As well as hip adduction, Copenhagen planks will also help develop overall core strength by engaging the abdominals and obliques. Elevate your feet onto a box or bench while doing the Copenhagen plank to increase the intensity. It involves a squeezing movement to keep your legs together. Then, you'll hover the other foot a few inches below the bench and hold this position as steadily as possible. The first level is to just hold the plank at the top position. The Copenhagen plank is a practical adaptation of the Copenhagen adduction exercise, which involves a training partner holding the top leg (as opposed to resting it on a bench). If your form is otherwise great, but you still have knee pain, thats a sign something might be off, and I would refer you to a physical therapist, athletic trainer, or other pain specialist. Benefits of the Copenhagen Plank. Copenhagen Plank Levels of Progressions - YouTube and our The adductor group contains a bunch of muscles, the specific names are not important because we want to focus on them as a group. How to do a Copenhagen plank 1. Say youre a soccer player. Youll notice the closer you get your knee to the bench, the easier it becomes as youre working with less lever. The adductor strengthening programme prevents groin problems among male football players: a cluster-randomised controlled trial. Because we're going to work a lot of lateral stability in this plank, you're going to start to get a lot of hip effect, Samuel says. By the end of this article, you will clearly understand the vital aspect of the most challenging exercise and learn the essential techniques needed to master the Copenhagen plank.. Copenhagen plank is a side plank variation that targets our adductors or inner thigh muscles. Short Lever Copenhagen Plank - YouTube 0:00 / 0:21 Short Lever Copenhagen Plank The Active Life 9.6K subscribers Subscribe 8.6K views 2 years ago Active Life has helped more than 10,000. It is suggested that you perform hip mobility exercises to warm up the muscles before doing a Copenhagen side plank. Bracing your core and keeping your obliques and abdominals tight, lift your hips off the floor so your back is straight. Find the right variation that provides zero pain. But the movement does need to be executed properly to ensure you gain the benefits and dont cause injury to your back. Far and away the most common complaint of this exercise is knee discomfort on the front leg. As the Senior Fitness Editor at Shape, Kristen oversees the Fitness category and covers workout trends, exercise tips, recovery, and more. Copenhagen Planks for Strength and Reducing Risk of Groin Injury (Science-Based) E3 Rehab 26K views 2 years ago Adductor Mobility Flow [P]rehab 22K views 4 years ago 3 Core Exercises You Should. 2) Plant your elbow and forearm parallel to the bench, 4) Lift up your hips so youre in a straight line from the ankles to the shoulders. The adductor muscles also help support better athletic performance, especially in sports or activities that involve running or kicking. In a side plank position, place the top leg on a bench with the bottom leg under the bench. What are the techniques to master the Copenhagen Plank?. Furthermore, it was also shown to elicit the highest activation of the external oblique and rectus abdominis. Lift the hips up until your body is in a straight line with the lower leg off the floor and hold. These should be performed slowly and with control. Doing Copenhagen Plank is a great way to strengthen your core, improve stability and reduce injury chances. Copenhagen Plank with Modified Regression - YouTube Serious imbalances can lead to compensated movement patterns and, in turn, an increased risk of injury, according to the American Council on Exercise. A kettlebell or dumbbell work fine, but for just like TGUs I find the kettlebell to work a little bit better. Doing the copenhagen plank for 1 min, I really feel it in my inner thigh. Every time you take a stride, you're essentially on the one leg, she explains. Generally, upper-body strengthening and muscle-building resistance exercises can be categorized into two: pushing and pulling exercises. Start by lying on your side, like you would for a regular side plank. Build abs, obliques, and shoulder strength with the Copenhagen plank delt raise. Your abductors also help stabilize your leg, preventing your knee from collapsing when youre balancing on just one foot, she adds. From the static side plank position, you would then lift and drop your body using your abs to perform pulses. The FIFA 11+ program is popular for reducing a wide range of injuries, however it has not been shown to be successful with groin injuries. This exercise is so effective that when an adductor strengthening programme, adding just ONE exercise, was implemented, groin injury rates fell by 41%. To begin with start with your knee on the chair. The Copenhagen Hold: The Toughest Plank Variation You Aren't Doing The Copenhagen Plank Works Double Duty as a Core and Inner-Thigh Why Mastering the Pistol Squat Should Be Your Next Fitness Goal, 6 Triceps Extension Variations to Strengthen Your Arms, No Matter Your