We last saw Copenhagen planks in our rundown of the best bodyweight exercises that actually build strength. Move it out more, and the lever becomes longer and more challenging. Copenhagen plank is a side plank variation that targets our adductors or inner thigh muscles. Copenhagen plank is a side plank variation that targets our adductors or inner thigh muscles. Not enough exercises really focus on developing groin strength. As such, a better name might be the adductor plank, or adductor side plank, but the Copenhagen name has stuck. It is suggested that you perform hip mobility exercises to warm up the muscles before doing a Copenhagen side plank. You should always seek medical advice from a health/fitness professional before starting any new fitness program. Preseason hip/groin strength and HAGOS scores are associated with subsequent injury in professional male soccer players. These adductor muscles include the: adductor longus, adductor brevis, adductor magnus, and gracillis. Here Im using a DB because Im using a home gym. And in any plank exercise, your core is engaged, otherwise your form would be collapsing. Try and hold the Copenhagen plank for as long as possible, repeated a few times a week. Serious imbalances can lead to compensated movement patterns and, in turn, an increased risk of injury, according to the American Council on Exercise. Similar to a standard side plank, your obliques are required to help create stability as you hold the position. It is a killer leg exercise, and it has benefits beyond just adding variety to your routine. Prone Cobra Push Up How to, Benefits and Muscles Worked, Featured image and video demonstration credit AchieveFitnessBoston. As is the case with any plank variation, think: Abs on, glutes on. It involves a squeezing movement to keep your legs together. Remember to breathe normally throughout the exercise. This variation requires more balance and stability to maintain the position. 2. One major advantage of the Copenhagen plank is that theres little chance that you'll get bored. Try a 10-second hold, repeated three times with rest in between as needed. In this exercise guide, weve got tips on how to do the Copenhagen plank properly, the muscles worked, benefits and things to consider when doing the movement. 6) Lift your bottom leg up so its parallel to the ground. That's what makes this a great plank, Samuel says. Position your elbow directly under your shoulder as if you were doing a side plank. If you're performing the exercise with your right arm on the floor, for example, you'll. I dont need to say much else here because every bodybuilder in history has trained the inner thighs, so obviously theres something to it. 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. As the Senior Fitness Editor at Shape, Kristen oversees the Fitness category and covers workout trends, exercise tips, recovery, and more. This will increase shoulder and core strength and improve coordination and balance. 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. Want to master even more moves? This is a super challenging move, but thats the idea.. This variation is similar to the regular plank but requires more coordination as you alternate tapping each hand forward into a pushup position. This information highlights the importance of hip adduction strength for reducing the risk of groin related injuries and maximizing the function of the hip and groin. David is a writer and strength coach and co-owner of Roman Fitness Systems. When that gets easy, try a harder variation. After holding the tuck planche, you must be excited to move towards the advanced tuck. Alternatives to Copenhagen Plank are an excellent way to challenge your core and increase stability. Extend out the bottom leg while keeping it off the floor. An individual starts by lying on his or her side with the forearm supported on the floor and the top leg being held by a partner at either the ankle or the knee. 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. The body and leg then lower, so the foot just gently touches the floor, and then is repeated for desired repetitions. Check out some of our other similar blogs: Adductor Strain,Groin Pain Rehab, Nordic Hamstring Curl. Remember the Copenhagen keys: maintain stability and squeeze your glutes and shoulder blades while fighting off rotation in both directions. Obviously, this trains the adductor muscles. We will start with the easiest progression and work our way up to more advanced variations. 2019;53:145-152. One of the primary benefits of the Copenhagen plank: It strengthens your hip abductors and adductors, muscles that are responsible for moving your leg away from or toward, respectively, the midline of your body, says Ros. In a 2013 study focused on hip adduction exercises for soccer players . These should be performed slowly and with control. Start with as much of your leg on the support as possible. Promise, a little bit goes a long way with this bodyweight exercise. In addition to helping run RFS, he's also the head editor for They are mainly included in rehab programs for athletes who have suffered an injury in the groin area, but they are often also found in strength programs. Haroy J, et al. 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. To make it harder, use the internal part of your upper foot to hold the position rather than the leg. How to Perform and Progress the Copenhagen Plank The basic idea is to support your upper body on your forearm or hand, while your leg is supported on a bench or another object. Sure, it's a simple movement that doesn't stir much excitement when you see someone holding the position in a corner of the gymbut if you level up to one of the toughest variations of the exercise around, the Copenhagen plank, you won't be so quick to snub your nose. Remember the Copenhagen keys: maintain stability and squeeze your glutes and shoulder blades while fighting off rotation in both directions. However, there are many more for every skill level and available equipment. For more information, please see our The Copenhagen plank also works on core stabilization. The Copenhagen plank is a very technical, yet very effective, exercise. 