Copenhagen Plank

What is the Copenhagen Plank?

The Copenhagen plank is a side-plank variation where the top foot or shin rests on a bench and you hold your body in a straight line, driving the load through the top-leg adductors. It is an isometric hold prized for building groin strength and injury resilience, particularly for athletes who sprint and change direction.

Muscles worked

Primary — Adductors

The adductors of the top leg do the heavy work, contracting isometrically to hold the hips up against gravity while the shin presses into the bench — a direct, high-tension challenge to the inner thigh.

Secondary — Abs

The abs brace hard to keep the side-plank line straight, stabilising the trunk so the hips do not sag toward the floor.

How to perform the Copenhagen Plank

1. Lie on your side and rest the top ankle or knee on a bench, forearm on the floor under the shoulder.
2. Choose the ankle-supported version for more load or the knee-supported version to regress the difficulty.
3. Brace the core and lift the hips so the body forms a straight line supported by the forearm and the bench.
4. Drive the supporting inner thigh down into the bench to keep the pelvis high throughout the hold.
5. Hold for the prescribed time without letting the hips sag, then lower under control and switch sides.

Suggested working range: 20–45 reps. Default progression: double progression.

Mechanics

An isolation-pattern isometric hold rather than a rep-based lift: the top leg is elevated on a bench and the adductors contract statically to keep the pelvis lifted, while the trunk holds a rigid side-plank position. It is unilateral, so each side is trained on its own, and there is no range of motion — the challenge is maintaining the position under tension.

Form cues

• •Stack the shoulders, hips and ankles in one straight line — do not let the hips drift forward or the bottom hip sag.
• •Drive the top shin down into the bench to feel the inner thigh switch on before you lift the hips.
• •Keep the abs braced and breathe steadily rather than holding your breath through the set.

Common mistakes

• •Letting the hips sag toward the floor so the inner thigh stops carrying the load.
• •Jumping straight to the full ankle-supported version before the knee-supported regression is solid.
• •Holding the breath and losing core tension so the pelvis rotates out of a straight line.

Variations & alternatives

• •Short-lever Copenhagen — rest the knee (not the ankle) on the bench to cut the leverage while you build strength.
• •Hip adduction machine — a rep-based way to load the same adductors through a full range.
• •Copenhagen with a top-leg raise — add small lifts of the bottom leg to progress beyond a static hold.

Hip Adduction Machine

Adductors · Machine

Cable Hip Adduction

Adductors · Cable

Banded Hip Adduction

Adductors · Machine

Butterfly Groin Stretch

Adductors · Bodyweight

Push-Up

Chest · Bodyweight

Programming: sets, reps & when to use it

The 20–45 figure is seconds of hold, not reps — work in timed sets per side, starting shorter with the knee-supported version and progressing toward 30–45 seconds on the full-length hold. Treat it as prehab-focused adductor work; a few quality holds per side beats grinding a shaky one.

Frequently asked questions