Buzz
We previously introduced Copenhagen planks in our overview of the best bodyweight exercises that effectively build strength. However, this exercise often goes unnoticed and deserves more attention. The Copenhagen plank resembles a side plank: You support your body with either your hand or elbow, your other arm lifted, and you strive to maintain a rigid body position. What distinguishes the Copenhagen plank is that neither your feet nor knees make contact with the floor. Instead, you position one leg (your top leg) on a bench. This demands the use of your inner thigh muscles on the raised leg to hold your body in place. It's a powerful leg workout with benefits that extend beyond simply adding diversity to your exercise routine.
What Are the Advantages of the Copenhagen Plank?
This exercise received its name (and gained some recognition) from studies conducted in Denmark, which found that it helps prevent groin injuries in athletes. The inner thigh muscles, known as the hip adductors, play a key role in drawing the legs inward toward each other. Many muscles in this group are relatively thin and vulnerable to strains or tears (commonly referred to as “pulls”). This led researchers to incorporate the Copenhagen plank into routines aimed at strengthening the adductors.
The program showed positive results: The inclusion of the "Copenhagen adductor exercise" helped increase the strength of male soccer players' adductors, and although it's not a guaranteed solution for preventing groin injuries, it appears to provide some assistance.
Alongside boosting the adductors, the Copenhagen plank also incorporates elements of a standard side plank, resulting in the added benefit of strengthening various core muscles, including the obliques. Even the abductors, located on the outer sides of the hips, seem to experience some improvement when performing this exercise.
(Indeed, these two terms are quite similar. Abductors are responsible for moving the leg away from the body, just like an alien abduction involves taking someone away from Earth. Adductors pull the legs toward the body's midline, and the two 'D' letters in the middle might help remind you that they bring the legs together.)
How exactly is the Copenhagen plank performed?
The fundamental concept is to support your upper body using your forearm or hand while your leg rests on a bench or another object. During team practices, a partner can stand and hold your leg while you complete the exercise.
Begin by positioning as much of your leg on the support as possible. The progression, ranked from easiest to most challenging, is as follows:
Knee or thigh resting on the bench
Shin or foot placed on the bench
Lowering and raising the hips toward the ground repeatedly (This can be performed in either of the previous positions.)
While planks are often held for progressively longer durations, you don’t need to follow this method to reap the benefits of the Copenhagen plank. Begin with a 10-second hold, repeated three times with rest in between as needed. Once that becomes easier, challenge yourself with a more difficult variation.
What if I’m unable to perform a Copenhagen plank?
If you’re unable to complete any of the variations above, even the one with your knee on the bench, a modification is to keep your free leg on the ground. Lift your hips primarily with the top leg, but allow some support from the bottom leg to assist in the movement.
If you're still not quite at ease with that, you might need to practice side planks (knees on the ground is perfectly fine) to strengthen your core, and seek out other exercises for your adductors. This banded adductor exercise is a great starting point, and single-leg exercises like step-ups will also engage the adductors while working other leg muscles.
