nip any poor form habits in the bud or perfect your technique. Looking to progress the move? Try niche side plank variations that can help you reach specific fitness goals, such as improved core stability, balance, or strength in your lower back or legs. Regardless of your reason, you should feel comfortable adapting the move so it works best with your fitness level, needs, and aspirations.
Ready to give the equipment-free core exercise a shot? Follow the instructions below to master the traditional side plank, then watch as Nakhlawi demonstrates how to mix up the exercise with seven different side plank variations that work for all abilities and fitness goals.
A. Lie on right side of body with right elbow resting on the floor directly beneath right shoulder, both legs extended out to left side, and feet stacked. Place left hand on left hip.
B. Engage core, grounding through right elbow and side of right foot, and lift hips and knees off the floor. Gaze forward and maintain a straight line from head to heels.
If you test out the traditional side plank and don’t think it works for your body, abilities, or fitness level, you’ve got options. To ensure you get exactly what you want and need out of your training session — and make your core workout actually enjoyable — consider using a side plank variation that meets you where you’re at today.
Here, you’ll find side plank variations that scale the exercise up or down, plus options that put your core stability, balance, and strength in your obliques and hip abductors to the test. As you try the moves, remember to keep your hips and knees lifted so your body forms a straight line from head to heel, says Nakhlawi, and continue checking in with your body and mind. If it doesn’t feel right, don’t be afraid to try a different side plank variation.
If you don’t quite have the core strength to perform a full-fledged side plank — or you simply want to scale down your workout — try this modified move. Keeping your knee resting on the floor provides additional stability, giving you the opportunity to build up some strength (without risking toppling over) before you move on to more complex variations, says Nakhlawi.
A. Lie on right side of body with right elbow resting on the floor directly beneath right shoulder, both legs extended out to left side, and knees stacked. Bend right knee at a 90-degree angle so right foot is resting on the floor behind body. Keep left leg straight, with inside of left foot resting on the floor. Place left hand on left hip.
B. Engage core, grounding through right elbow, right knee, and inside of left foot, and lift hips off the floor. Gaze forward and maintain a straight line from head to heels.
In this dynamic exercise, you'll switch between performing planks on your right and left side — without ever letting your hips or knees come to the ground. In turn, the side plank variation puts your balance, core stability, and obliques to the test, says Nakhlawi. Due to the difficulty, Nakhlawi recommends holding off on this progression until you can perform traditional side planks for 45 to 60 seconds.
A. Lie on right side of body with right elbow resting on the floor directly beneath right shoulder, both legs extended out to left side, and feet stacked. Place left hand on left hip.
B. Engage core, grounding through right elbow and side of right foot, and lift hips and knees off the floor. Gaze forward and maintain a straight line from head to heels.
C. Remove left hand from hip, unstack feet, and simultaneously rotate body to the left and toward the floor, placing left forearm and left toes on the floor to come into a forearm plank. Forearms should be resting on mat as if forming an equal sign.
D. Press through left forearm and left foot and rotate body to the right, placing right hand on right hip and re-stacking feet to come into a side plank. Gaze forward and maintain a straight line from head to heels.
If the classic side plank isn't enough of an oblique challenge, try this variation, during which you slowly lower your hips to the floor and raise them back up again. Trust, the movement may be small, but it will surely fire up those side abs muscles, says Nakhlawi.
A. Lie on left side of body with left elbow resting on the floor directly beneath left shoulder, both legs extended out to right side, and feet stacked. Place right hand on right hip.
B. Engage core, grounding through left elbow and side of left foot, and lift hips and knees off the floor. Gaze forward and maintain a straight line from head to heels.
C. Slowly lower hips to the floor, then drive through left elbow and side of left foot to raise hips and return to the starting position.
This variation is essentially a mash-up of the side plank dips exercise and the classic forearm plank. In turn, the exercise will fire up both your obliques and lumbar erector spinae — muscles in your lower back that extend your trunk and help you stand up straight when you’re bent over — respectively. Talk about scoring more bang for your buck.
A. Start in a table-top position on the floor with hands stacked directly under shoulders, knees bent and stacked directly under hips, and feet hip-width apart. Lower one forearm down to the floor at a time, elbows in line with shoulders. Plant palms firmly on the floor or create gentle fists.
B. Lift both knees off the floor and straighten legs to come into a forearm plank position, squeezing glutes together and engaging core. Actively push away from the floor and maintain a straight line from head to heels.
C. Keeping shoulders and elbows stacked, twist trunk to the right and dip right hip a few inches toward the floor. Lift right hip and return to center, then repeat on the opposite side.
This side plank-crunch combo will test your core stability, as your hips, shoulders, and abs muscles will have to work overtime to keep you upright while you draw your elbows and hips toward your chest, says Nakhlawi.
A. Lie on left side of body with left elbow resting on the floor directly beneath left shoulder, both legs extended out to right side, and feet stacked. Extend right arm overhead, with right biceps next to right ear.
B. Engage core, grounding through left elbow and side of left foot, and lift hips and knees off the floor. Gaze forward and maintain a straight line from head to heels.
C. Maintaining the side plank position, lift right foot off of left foot, then drive right knee toward chest while simultaneously driving right elbow down to chest.
D. Briefly touch right knee to right elbow, then extend right leg and right arm to return to the starting position.
This side plank variation features a slight twist — literally. While holding the plank, you’ll sweep your free arm in the space below your rib cage, adding a rotation that challenges your balance, as you’ll have to actively keep your body stable while moving, says Nakhlawi.
A. Lie on right side of body with right elbow resting on the floor directly beneath right shoulder, both legs extended out to left side, and feet stacked. Extend left arm toward the ceiling.
B. Engage core, grounding through right elbow and side of right foot, and lift hips and knees off the floor. Gaze toward left hand and maintain a straight line from head to heels.
C. Keeping gaze locked on left hand and shoulders stacked, sweep left hand down and under ribcage, hovering it a few inches away from body. Then, pull left hand out from under ribcage and extend it back toward the ceiling.
For a one-two punch of lower-body and core work, try this side plank variation, in which you lift your top leg into the air and hold it there, suggests Nakhlawi. This variation challenges your lower-body muscles, including your hip abductors — a muscle group that’s located on the outside of your hips and helps stabilize your pelvis.
A. Lie on left side of body with left elbow resting on the floor directly beneath left shoulder, both legs extended out to right side, and feet stacked. Place right hand on right hip.
B. Engage core, grounding through left elbow and side of left foot, and lift hips and knees off the floor. Gaze forward and maintain a straight line from head to heels.
C. Lift right foot off of left foot and raise right leg toward the ceiling so feet are roughly shoulder-width apart. Hold this position with right foot flexed.
Photography and art: Jenna Brillhart
Model and fitness expert: Sal Nakhlawi
Wardrobe: SET Active