What mistakes do people make with the side plank?

The way to get the most out of the side plank is to really engage every muscle, but often people let their body collapse down towards the floor. “To stop that, you want to think about creating space between the side of your body and the floor itself. So really push yourself away from the floor and make sure you’re not collapsing into shoulder,” says Emma. If you could see a bird’s eye view of the perfect side plank, you would see a pin straight line from your head to your toes.

Another error in side planks is trying to push yourself too hard too fast. You could have the strongest obliques in the world, but if your balance is off then you won’t be able to hold this move off the bat. Pushing yourself into attempt the ‘stacked feet’ version and falling over after 10 seconds won’t fire up the obliques, as they won’t be under tension for long enough. Instead, place both feet in the floor in a staggered stance while you get used to stabilising in the exercise so you can hold the posture for longer and fatigue the core.

Finally, don’t arch your spine. This is a rule that goes for most exercises, but it’s an important reminder. We don’t want to put extra pressure through the back as this can result in pain and injury.

How to do a side plank correctly, according to a trainer