The side plank is one of the best exercises for your core, except for one thing: It’s painfully boring.
Sure, it works your obliques and the other two dozen muscles in your torso, but chances are the first thing that’ll wear out is your tolerance for holding still.
That’s why Men’s Health Fitness Director B.J. Gaddour, C.S.C.S., multitasks while he planks. In the video above, he demonstrates four ways to add movement to a side plank in order to make it harder—and less monotonous.
These variations still train your core muscles to keep your spine stable, preventing back pain and improving your performance in the gym. But they also turn up the intensity on your core and add an extra challenge for your hips, shoulders, and glutes, Gaddour says.
Pick two, three, or four of the variations and alternate between them for one to two minutes on each side, and repeat for three to five sets.
