Exercise guide · Beginner · Compound
Bodyweight Incline Side Plank: How to Do It & Muscles Worked
The bodyweight incline side plank is a core stability exercise that targets the abs, with secondary emphasis on the obliques and shoulders. It involves holding a plank position on your side with your body supported by your forearm and feet, focusing on maintaining a straight line and engaging the core.
- Primary muscles
- Abs
- Equipment
- Body Weight
- Level · type
- Beginner · Compound
How to do the bodyweight incline side plank
- Step 1: Start by lying on your side with your legs extended and stacked on top of each other.
- Step 2: Place your forearm on the ground directly below your shoulder, with your elbow bent at a 90-degree angle.
- Step 3: Engage your core and lift your hips off the ground, creating a straight line from your head to your feet.
- Step 4: Hold this position for the desired amount of time.
- Step 5: Lower your hips back down to the ground and repeat on the other side.
Sets, reps and programming
| Goal | Sets | Reps | Rest | Effort |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Strength | 3–5 | 3–6 | 3–5 min | 1–3 reps in reserve |
| Muscle growth | 3–4 | 6–12 | 2–3 min | 1–2 reps in reserve |
| Muscular endurance | 2–3 | 12–20 | 1–2 min | 1–3 reps in reserve |
Ranges follow the ACSM position stand on progression in resistance training. Muscle grows across a wide range of loads when sets end close to failure (Schoenfeld et al., 2017), longer rests between heavy sets support strength and size (Schoenfeld et al., 2016), and stopping a rep or two short of failure works about as well as training to failure (Grgic et al., 2022). Estimate your working weights with the strength calculators.
Bodyweight Incline Side Plank alternatives
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Dead Bug
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Arm Slingers Hanging Bent Knee Legs
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Arms Overhead Full Sit-Up (Male)
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Sources
- American College of Sports Medicine. Progression models in resistance training for healthy adults. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2009;41(3):687-708.
- Schoenfeld BJ, Grgic J, Ogborn D, Krieger JW. Strength and hypertrophy adaptations between low- vs. high-load resistance training. J Strength Cond Res. 2017;31(12):3508-3523.
- Schoenfeld BJ, Pope ZK, Benik FM, et al. Longer interset rest periods enhance muscle strength and hypertrophy in resistance-trained men. J Strength Cond Res. 2016;30(7):1805-1812.
- Grgic J, Schoenfeld BJ, Orazem J, Sabol F. Effects of resistance training performed to repetition failure or non-failure on muscular strength and hypertrophy: a systematic review and meta-analysis. J Sport Health Sci. 2022;11(2):202-211.
Step-by-step instructions and demonstration media are from the ExerciseDB exercise dataset.
This guide is general fitness information, not medical advice. Stop if an exercise causes pain and speak to a doctor or physiotherapist about injuries or health conditions before starting a new programme.