The Elbow Side Plank is a beginner-friendly bodyweight strength exercise that targets the abdominals. Here's how to do it right — and what to stop doing.
Primary musclesAbs
Secondary muscles—
EquipmentBodyweight
LevelBeginner
TypeStrength
3D demo in the EGON app
01 Execution
How to do the Elbow Side Plank
Lie on your side with your forearm flat on the floor and your elbow stacked directly under your shoulder.
Stack your feet on top of each other and engage your core to create tension through your whole body.
Lift your hips off the floor until your body forms a straight line from your head to your feet.
Brace your top hand on your hip or extend it straight up toward the ceiling for balance.
Hold the position with steady breathing, keeping your hips lifted and your shoulders square.
Lower your hips back down with control after the target time, then switch sides and repeat.
02 The payoff
Why it earns its spot
Builds oblique strength and side-core stability.
Improves spinal control and resistance to side-bending under load.
Strengthens shoulder and hip stabilizers in a single hold.
03 Don't do this
Common mistakes
Letting the hips sag toward the floor mid-hold, which removes the obliques from the work and loads the shoulder.
Rotating the chest toward the floor instead of keeping the torso stacked and squared up.
Placing the supporting elbow ahead of or behind the shoulder, which strains the shoulder joint.
Holding your breath through the set instead of breathing steadily, which cuts hold time short.
EGON Put it on record
Track it in EGON.
Log every set of the Elbow Side Plank, get your PRs detected automatically, earn aura for the work — and climb five leagues of statues, from Stone to Ego.
