# Side Plank

Anti-lateral-flexion hold — resist the hips dropping toward the floor.

- **Category:** Main circuit
- **Type:** Anti-lateral flexion (isometric hold)
- **Targets:** Obliques, quadratus lumborum, glute medius, shoulder stability
- **Prescription:** 3 × 20–45 s per side

## Setup

Lie on one side, elbow directly under the shoulder, forearm across the floor.
Feet stacked (or staggered), body in one straight line.

## Execution

1. Drive the hips up until shoulders, hips, and ankles form a straight line.
2. Stack the hips vertically — don't let the top hip roll forward or back.
3. Hold, then switch sides.

## Cues

- Hips *high*: most people sag an inch without noticing.
- Push the floor away through the forearm — no collapsing into the shoulder.
- Squeeze the bottom-side obliques and the glutes the whole hold.

## Common Mistakes

- Hips dropping toward the floor (the exact motion to resist).
- Rolling the chest toward the ceiling or the floor.
- Elbow drifting away from under the shoulder.

## Progression

Knees-down side plank → full side plank → top leg raised → reach-through
(thread the top arm under the body and back up)