Copenhagen Plank Raise

What is Copenhagen Plank Raise:

The Copenhagen Plank Raise is a hip adduction and lateral spinal flexion bodyweight exercise, primarily working the hip adductors and obliques. This exercise involves holding a side plank position while one supporting leg on an elevated surface and performing a raising and lowering motion with the hip.

Key Benefits:

  • Size and Strength: Works obliques, as well as the hip adductors, promoting muscle growth and strength improvement.
  • Hip Mobility and Stability: Strengthens the hip adductors, improving mobility and stability and potentially aiding injury prevention.
  • Functional Strength: Improves lateral spinal flexion strength, spinal rotation strength, core stability, hip mobility, and overall fitness, improving performance in daily activities and sports.
  • Convenience: This exercise can be performed virtually anywhere without equipment, making it accessible and convenient for most individuals.

Variations:

  • Heel Tap: A simple obliques exercise that involves lying on your back and crunching your obliques by tapping your heels / lateral flexion.
  • Russian Twist: A core exercise that targets the obliques through controlled twisting motions of the torso.
  • Side Plank Raise: A plank variation that works the obliques primarily through spinal lateral flexions.
  • Floor Windshield Wiper: A core exercise that primarily targets the obliques performed lying on your back and moving the lower body sideways, like a windshield wiper.

How to perform Copenhagen Plank Raises:

  • Starting Position: Begin in a side plank position with your arms straight or on your forearms flat on the floor with your top foot on top of a sturdy elevated surface, like a bench, and the bottom leg hanging in the air in an adducted position. Maintain a straight line from shoulders to feet.
  • Execution: Relax your core, letting your hip sink down. Then, engage and raise them back to the starting position.
  • Repetition: Repeat the movement for your desired number of repetitions.

Breathing Technique:

Proper breathing is crucial for maximizing performance and maintaining stamina throughout the exercise. Experiment with what you're comfortable with and let you perform your best. For starters, you can try the following:

  • Inhale: Inhale at the starting position, then at the relaxed/bottom position before starting the concentric phase.
  • Exhale: Exhale after returning to the starting position.
  • Stability Issue: The point of the exercise is to challenge the hip adductors and obliques through hip adduction and lateral spinal flexion (the motion of getting back into the starting position), not from the instability of the movement. So, feel free to use your non-supporting arm and the other leg to support your body if needed.
  • Scapular Engagement: Maintain scapular depression with neutral protraction/retraction throughout the movement to make the exercise execution more efficient.
  • Shoulder Rotation: Maintain slight shoulder external rotation for more efficient and safer exercise execution.
  • Pelvic Position: Maintain a neutral pelvic tilt for optimal core engagement and stability.
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    Additional Information:

    Ways to make it easier:

    • Decreasing the Range of Motion - partial reps, only go as far as you can handle
    • Doing it with your other hand on the ground or holding onto something for support
    • Using your other leg for support
    • Placing your supporting leg bent on the bench
    • Bending your non-supporting leg
    • Regressing to an easier variation/exercise

    Ways to make it harder:

    • Playing with the Tempo & adding an Isometric phase (pause/hold)
    • Adding resistance - holding a dumbbell or something on your side
    • Progressing to a harder variation/exercise