bodyweight incline side plank: technique and muscles worked

Animated demonstration of bodyweight incline side plank

How to do this exercise

Step:1 Start by lying on your side with your legs extended and stacked on top of each other.
Step:2 Place your forearm on the ground directly below your shoulder, with your elbow bent at a 90-degree angle.
Step:3 Engage your core and lift your hips off the ground, creating a straight line from your head to your feet.
Step:4 Hold this position for the desired amount of time.
Step:5 Lower your hips back down to the ground and repeat on the other side.

Equipment: Body weight
Body part: Abdominals
Target muscle: Internal obliques External obliques
Secondary muscle: Lateral deltoid Rectus abdominis Transverse abdominis

Hypertrophy grade

Low4 / 10

Nemeo’s take

The side plank excels in strengthening the deep abdominal muscles, but its value in pure hypertrophy remains limited because maximum tension is quickly reached and the exercise is often limited by shoulder stability or core strength rather than by local muscle fatigue. Compared to weighted variants, it lacks overload potential. Its great strength: the isolation of the transverse in a functional context, but at the cost of a load that is difficult to progress.

This catalog score reflects Nemeo’s assessment of the exercise’s muscle-building potential. It is not a standardized scientific rating or a personalized recommendation.

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bodyweight incline side plank

How to do this exercise

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