Fitness Level or Abilities, The Best Exercises for Sculpting Your Glutes, The Z Press Will Challenge Your Upper-Body and Core Strength Heres How to Do It, The 10 Best Hamstring Exercises to Strengthen Your Lower Body, How to Improve Your Flexibility with Stretching Exercises, How to Do Dead Bugs to Strengthen Your Core, The Kettlebell Windmill Is the Stability Exercise Your Core and Shoulders Need Heres How to Do It. 3 Killer Side Plank Variations to Build Your Obliques You should also strive to keep the legs together, as this will work your leg adductors more efficiently. Similar to a standard side plank, your obliques are required to help create stability as you hold the position. Once the static version becomes to hard, we can simply introduce some movement and perform the copenhagen plank for reps instead of time. In this article, we will discuss the progressions for mastering the bodyweight dip from complete beginners. Do that. It doesn't just target your obliques like a side plank, but it also fires up your adductors and your abductors your inner and outer thigh muscles. Sound complicated? ^ So interpreted in Carl Valle (2020-04-17), "Is the Copenhagen Adduction . Position your elbow directly under your shoulder as if you were doing a side plank. Copenhagen Plank Variations. The Copenhagen plank, or Copenhagen adduction exercise, is a side plank variation that targets the muscles of the inner thigh and groin- the adductors. Forget counting your reps in minutes. Simply, when our abdominals contract, our adductors are primed to contract also. And remember - having your hip in contact with the bench is important. You would simply position your upper leg on their hands and keep the bottom leg off the floor. Here are some of the many benefits of Copenhagen Plank: Copenhagen Plank is a great exercise to target your adductors or inner thigh muscles. Remember to maintain proper form throughout the exercise and stop immediately if you feel pain or discomfort. So give them a try and find out what works best for you! , Your email address will not be published. Copenhagen Planks - E3 Rehab https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Anterior_Hip_Muscles_2.PNG, You Dont Need To Fix Your Flat or Pronated Feet. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); All Content Copyright Roman Fitness Systems 2019. And in any plank exercise, your core is engaged, otherwise your form would be collapsing. 2013;48(14):1108-1114. Disclaimer - the information on this website is for entertainment purposes only. Once you have mastered the regular two-leg Copenhagen plank, try doing it on a single leg for an extra challenge. Check out .css-16acfp5{-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline;text-decoration-thickness:0.125rem;text-decoration-color:#d2232e;text-underline-offset:0.25rem;color:inherit;-webkit-transition:all 0.3s ease-in-out;transition:all 0.3s ease-in-out;}.css-16acfp5:hover{color:#000;text-decoration-color:border-link-body-hover;background-color:yellow;-webkit-transition:all 0.3s ease-in-out;transition:all 0.3s ease-in-out;}our entire Form Check series. You can keep the bottom leg on the ground. Press into side plank position. ). Preseason hip/groin strength and HAGOS scores are associated with subsequent injury in professional male soccer players. Here's the breakdown. So your next question might be why you should train them in the first place. There are many studies out there demonstrating the link between weak groin muscles and the prevalence of groin injuries in athletes. Your email address will not be published. Copenhagen Planks for Strength and Reducing Risk of Groin - YouTube Mix the Copenhagen plank into your usual resistance training regimen and try holding it for 10 to 20 seconds at a time, doing three to four sets on each side, suggests Ros. The suspension trainer isnt stable like a bench, so it will wobble and move. BJSM. For this progression, you will hold the same side plank position but move your chest toward the ground in a slow, controlled movement. This pain can range from mild discomfort to outright agony and can be exacerbated by physical activity. This regression involves performing the side plank on the forearm rather than extending the arm fully to increase stability. If youre coming off of a knee injury, or have a history of knee pain, try the regression variations first. 5) Take a deep exhale and engage your abs and glutes. Check out our Hip Resilience program! AJSM. So building up the strength of those stabilizer muscles [in your legs and core] is important., Ready to give the exercise a shot? And Bourne et al (2019) showed that players with more greater hip abduction strength were significantly less likely to injure their hip or groin in the future. While it may seem daunting at first, with some practice and focus on the techniques, youll be nailing this exercise in no time. Sign up for our newsletter and get automatically notified when we post new face-meltingly rad articles. Along with those variations, you can also progress the Copenhagen plank by increasing the duration of the exercise. This is great if youre starting out and also if this bugs your knee (which well get to) this option takes the knee out of the equation since itll be resting on the bench. As your adductors get stronger, slowly move more of your calf off the bench until just your foot is resting on it (the classic Copenhagen plank), she suggests. Strong adductors means stronger abs and vice versa, and both help us shift out of the extended posture that most of us live in. Privacy Policy. Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. What are the Alternatives to the Copenhagen Plank? Holding your breath can cause you to become dizzy and affect your form, so make sure to keep breathing steadily while doing the Copenhagen Plank. The Copenhagen plank looks a bit like a side plank: Youre leaning on your hand or elbow, other arm away from the ground, trying to hold your body in a rigid position. Haroy J, et al. The Copenhagen plank is one of the most challenging plank variations out there, a side plank variation that requires extra glute and hip adductor focus and builds all-around ab and core. For non-athletes, the exercise can simply help to create better hip stability, which is associated with reduced risk of back, hip and knee injuries as well as better posture. According to experts, squatting is one of the most effective exercises for improving athletic performance. Gaze forward and maintain a straight line from head to heels. Before you try any Copenhagen plank, its important to master the traditional side plank, which will help you build up the core strength necessary to tackle the challenging lower-body exercise, says Ros. The exercise is isometric, which means you hold your body in one position while contracting your muscles. Groin injuries are particularly common in sports that involve kicking, running or even jumping and weakness in adduction strength has recently been highlighted as a root cause in new research. The benefits of healthier hips can address musculoskeletal problems in other areas of the body too, such as knee pain and back ache. This plank variation challenges even the strongest coreand gives runners an extra form boost, too. The Copenhagen plank, also known as the Copenhagen adduction exercise, is a side plank variation that focuses on the adductor muscles of the inner thigh and groin. Then when they're moving laterally and going full speed [such as in sports], they pull their groin muscle, or they have super tight hip flexors. What's more,the hip abductors and adductors both play a key role in stabilizing your pelvis, and if one of those muscle groups isn't strong enough to offer that essential support, you could develop lower back pain, Leigha VandenToorn, C.S.C.S., P.P.S.C., an NASM-certified personal trainer, previously told Shape. Here are some progressions to take your Copenhagen Plank to the next level: Do the regular Copenhagen plank on a Swiss ball for an added challenge. Copenhagen Planks (How To, Muscles Worked, Benefits) Lift your lower leg off the floor so it hangs under the bench, unsupported. You can make the exercise easier by doing a regular side plank and make it more challenging by bringing your legs closer together. This is called active rest.. Important consideration: Some groin problems may have a secondary related abdominal issue. There's no need to if you're doing it correctly, those are gonna be the longest 25 seconds of your life., As you hold your Copenhagen plank, make sure to avoid rotating your shoulders forward, says Ros. Related article: Advanced Plank Exercises for Insane Core Strength. Hearst Magazine Media, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Prone Cobra Push Up How to, Benefits and Muscles Worked, Featured image and video demonstration credit AchieveFitnessBoston. Rotating your shoulders forward will cause you to lose balance, so keep your shoulders in line with your chest throughout the movement. Copenhagen Sideplank Exercise Progressions and Regressions to [P]Rehab How to Do the Copenhagen Plank - DG Athlete With the top arm, grab a light dumbbell or kettlebell and hold it up in the air as you do so. The Copenhagen Plank is very simple, all you need is a chair or bench. Benefits. Serner A, et al. But from a functional standpoint, the adductor group are important in stabilising your hips. This will increase shoulder and core strength and improve coordination and balance. This will improve abdominal and adductor activation. How Long Do You Really Need to Hold a Plank? It is also great for improving core strength and stability, especially in the obliques. 