# Copenhagen Plank: how to do it

- Main muscles: adductors, obliques
- Equipment: bench
- Level: advanced
- 3D demo (side view): https://media.trainaq.com/exercises/copenhagen_plank/270e224da4/side-m-720.mp4

## Steps

1. Lie on your side beside a bench and rest the inside of your top ankle on it.
2. Put your elbow under your shoulder and your top hand on your hip.
3. Press your top foot into the bench and lift your hips until your body is straight.
4. Lift your bottom leg to meet the bench and hold, then lower and switch sides.

## Cues

- Press the top foot down.
- Straight line, head to feet.
- Hips stacked, do not roll.

## Common mistakes

- Hips sagging: press harder through the top foot and lift them back into line.
- Knee discomfort: rest the top knee on the bench instead of the ankle.
- Rolling forward: keep your top hip directly above the bottom one.

## The version in our demo

Long-lever static hold on the right forearm: top (left) leg straight with the inside of the ankle and foot on a flat bench, bottom (right) leg lifted to meet the bench from below, body straight. The short-lever version (knee on the bench) is the regression for anyone who feels it in the inside of the knee; not shown.

## Starting position

Lying on the right side beside a flat bench (seat about 40–45 cm high), body at right angles to the bench. Left leg straight, the inner ankle and inside edge of the foot resting on the bench, knee unsupported in the air. Right forearm on the floor with the elbow directly under the right shoulder, forearm pointing forward. Left hand on the left hip. Right leg straight under the bench, hip on the floor.

## The movement

Press the top foot down into the bench and lift the hips until the body forms one straight line from head to feet, then lift the bottom leg up until it meets the underside of the bench beside the top leg. Hold. The pelvis stays stacked (no rolling forward or back), and the top-down view also shows a straight line from head to feet.

## Breathing

Steady breaths through the hold; breathe out as the hips lift.

## Tempo

Real sets: 15–60 s holds per side, 1–3 sets.

## Form in numbers

- Front view: pelvis rotation under 5°; shoulders, hips and feet stacked.

## Sources

1. [StrengthLog, "How to Do Copenhagen Plank: Muscles Worked & Proper Form"](https://www.strengthlog.com/copenhagen-plank/)
2. [E3 Rehab, "How To Perform Copenhagen Planks"](https://e3rehab.com/how-to-perform-copenhagen-planks/)
3. [Collings TJ et al., "Hip Adductor Muscle Forces during Strength Training and Rehabilitation Exercises", Med Sci Sports Exerc 58(8):1751–1763 (2026)](https://doi.org/10.1249/mss.0000000000004002)

Source: https://trainaq.com/exercises/copenhagen-plank