{"id":3918,"date":"2025-02-20T16:57:40","date_gmt":"2025-02-20T05:57:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/movewithnicole.com.au\/blog\/mastering-side-plank-hip-lifts-a-step-by-step-guide.html"},"modified":"2025-02-20T16:57:41","modified_gmt":"2025-02-20T05:57:41","slug":"mastering-side-plank-hip-lifts-a-step-by-step-guide","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/movewithnicole.com.au\/blog\/mastering-side-plank-hip-lifts-a-step-by-step-guide.html","title":{"rendered":"Mastering Side Plank Hip Lifts: A Step-by-Step Guide"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The best exercises never go out of style. That\u2019s why you\u2019ll see classic moves like squats,\u00a0push-ups, and planks in workouts today and 20 years ago.<\/p>\n<p>One of the great things about these tried and true moves is that they easily lend themselves to different variations, allowing you to make them easier or harder based on your\u00a0fitness level.<\/p>\n<p>Just take a look at the plank: You can do regular\u00a0forearm planks, side planks, and more dynamically,\u00a0side plank hip lifts.<\/p>\n<p>Every plank variation can help you\u00a0strengthen your core, which creates better stability and decreases your chance of injury. Side planks have the added element of maintaining stability in an unstable position.<\/p>\n<p>And side plank hip lifts create even more of a challenge: It creates tension and stability \u2014 now let\u2019s see you maintain that while you move.<\/p>\n<p>Here\u2019s how to do the side plank hip lift properly, and tips on how you can effectively add it into your\u00a0workout routine.<\/p>\n<h2>Side Plank Hip Lifts: Step-by-Step Instructions<\/h2>\n<p><iframe src=\"https:\/\/players.brightcove.net\/1634697872\/SJeKARb7p_default\/index.html?videoId=5581221872001\" width=\"600\" height=\"337.5\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><strong>Appears in:<\/strong>\u00a021 Day Fix EXTREME\u00a0&gt;&gt; 10 Minute HardCORE<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Lie on your left side propped up on your left elbow and forearm, shoulders stacked over your elbow, legs stacked on top of each other, and hold a dumbbell in place on top of your right hip.<\/li>\n<li>Raise your hips so that your body forms a straight line from head to heels. This is the starting position.<\/li>\n<li>Keeping your core braced and your glutes engaged, slowly lower your left hip, tapping it gently on the floor.<\/li>\n<li>Reverse the move, returning to side plank position.<\/li>\n<li>Repeat for reps, then switch sides, performing equal reps.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Benefits of Side Plank Hip Lifts<\/h2>\n<p>\u201cThere are some common weak points in the human body that the side plank hip lift can address,\u201d says Cody Braun, CSCS. \u201cFor many people, shoulder and hip stability are weak links in the kinetic chain, and the side plank hip lift forces you to stabilize the scapula (shoulder blade) while also firing up the gluteus medius to control the hip movement.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2>Tips for Performing a Side Plank Hip Lift<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<p>If this is a new move for you, it can be easy to lose focus when you\u2019re pushing yourself out of your comfort zone. So it\u2019s best to have a few cues handy and keep them simple.<\/p>\n<h3>1. Breathe<\/h3>\n<p>Control your breathing with steady breaths in and out as you move up and down. Avoid gasping for air.<\/p>\n<h3>2. Mind is your position<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Your elbow should stay lined up under your shoulder to prevent any shoulder strain.<\/li>\n<li>Keep your shoulder pressed down away from your ear \u2013 it shouldn\u2019t sag into your neck.<\/li>\n<li>Your hips should stay in a neutral straight line \u2013 if your butt starts sticking out behind you, straighten out by squeezing your glutes and core. (An easy way to create tension in your core is to exhale sharply as if you are trying to blow out way too many candles on a cake.)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>3. Stick with it<\/h3>\n<p>The side plank hip lift can be a difficult move to master, since it requires a lot of coordination and core strength. Don\u2019t get frustrated if you lose your balance when you first try it out; keep practicing it with proper form, and gradually you\u2019ll get better.<\/p>\n<h2>What Muscles Do Side Plank Hip Lifts Work?<\/h2>\n<p>This move engages your core muscles, with special emphasis on your obliques. It also fires up your scapula stabilizers and glutes.<\/p>\n<p>Here\u2019s how all these muscles work together in your body.<\/p>\n<h3>Obliques<\/h3>\n<h3><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-147786\" src=\"https:\/\/bod-blog-assets.prod.cd.beachbodyondemand.com\/bod-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/17094837\/plank-jack-600-ab-muscles.png\" alt=\"ab muscle anatomy | plank jack\" width=\"600\" height=\"400\" title=\"\"><\/h3>\n<p>Your obliques, which run down the sides of your torso, are just one part of your\u00a0abdominal muscles.<\/p>\n<p>(This group of muscles also include the\u00a0rectus abdominis\u00a0that runs down the center of your stomach and the transverse abdominis that wraps around your torso underneath.)<\/p>\n<p>There are two kinds of oblique muscles: external and internal. The external obliques are visible (if you\u2019re lean enough for them to show) and run diagonally from the sides of your rib cage to the tops of your hip bones.<\/p>\n<p>The internal obliques are situated right below them. The right external obliques work with the left internal obliques, and vice versa.<\/p>\n<p>For instance, the right\u00a0external\u00a0obliques rotate the body to opposite side, while the right\u00a0internal obliques rotate to the same side. All together, they help tabilize your spine and rotate your torso.<\/p>\n<h3>Glutes<\/h3>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-146206\" src=\"https:\/\/bod-blog-assets.prod.cd.beachbodyondemand.com\/bod-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/15112352\/dumbbell-deadlift-600-butt-anatomy.jpg\" alt=\"glute muscle anatomy | dumbbell deadlift\" width=\"701\" height=\"377\" title=\"\"><\/p>\n<p>There are three muscles that are collectively known as the glutes: the\u00a0gluteus maximus,\u00a0the\u00a0gluteus medius,\u00a0and the\u00a0gluteus minimus.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The\u00a0gluteus maximus\u00a0is the largest of the three and is primarily responsible for hip extension and your booty\u2019s round shape.<\/p>\n<p>The gluteus medius is located on the upper, outer section of your rear. It helps stabilize the pelvis and move your leg outward.<\/p>\n<p>The gluteus minimus is situated just below that, and it also helps stabilize the pelvis.<\/p>\n<p>Side plank hip lifts require hip stabilization, so the gluteus medius and minimus are heavily activated in this move.<\/p>\n<h3>Scapula Stabilizers<\/h3>\n<p>This is a group of muscles that surrounds your scapula and controls its movements, as well as prevents unwanted motion. Anytime you move your shoulder or upper arm bone, you\u2019re using these muscles.<\/p>\n<p>Working together, they control your scapula to aid in the health of your shoulder joint as you throw, pull, push, and more. In the side plank hip lift specifically, they help support your upper body as your hips move up and down.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The best exercises never go out of style. That\u2019s why you\u2019ll see classic moves like squats,\u00a0push-ups, and planks in workouts today and 20 years ago. One of the great things about these tried and true moves is that they easily lend themselves to different variations, allowing you to make them easier or harder based on [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3919,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3918","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-fitness"],"blocksy_meta":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/movewithnicole.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3918","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/movewithnicole.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/movewithnicole.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/movewithnicole.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/movewithnicole.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3918"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/movewithnicole.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3918\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3920,"href":"https:\/\/movewithnicole.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3918\/revisions\/3920"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/movewithnicole.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3919"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/movewithnicole.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3918"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/movewithnicole.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3918"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/movewithnicole.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3918"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}