Copenhagen Lifts

Instructions

1. Set up for a Copenhagen side plank with your top leg supported on a bench, box, or sturdy surface.

2. Position the support under the top knee or lower leg, depending on the variation you were prescribed.

3. Place your bottom forearm on the floor directly under your shoulder.

4. Keep your body in a straight line from your head through your hips.

5. Lift your hips off the floor so you are holding the side plank.

6. Let the bottom leg hang underneath your body to start.

7. While keeping your hips lifted, raise the bottom leg upward toward the underside of the top leg.

8. Lower the bottom leg back down with control.

9. Continue moving the bottom leg up and down while maintaining the side plank position.

10. Repeat for the prescribed number of reps, then switch sides.

Common Compensations

• Do not let your hips sag toward the floor.

• Do not rotate your chest or pelvis backward or forward.

• Do not shrug the shoulder of the supporting arm.

• Do not swing the bottom leg with momentum.

• Do not let your neck collapse; keep your head in line with your body.

• Do not lose the straight line through your torso as the leg moves.

Extra Info

• You should feel this mostly in the inner thighs, especially the adductors.

• You may also feel the side of the core, shoulder, and glutes working to hold the plank.

• The focus is on keeping the body stable while the bottom leg moves with control.

• This is a challenging exercise, so shorter sets with good form are often better than longer sets with poor control.

• You should not feel sharp pain in the groin, shoulder, low back, or hip.