Obliques exercise
Side Plank Hip DipHow to do it, with form in numbers
- Main muscles
- Obliques
- Equipment
- Bodyweight
- Level
- Intermediate
How to do it
How do you do the Side Plank Hip Dip?
- Get into a side plank on your forearm, elbow under your shoulder and feet stacked.
- Put your top hand on your hip and line up your body from head to heels.
- Slowly lower your hips until they almost touch the floor.
- Lift your hips back up to a straight line, finish the set, then switch sides.
Cues
- Elbow under shoulder.
- Hips move straight down and up.
- Lift with the side of your waist.
Common mistakes
- Rolling forward as you dip: keep your top hip stacked over the bottom one.
- Bouncing: lower slowly and pause before lifting.
- Shoulder sinking: push the floor away with your forearm.
Form in detail
What does good form look like?
The version in our demo
Forearm side plank on the right side, legs straight with feet stacked, top hand on the hip; the hips lower towards the floor and lift back to the straight line. ACE lists this as the progression of its side plank.
Starting position
Side plank, held up. Right elbow directly under the right shoulder, forearm on the floor pointing forward, palm down. Legs straight, left foot stacked on the right, outer edge of the right foot on the floor. Left hand on the left hip. Body in one straight line from head to heels, hips stacked (left hip directly above the right), head in line with the spine.
The movement
Keeping the elbow, forearm and feet fixed and the hips stacked, let the hips sink straight down towards the floor by bending sideways at the waist. Stop just above the floor, then lift the hips back up into the straight line using the side of the trunk. The pelvis moves in a vertical path in the body's side plane; it does not roll forward or back, and the shoulders stay still.
Breathing
Breathe in as the hips lower, out as they lift (ACE).
Tempo
1.5 s down, 0.5 s pause just above the floor, 1.5 s up, 0.5 s hold at the top (4 s).
Form in numbers
What are the angles and distances?
- Bottom elbow flexion 90°, upper arm vertical throughout (source).
- Front view: pelvis rotation under 5°; shoulders, hips and feet stay in one plane.
The targets our 3D demo was built to, from the references below. Bodies differ, so treat the ranges as a guide for your own build.
For coaches
Use this demo in your clients’ programs
The Side Plank Hip Dip is in Trainaq’s exercise library. Add it to a workout, and your client sees this demo in the free Trainaq app above the sets they log.
Sources
