Make sure to keep your shoulders and chest aligned throughout the exercise. But once you master it, according to Mens Health fitness director Ebenezer Samuel, C.S.C.S., and fitness editor Brett Williams, N.A.S.M., the Copenhagen plank will provide plenty of core-crushing benefits, especially if you're a runner. There are many studies out there demonstrating the link between weak groin muscles and the prevalence of groin injuries in athletes. How (and Why) to Do Copenhagen Planks - lifehacker.com.au Along with your abductors, adductors, and hip flexors, the Copenhagen plank challenges practically every part of the core (which plays a key role in keeping your spine stable and safe), says Ros. In 2013, Serner and colleagues compared 8 adductor exercises and found the Copenhagen adduction exercise to elicit high activation of the adductor longus. ^ So interpreted in Carl Valle (2020-04-17), "Is the Copenhagen Adduction . How to do a Copenhagen plank 1. In addition to helping run RFS, he's also the head editor for
Groin pain has a high prevalence across an array of different sports such as soccer, hockey, lacrosse, football, Rugby, Australian football, and many other activities. Plus, the exercise works your shoulder stability, particularly if you perform the exercise on your palm rather than your forearm, which reduces the surface area youre balancing on, she adds. Simply, when our abdominals contract, our adductors are primed to contract also. It is also great for improving core strength and stability, especially in the obliques. As the Senior Fitness Editor at Shape, Kristen oversees the Fitness category and covers workout trends, exercise tips, recovery, and more. The knees caving in is often the cause of many injuries. Any sort of lateral movement will involve careful coordination between adductors and abductors to move meaningfully in a sideways direction. Better yet, combine the two moves during a single set, as Ros demonstrates below. Copenhagen, Danish Kbenhavn, capital and largest city of Denmark. Don't let your chest collapse, so keep the top hand on your hip, or extended towards the ceiling. Essentially, athletes who participate in sports with kicking or running are at a higher risk of groin pain, usually in the form of muscle strains or sports hernias. For even more stability challenges, move off of your forearm and onto your hand. 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. How to Add the Copenhagen Plank to Your Routine, How to Train In All 3 Planes of Motion and Why It Matters, Modification: Copenhagen Plank with Short Lever, Progression: Copenhagen Plank with Kettlebell or Knee Drive, 7 Abs Exercises to Tighten Stomach Muscles for a Strong Core, The Best Inner-Thigh Exercises That Reach Those Hard-to-Target Adductors, How to Strengthen Your Hip Flexors Plus, 5 Exercises to Try, The Best Core Stability Exercises to Level Up Your Workouts, How to Do a Curtsy Lunge to Build Your Booty, How to Do the Bear Crawl Exercise to Boost Strength and Coordination, 7 Hip Thrust Variations to Build Lower-Body Strength at Any Fitness Level. ). So building up the strength of those stabilizer muscles [in your legs and core] is important., Ready to give the exercise a shot? It is suggested that you perform hip mobility exercises to warm up the muscles before doing a Copenhagen side plank. How to Do the Copenhagen Plank: Technique and Popular Progressions How can I make the Copenhagen Plank harder? The adductor strengthening programme prevents groin problems among male football players: a cluster-randomised controlled trial. In this article, we will discuss how to perform the Copenhagen side plank correctly, different variations of it, and alternative exercises to work on effectively strengthening your adductors. A great alternative is the Copenhagen plank: a version you can do at home, does not require a partner, and has multiple levels of progressions for various skill levels. Check out the video and please leave any questions or comments below. 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. Build Serious Abs Strength with this Side Plank Series When it comes to the Copenhagen plank, the more surface area of your leg that rests on the bench, the easier the exercise will be, says Ros. 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. 5) Take a deep exhale and engage your abs and glutes. This is a super challenging move, but thats the idea.. How to Do a Copenhagen Plank For Stronger Abs | Well+Good Thats why it can be particularly useful for finding correcting muscle imbalances, says Ros. 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.. Due to these groin related injuries, there are a significant number of athletes being taken out of games, missing seasons, or even having to retire early. We will start with the easiest progression and work our way up to more advanced variations. You can keep the bottom leg on the ground. Youll notice the closer you get your knee to the bench, the easier it becomes as youre working with less lever. Serious imbalances can lead to compensated movement patterns and, in turn, an increased risk of injury, according to the American Council on Exercise. This means you need to use the inner thigh muscle on that top leg to hold yourself up. Gently tap your butt to a chair and stand back up. She has experience in copywriting and digital marketing, and she's an award-winning freelancer who works with B2C clients in health and wellness. If thats you, the first thing to ask is whether you were in a straight line (no hips sagging) with your abdominals engaged. The Copenhagen plank or Copenhagen adduction exercise is a side plank variation that targets the muscles of the inner thigh and groin, the adductors. Copenhagen Side Plank w/ Leg Lift There's really nothing fancy here. Oh look, a neat little table of contents. Your bottom leg can be straight if using a chair or bench, or it can be bent if the surface prevents you from straightening the leg, such as when using an ottoman or couch. Return the hips to the floor under control. 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. The suspension trainer isnt stable like a bench, so it will wobble and move. It is an intense exercise that requires a lot of balance and strength to execute correctly. Fortunately, with side plank variations its not so difficult. Build abs, obliques, and shoulder strength with the Copenhagen plank delt raise. Copenhagen Denmark: Rosenborg Castle A small village existed on the site of the present city by the early 10th century. 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). In addition to strengthening the adductors, the Copenhagen plank also contains the elements of a normal side plank, meaning it has a side effect of strengthening a variety of core muscles, including your obliques. If done correctly and youre really focusing on what it's targeting [read: the core and thighs], the Copenhagen plank is really hard to hold for even 10 good seconds, says Analisse Ros, C.S.C.S., a certified personal trainer and strength and conditioning specialist in Connecticut. Crow JF, et al. This can be achieved by positioning yourself further away from the bench, or closer if you want to decrease the intensity.