Copenhagen Plank
Direct adductor strength, strongly associated with reduced groin injury.
Setup
- Lie on your side, top ankle or knee on a bench, bottom leg hanging.
- Elbow under the shoulder, body in a straight line.
How To Do It
- Lift the hips until the body is level, squeezing the top adductor into the bench.
- Hold, keeping the hips stacked and square.
- Lower under control.
Breathing
Breathe steadily — do not hold your breath.
Common Mistakes
- Letting the hips roll back so the obliques take over.
- Starting from the ankle when the knee version is the right level.
Programming It
Two to three sets of 20-40 seconds per side.
Why This Exercise Works
The adductor is the most-injured muscle in field sports and one of the least trained anywhere. This holds it under tension in a lengthened position with nothing more than a bench, which is why it has moved from rehab clinics into ordinary training in the last decade.
Where You Should Feel It
The inner thigh of the top leg, sharply, within about twenty seconds. It is a muscle almost nobody has loaded before, so the first session is always a surprise.
Where It Fits in a Program
Direct adductor strength, strongly associated with reduced groin injury. It finishes a session well and costs almost nothing the next day.
Progressing and Regressing It
To progress the copenhagen plank: move the support toward the ankle, or add reps of raising the bottom leg. To regress it: support at the knee rather than the ankle, and shorten the hold.
Who It's For
Anyone in a field or court sport — adductor strains are among the most common injuries in both, and this is the best-evidenced way to reduce them. Start with the support at the knee, not the ankle.
Equipment and Substitutions
What you need for this one: a bench. No bench? The floor version below removes some range but keeps the loading, and it is kinder to the shoulder into the bargain.
Related Exercises
- Goblet Lateral Lunge — Adductors, Glutes, Quads
- Cossack Squat — Adductors, Quads, Glutes
- Lateral Lunge — Adductors, Glutes, Quads
- Ab Wheel Rollout — Abs, Lats, Shoulders
- Cable Woodchop — Obliques, Core
- Hanging Leg Raise — Abs, Hip Flexors
- Band Woodchop — Obliques, Core
- Bird Dog — Core, Low Back, Glutes
Common Questions
What muscles does the copenhagen plank work?
The copenhagen plank primarily trains the adductors, core.
How many sets and reps should I do?
Two to three sets of 20-40 seconds per side.
What are the most common copenhagen plank mistakes?
Most often: letting the hips roll back so the obliques take over; starting from the ankle when the knee version is the right level.
Do I need a bench to do this?
This version uses a bench, and it trains the adductors, core. No bench? The floor version below removes some range but keeps the loading, and it is kinder to the shoulder into the bargain.
Is this safe if I have an existing injury?
The lower back does real work in the copenhagen plank. If you have a history there, keep the load conservative and stop the moment a rep reproduces your own pain rather than ordinary effort. Not medical advice.