Last year, after watching a colleague try the Two-Minute Copenhagen Plank Challenge, I decided I would try a variation of the Copenhagen Plank on land, to see if I could break a sweat for two minutes a day for a week.
This style of side plank not only works your core muscles hard, but it also works your inner and outer thighs and outer glutes, so if you’re looking to spice up your side plank, give it a try.
I rolled out my favorite grippy Lululemon TakeFoam Mat (one of the best yoga mats for me) and worked on building core stamina with some ground-based Copenhagen Planks.
What is the Grounded Copenhagen Plank?
The Copenhagen Plank is a side plank where you elevate your feet onto a chair or bench and hold the position by pressing the insides of your feet together.
The ground variation of the Copenhagen Plank means getting into a side plank position on the ground or on a yoga mat with straight or bent arms, lifting your bottom leg off the mat and bending your knee to lift it off the ground and towards your chest.
Resting on one arm or forearm and leg stacked position is a great way to engage your core, especially your obliques, shoulders and upper arms. Elevating your legs engages your inner and outer thighs (adductors and abductors) and outer glutes (gluteus medius).
How to do the Ground Copenhagen Plank
- Stand on your mat in a side plank position with your shoulders over your wrists or elbows (depending on whether you’re doing a high or low plank).
- Lift your hips and keep your body in a straight line
- Engage your core and lift your bottom leg off the mat, bending your knee.
- Hold and release to switch to the other side.
I tried this plank variation for one minute on each side every day for a week and here are my results:
My obliques felt like they were burning
If you feel like your obliques (the muscles that run down either side of your hips) don’t get as much attention as your abs, side plank variations can be a great way to work them. The best way to work your obliques is to add lateral and rotational movements to your routine.
In a grounded Copenhagen Plank, your obliques work hard to stabilize you, especially as you lift one foot off the ground, so doing just a minute per side will really activate these muscles.
My hips, buttocks and inner thighs were shaking.
The Ground Copenhagen Plank is a great bridge between the Side Plank and the full expression of the Copenhagen Plank, but it’s also an easier exercise to tackle since it can be done from the floor or a yoga mat.
But don’t let your lower body slacken: Even though I didn’t hold the plank for very long, my hips, outer glutes, and inner and outer thighs were on fire. And there’s research to back that up.
Research by BMJ This type of plank has also been shown to strengthen the hip adductors and outer thighs, helping to reduce pain. Along with the obliques, these muscle groups support lateral movements, such as lifting your leg to the side, and contribute to posture and stability.
I had to remember to breathe.
Static exercises are called isometric exercises, which means that your muscles contract without stretching or shortening. They are usually low-impact exercises that build muscle stamina, strength, and endurance. However, you need to remember that you are carrying a lot of weight on your shoulders during this exercise.
Holding your breath during static exercise is common, so I had to focus on breathing deeply, a technique called diaphragmatic breathing. To do this, push your stomach out like an inflated balloon as you inhale, and pull it in toward your spine as you exhale. This helped me focus on maintaining posture and tensing my muscles without holding my breath.
This is also an anti-rotation movement
Lifting your bottom leg removes the layer of support from side plank and, as in my case, your body starts to rotate naturally. I had to focus on engaging my core and breathing while keeping my chest facing forward and pulling my bottom knee up. Balance and anti-rotation are key.
Don’t twist your body toward the ceiling or toward the mat. I found myself shaking for about 30 seconds at the end of each attempt. That’s common, and it ruins your form. That’s what I learned this week.
I did the Copenhagen Plank for two minutes every day for a week.
This full-body workout challenged me every day, but I noticed that I was in a more comfortable and balanced state throughout the week. I attribute this to developing a mind-muscle connection. Of course, this takes a lot longer than a week, but this practice has helped me to better understand where and what I feel and how to control it.
If you’re an exerciser, you already have some mind-muscle connection. Best of all, I could actually feel the movement around my core – lower back, shoulders, hips, buttocks, thighs, etc. Thankfully, I didn’t feel any pain in my lower back, so I knew I was working the right muscle groups.
The Copenhagen plank on the ground is another unilateral core exercise, and since one side is often stronger than the other, this exercise can help correct any muscle imbalances in your body.
Is it worth a try? Absolutely.
