Let’s begin with full disclosure: I don’t do plank moves very often. I’m keenly aware the basic plank is a terrific exercise for strengthening the core and, so, helping to protect the lower back, but, as I have noted before, I find the lack of movement to be immensely boring after only a couple of minutes. This is, of course, my problem, not the moves, as the plank is simple (in terms of technique) to perform and a wise choice for those with back issues who want to build up their core. I will consider my lack of patience at another time, at least for a few seconds.
Luckily, there are many variations of the plank that involve actual movement, and one of them is the side plank with hip dip, so my editor decided it was time I gave it a go. I asked her how many and she shrugged: as many as you can, but don’t overdo it unless it makes for good copy.
What is the side plank hip dip?
This is one of those handy moves whose name pretty much gives the game away. For the side plank hip dip, you get into the side plank position… and dip your hip. As you can imagine, it primarily targets the internal and external obliques, which run from the waist to the ribs (the external obliques are, in fact, the largest of the lateral ab muscles).
These muscles are often missed out with core exercises, so it’s a good idea to add a move that specifically hits them. The obliques help rotate and bend your trunk, and they protect your spine by strengthening the surrounding area. This, of course, also helps maintain good posture. I recommend that you become familiar with the standard side plank before you move on to the hip dip variation, and if you have back problems, please seek advice from a medical professional before you try the move. Here’s how to do it:
- Begin by lying stretched out on your side on an exercise mat (I recommend using one of decent thickness, as this can be tough on your resting elbow and forearm).
- Stack your legs and rest your forearm on the floor, with your shoulder directly over your elbow.
- Engage your core and raise your hips and knees from the floor until your body forms a straight line from head to feet. At this point, the only parts of your body touching the ground will be your forearm and the side of your foot. However, if you find it difficult to stack your feet, keep both on the floor, one crossed over the other.
- With control, lower your hip to the floor. Pause, then drive it high. That’s one rep. Begin with three sets of 10-20 on each side and develop from there. Here’s what I found:
This move is harder than it looks
I do a reasonable amount of core work — including another variation on the plank for Tom’s Guide — so I went into this challenge feeling unusually confident. Think about it, I thought: raise hips, lower hips, raise hips, lower hips. What could be easier?
On day one I learned that an unusual amount of confidence should be taken as a warning sign. I gave myself a loose target of 70 reps or so on each side, but had to break this into two sets of 35. And the last few of the second set were grueling, with my frame only staying straight with a considerable effort. I also noticed I was not raising my hips as high during the later reps, so pay attention to the shortcuts you might begin to take as fatigue sets in. That said, the move woke up my entire body and made me feel alert, and ready for action. What a shame I had nothing heroic planned that day.
As the week progressed I built steadily, as I had hoped, but I was still breaking the move into two sets: I went from 35 to 40 on day two, then 45, and by the end of the week I had hit 100 on each side, in two sets of 50, with a break of 20 seconds between sets. Obviously, I had not developed strength in such a short time: instead, this was my body responding to the demand and my brain screaming “Pay attention to your form and your breathing!” I’ve done a lot of challenges for Tom’s Guide but am still sometimes surprised at the increase in reps from day one to day seven. On this occasion, I started with 140 in total and finished with 200, and feeling far less out of breath than I’d been at the beginning of the week.
The obliques are at the core of this move
Though the side plank hip dip also works the hip stabilizer muscles, back, and shoulders, I never felt it in these areas. This one was, for me, very much a core exercise: I felt it solely in my obliques. As far as I’m concerned, this is what the move is designed to do. I can target those other muscles with different, specific exercises, so I have no complaints (except on day one; I complained a lot that day). You don’t need to do 70 of these on each side every day, far less 100, but if you want to focus on your obliques, this move will do the trick.
If ought to go without saying that I did not magically develop defined abs, as it had only been a week and I spend no time lowering my body fat percentage (in part because I have no idea what it is, which suits me just fine), but the challenge did remind me I don’t spend enough time strengthening my obliques. And so I will work on that, and the side plank hip dip will play a part. Just not every day.
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