2017;45(13):3052-3059. Many people find it challenging to hold this position for 30 seconds or more, but it is a great way to see how strong your leg adductors are! ^ So interpreted in Carl Valle (2020-04-17), "Is the Copenhagen Adduction . Numerous studies have shown a correlation between hip adductor strength and groin related injuries. Everyday activities like sitting at a desk for extended periods, leaning over your phone or tablet, and even sleeping in an awkward position can contribute to neck pain. It can be regressed or progressed, which makes it perfect for any skill level. Additionally, be careful not to overexert yourself start with more accessible variations and work your way up as you get stronger. These muscles are primarily responsible for the adduction of the hip which moves the leg towards the midline. Based on the look of it, you can probably guess that the Copenhagen plank is a seriously challenging move. The Copenhagen Plank is very simple, all you need is a chair or bench. This exercise requires extra balance and stability, as youll need to maintain your balance while waiting on the unstable surface of the Swiss ball. This ability to strengthen the adductors helps to ensure your lateral movements arent solely reliant on your abductors. To make the Copenhagen adductor plank even harder, you could also switch the support system to a suspended one. Check out our Hip Resilience program! Hold this position for a minimum of 15 seconds, 3-4 times on each side, Keep your core, glutes, and back engaged throughout to maintain the correct posture, If the knee of your top leg is feeling uncomfortable during the plank hold, bend it on the bench to decrease the strain in that area, If performing this exercise on a hard floor, place a mat under your body to provide more comfort to your hand. The Copenhagen plank is a great exercise for a few reasons. B. This exercise got its name (and its mild popularity) from research out of Denmark that showed it helps to prevent groin pulls in athletes. Smith Machine Bench Press: Is It Right for You? Strengthening the obliques helps to better stabilize the torso and spine, helping to promote better posture, as well as rotational strength. In team. Start with the top leg bent, and slowly move the bottom leg and body up and down. Copenhagen Denmark: Rosenborg Castle A small village existed on the site of the present city by the early 10th century. Gently tap your butt to a chair and stand back up. Below we list all the variations you can apply, from easy to hard, so that you can pick the right one based on your skill level. Just like the abdominal muscles, they often work in everyday life as stabilizers, not necessarily movers. By avoiding common mistakes and progressing from basic form to more advanced variations, you can maximize the benefits of the exercise and get the most out of it. Its essential to be aware of common mistakes when doing the Copenhagen Plank exercise: Make sure to squeeze your legs together correctly when doing the Copenhagen Plank. Doing the copenhagen plank for 1 min, I really feel it in my inner thigh. 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. The adductor longus, adductor brevis, adductor magnus, pectineus, and gracilis are the muscles that are involved for adducting the hip, or bringing the leg closer to the midline. Great view of my childhood trophies here. This means you need to use the inner thigh muscle on that top leg to hold yourself up. .css-13y9o4w{display:block;font-family:GraphikBold,GraphikBold-fallback,Helvetica,Arial,Sans-serif;font-weight:bold;margin-bottom:0;margin-top:0;-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;}@media (any-hover: hover){.css-13y9o4w:hover{color:link-hover;}}@media(max-width: 48rem){.css-13y9o4w{font-size:1.05rem;line-height:1.2;margin-bottom:0.25rem;}}@media(min-width: 40.625rem){.css-13y9o4w{font-size:1.28598rem;line-height:1.2;}}@media(min-width: 48rem){.css-13y9o4w{font-size:1.39461rem;line-height:1.2;margin-bottom:0.5rem;}}@media(min-width: 64rem){.css-13y9o4w{font-size:1.23488rem;line-height:1.3;}}8-Minute Ab Workouts Won't Build a Six-Pack, The Suitcase Carry Is an Underrated Core Exercise, 5 Exercises to Strengthen Your Lower Back, This Shoulder Press Move Will Crush Your Core, Too, This Will Give Your Core a Superhero Challenge, 3 Exercises to Train Your Abs Instead of Crunches, This Intense Hanging Ab Move Will Crush Your Core, Sculpt Your Core With Half-Iso Hanging Leg Raises, The 3-Way Knees to Elbow Upgrades Your Leg Raise, 3 Obliques Exercises to Replace the Side Bend. The Copenhagen Plank, or the Copenhagen Side Plank, is a side plank variation that, in addition to training the abdominals, targets the adductor (groin) muscles. Copenhagen Planks build eccentric strength in the groin as well as core stability. Even your abductors, the muscles on the outsides of your hips, seem to get a little bit of a boost from training this exercise. Registered Dietitian Nutritionist, Certified Personal Trainer, Certified Dietitian/Nutritionist in NYC, Certified Diabetes Care and Education Specialist, WELLTECH APPS LIMITED, Karaiskaki 13, 3032, Limassol, Cyprus, How to Do the Copenhagen Plank: Technique and Popular Progressions, Copenhagen side plank: technique, tips, and progressions, 10 Core Yoga Poses for Abs, Hip, and Lower Back Strength (With Sequence), Rear Delt Fly: Technique, Muscles Worked & Variations to Try. Furthermore, you must keep your body straight while holding the plank position. This requires additional balance and stability to maintain the position. In another study by Haroy and colleagues (2018), a