2019:1-34. Its such a good exercise and I know I have to do it, but sometimes I'm like, I just wanna do a side plank because I know how hard it is.. And since it is so challenging, its best to make this your first move of your core workout. While nutrition plays an important role, adding exercise into your routine improves the process of achieving your goal. So what are the techniques to master the Copenhagen plank? Performing squats build muscle strength, joint stability, and proper form. To make it harder, use the internal part of your upper foot to hold the position rather than the leg. Copenhagen Plank Lift Exercise Demo Video and Info This helps strengthen the deep core muscles, essential for everyday activities like lifting or carrying heavy loads. To make the Copenhagen adductor plank even harder, you could also switch the support system to a suspended one. The exercise is isometric, which means you hold your body in one position while contracting your muscles. Orthop J Sports Med. Try and hold the Copenhagen plank for as long as possible, repeated a few times a week. What are the risk factors for Copenhagen Plank? tl;dr: https://youtu.be/XeCF_sWfBTk Sauce: https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/48/14/1089.short https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0363546510375544 https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/2325967114521778 https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/early/2021/03/09/bjsports-2020-102606.abstract, Why the Copenhagen Plank is a Massively Underrated Calisthenics Leg Exercise, https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/48/14/1089.short, https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0363546510375544, https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/2325967114521778, https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/early/2021/03/09/bjsports-2020-102606.abstract. 6) Lift your bottom leg up so its parallel to the ground. This exercise got its name (and its mild popularity) from research out of Denmark that showed it helps to prevent groin pulls in athletes. For another fantastic ab exercise, check out the landmine rollout. This will challenge the stabilizer muscles in the core and strengthen your shoulder muscles, making it an excellent alternative for Copenhagen Plank. Published: Oct 13, 2020 Yes, you can hold a plank for hours upon hours. A 30 second hold would be really good and a 60 second hold would demonstrate very good adduction strength. This is a surprisingly big jump from regular Copenhagen planks and a great target for those looking to really leverage the benefits of the exercise. The best way to do a Copenhagen Plank: Method, Advantages, and Variations - Global. These muscles are responsible for moving your legs to the center of your body. Numerous studies have shown a correlation between hip adductor strength and groin related injuries. If you can nail those, you've just dominated the. For more information, please see our Copenhagen | History, Population, & Facts | Britannica This variation is similar to the regular plank but requires more coordination as you alternate tapping each hand forward into a pushup position. If youre performing the exercise with your right arm on the floor, for example, youll fire up your right sides obliques and left legs adductors and abductors, she adds. If the answer is no, then youre not ready for this exercise and should go back to regular side planks first until youre stronger. Copenhagen Plank Progressions - YouTube Copenhagen Denmark: Rosenborg Castle A small village existed on the site of the present city by the early 10th century. We suggest starting about two inches out. Hary et al (2018). And this training can do you some good: Improving your core stability not only helps prevent injuries in your back, but it can also improve your athletic performance, she notes. These muscles are primarily responsible for the adduction of the hip which moves the leg towards the midline. The Copenhagen Plank is very simple, all you need is a chair or bench. Activate your core muscles and raise your hips, so your torso is perpendicular to the floor. The goal is to maintain a straight line from your shoulder to your ankle. The Copenhagen plank is a unilateral exercise, meaning it targets just one side of the body at a time. However, this could take away the focus from the adductors and shift it more onto the core and shoulders. 1) Set up with your head perpendicular to a bench and facing away. David is a writer and strength coach and co-owner of Roman Fitness Systems. This progression requires a high level of inner thigh strength and core stability, therefore it is only suggested for those who have already mastered the traditional Copenhagen side plank. Or, try driving your bottom knee up so it's in line with your hips, keeping it bent at a 90-degree angle, suggests Ros. I wouldn't recommend more than 25 seconds or 10 slow breaths per side per set, she adds. An interesting study that Physio-Network highlights in this article showed that groin injuries increased by 17 times when adductor strength was less than 80% of abductor strength. The purpose of this blog is to discuss why Copenhagen Planks are an important consideration for rehab and injury reduction programs for the groin. You can do Copenhagen Plank up to three times a week, making sure to give your body enough time to recover between sets. Start with as much of your leg on the support as possible. This exercise requires extra balance and stability, as youll need to maintain your balance while waiting on the unstable surface of the Swiss ball. But what good does it actually do for you and your body? Copenhagen plank doesn't engage core? : r/bodyweightfitness