Plank with Leg Lift
oec:plank-with-leg-lift
A core and glute exercise performed by holding a standard prone plank while alternately extending each hip to elevate the leg without compromising spinal neutrality.
Generated by gemini-3.8-flash from the sources below. No person has checked this record. Don't rely on it for safety.
Also called: Plank with Alternating Leg Lift, Plank Leg Lift, Plank Leg Raise
How to do it
Setup
- Begin in a prone forearm plank position with your elbows aligned directly beneath your shoulders.
- Keep your forearms parallel on the floor, engage your core, and extend both legs with your toes grounded hip-width apart.
- Align your body in a straight line from your head to your heels.
Movement
- Brace your abdominal wall firmly to lock your pelvis and lower back in place.
- Squeeze your glute to lift one foot a few inches off the floor while keeping the leg straight.
- Pause briefly at the peak of the lift without letting your lower back sag or your hips rotate.
- Lower your foot with control back to the starting position.
- Repeat the movement with the opposite leg, alternating sides each repetition.
Breathing
Maintain steady, rhythmic breathing throughout the movement; exhale as you raise the leg and inhale as you lower it.
Cues
- Lift with your glute, not your lower back.
- Keep your hips square to the floor.
- Push the floor away through your forearms.
Common faults
- Arching the lumbar spine as the leg elevates.
- Only lift the leg as high as you can while maintaining a neutral pelvis and braced abs.
- Rotating or tilting the hips toward the lifting side.
- Actively press into the grounded toe and engage your obliques to keep both hip bones pointing directly at the floor.
- Bending the knee to gain height.
- Keep the working knee extended and focus on pure hip extension.
Safety
- Discontinue if sharp pain or excessive strain is felt in the lower back.
Muscles
Joints
- Lumbar spine: Isometric stabilization
- Hip: Extension
- Shoulder blade: Isometric stabilization
Details
- Movement
- Anti-extension, Anti-rotation
- Modality
- Calisthenics
- Mechanics
- compound
- Force
- mixed
- Laterality
- alternating
- Kinetic chain
- mixed
- Level
- intermediate
- Equipment
- None
- Record
- Repetitions; or Duration
- Load
- bodyweight, not applicable
Related
- variation of Plank
- progression of Plank
- substitute for Plank Reach
Sources
- wger: Plank with Alternating Leg Lift, by hpmbala@gmail.com (CC-BY-SA-4.0)
This record: CC-BY-SA-4.0.