group of male soccer players completed a 36-week long adductor strengthening program using the Copenhagen Adduction exercise. To master it, take note of the following techniques: Keeping the core and glute tight will help you maintain proper form throughout the duration of the exercise, as well as help to increase the intensity of the exercise. They continued the program into the 28 week long season, keeping repetitions and intensity high, but reducing the training frequency (reducing to 1 weekly session, 1 set, 12-15 reps per side). To begin with start with your knee on the chair. During an 8-week preseason, they performed multiple sessions a week (starting with 2 weekly sessions, 1 set, 3-5 reps per side), while progressively increasing the repetitions (working up to 3 weekly sessions, 1 set, 12-15 reps per side). Youll notice the closer you get your knee to the bench, the easier it becomes as youre working with less lever. To make things harder, you can also include a dynamic hip movement by lowering and raising your hip to the ground or using a suspension trainder instead of a bench. Another way to increase intensity is to perform a Copenhagen plank raise. You will engage and strengthen your adductor muscles by squeezing your legs together. 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. As such, a better name might be the adductor plank, or adductor side plank, but the Copenhagen name has stuck. Published: Oct 13, 2020 Yes, you can hold a plank for hours upon hours. Then, you'll hover the other foot a few inches below the bench and hold this position as steadily as possible. More broadly, you may think of the adductors as crucial stabilizer and core muscles. These muscles consist of the gluteus medius and adductors.These muscles are often weak in people, which can lead to knee valgus (knock knees) and other issues. Position yourself in an extended side plank position, perpendicular to a bench, Place the top leg on the bench, using the internal part of your foot to support the hold, Extend out the bottom leg while keeping it off the floor, With your top hand, hold a kettlebell up from the handle, with the weight underside facing up (bottom-up), You can use a dumbbell to decrease the intensity and increase stability, If you need to regress this version, simply position yourself in a forearm side plank, Be sure to perform this on a well-leveled, smooth floor to avoid losing balance, Place yourself in a perpendicular position to a TRX, in an extended side plank position, Place your top foot on the TRX handle section, As an alternative to a TRX, you could use gymnastics rings or a thick elastic band as a support system, Raise up the TRX or rings to increase the intensity, Keep the body in position and avoid swinging by tensing all your muscles, from your adductors and glutes to your core and arm, Add weight to hold up to further increase the intensity. prohockeystrength.com., the official website of the Strength and Conditioning Association of Professional Hockey. (And yes, those two words are very similar. How Long Do You Really Need to Hold a Plank? At the end of the program, these athletes demonstrated a 35.7% increase in eccentric hip adduction strength! Make sure to keep your shoulders and chest aligned throughout the exercise. To get even more bang for your buck when it comes to strength training, turn to the Copenhagen plank, a side plank's leveled-up cousin that tests your core and lower-body strength. To increase the challenge of the Copenhagen Plank, you can wrap a resistance band around your legs while doing the exercise. How can I make the Copenhagen Plank harder? Want to learn more? Hold this position. [1], [2]. And yet, [the inner and outer thighs are] often neglected parts of the body, so some people have weak adductors without really knowing it, she explains. Again the same rules apply, start off at the knee and lower towards the foot as you get stronger, and don't sacrifice your form! This banded adductor exercise is a good place to start, and you can also do single-leg movements like step-ups to work the adductors alongside other leg muscles. Activate your core muscles and raise your hips, so your torso is perpendicular to the floor. How are we going to fix it? A. The best way to do a Copenhagen Plank: Method, Advantages, and Variations - Global. The first level is to just hold the plank at the top position. The Copenhagen plank is a unilateral exercise, meaning it targets just one side of the body at a time. The adductor group's action is to well, adduct the leg which means bringing your leg closer to the midline. In this article, we will discuss the progressions for mastering the bodyweight dip from complete beginners. So building up the strength of those stabilizer muscles [in your legs and core] is important., Ready to give the exercise a shot? 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. 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. Your #1 site for all things sports rehab, sports performance, and orthopedic rehabilitation is: https://www.sportsrehabexpert.com/http://www.annarbor.physio . This requires the adductor muscles to contract isometrically. However, jumping from tuck planche to advanced tuck is quite an enormous task ahead. Think of these inner thigh muscles like the hamstrings of the frontal plane. It is a fairly technical exercise; for this reason, we will describe in detail how to perform it successfully and apply regressions or progressions when needed. Lift your lower leg off the floor so it hangs under the bench, unsupported. Weve also included ways to progress and regress the movement to help adapt it to your current fitness level. ). Keep your core engaged and stable during the exercise by contracting the muscles in your abdomen. Copenhagen Plank Watch on What is a Copenhagen Plank? Enter the Copenhagen Plank.
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