One Arm Plank

Planks are an effective, full-body exercise that strengthens the core, shoulders, and legs. The one-arm plank has all the benefits of a traditional plank, but it also offers a way to level up by challenging balance, coordination, and upper-body strength.

In this article, we’ll cover tips and tricks to help you get the most out of the one-arm plank. It is an efficient exercise, easily added to any workout, whether you are at home or the gym.

How To Do

  1. Kneel on the mat.
  2. Put the forearms and hands on the mat shoulder-width apart.
  3. Line up the elbows under the shoulders.
  4. Engage the abdominals by drawing the belly button towards the spine.
  5. Tuck the toes and lift the knees off the mat, straightening the legs out behind you.
  6. Maintain a flat back.
  7. Lift the right arm off the mat.
  8. Bring the arm along the right side of the body.
  9. Bend the elbow and place the back of your hand on your right lower back.
  10. Hold for a second.
  11. Bring the right arm back to the front of the mat. Place the elbow and forearm on the mat.
  12. Lift the left arm, repeating the sequence on the left side.
  13. Continue to alternate arms for the desired exercise duration.

Tips From Expert

  • Ensure your shoulders are directly over your arms with the balls of your feet contacting the ground. This ensures a stable body position to work from.
  • Keep a straight line from your head to your heels. This prevents lower back stress and ensures targeted muscle engagement.
  • Avoid letting your hips sag or twisting your torso throughout the exercise.
  • Ensure your arm come directly backwards to your lower back rather than out to the side. This prevents excessive torso rotation.
  • Make sure your core is engaged throughout the movement to maintain a tight body position.
  • Use a controlled breathing pattern throughout to ensure adequate oxygen supply to your brain and muscles.

Optimal Sets and Reps

If you are wondering how long you should hold a plank, the answer depends on your fitness goals. Those seeking muscular endurance require a longer duration than those focusing on strength or hypertrophy.

Training Type Sets Duration
Strength Training 3–6 30–60 seconds
Hypertrophy 3–4 30–60 seconds
Endurance Training 2–3 60–90 seconds
Power Training 3–5 30–60 seconds
Optimal Sets & Reps of One Arm Plank

How to Put in Your Workout Split

Since planks are a full-body exercise, they can be easily added to any workout split. As a one-arm plank activates the shoulders, it could be added to an upper-body day. It also targets the abdominals, so this exercise fits well into a core or lower-body day.

Planks make an excellent addition to a full-body workout or high-intensity interval training. Working several muscle groups at once, they are an efficient strength-building exercise that can also increase the heart rate. Additionally, this exercise can be performed at the end of any type of workout as a core finisher.

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Primary Muscle Groups

Upper Rectus Abdominis

Muscles located just below the lower chest and above the lower abdominals. Between your ribs and pubic bone.

Lower Rectus Abdominis

Muscles located below your upper abs and above your public bone between your ribs.

Upper Rectus Abdominis

The upper rectus abdominis extends from the mid-trunk to the lower ribs. It flexes (bends) the spine, helps stabilize the trunk, and aids in expiration (breathing out).

During a plank, this muscle provides support to the torso. Pressing the forearms into the floor helps activate the upper rectus abdominis. In a one-arm plank, the upper rectus abdominis works harder, supporting the body in a single-arm balance position.

In a plank, the muscle activation rate for the rectus abdminis is 27.5%. This gives us an idea of how hard the muscle is working during a one-arm plank. Adding the arm balance to the plank would increase the muscle activation rate.

So, for those wondering, “Are planks good for abs?”, the answer is yes. Planks are a great way to target the rectus abdominis.

Lower Rectus Abdominis

The lower rectus abdominis runs from the mid-torso to the front of the pelvis. It attaches to the pubic bone. In a plank, this muscle helps support the spine and pelvis. It stabilizes the pelvis, helping the spine remain in a neutral position and preventing lower back strain.

Secondary Muscle Groups

Gluteus

Large, superficial muscles located at your buttocks just below your lower back area.

Quadriceps

Muscles located at the front portion of your upper legs, below your pelvis and above your knees. Consists of four parts.

Erector Spinae

Muscles that span the entire length of your spine on either side.

Serratus Anterior

Small, fan shaped muscle that lies deep under your chest and scapula.

Obliques

Muscles located on the sides of your rectus abdominals. Runs on the sides of your trunk.

Iliopsoas

Muscles starting at your back, moving through your pelvis connecting just below your groin.

Anterior Deltoid

Muscles located at the front of your shoulder region

Obliques

The obliques consist of the external and internal obliques. Both muscles originate in the ribs and are inserted into the pelvis.

They help the rectus abdominis bend the spine, pulling the upper body forward, like in a crunch. They perform side bending of the spine and trunk rotation and assist with expiration. The obliques also aid in spine and trunk stabilization.

In a one-arm plank, the obliques play a key role in the support and stabilization of the trunk. They work to keep the torso properly aligned and prevent twisting during the arm balance.

The muscle activation rate for the external obliques is 23.7% in a plank. The rate would increase during a one-arm plank as the muscles work harder to stabilize the body when balancing.

Erector Spinae

The erector spinae is made up of three muscles that run along each side of the spine, connecting from the neck to the lower back. These muscles are responsible for spinal extension, straightening the torso from a forward bending position.

During the one-arm plank, the erector spinae muscles stabilize the spine and help support the lower back.

Anterior Deltoid

The anterior deltoid sits at the front of the shoulder. It attaches to the collarbone and the upper arm bone. This muscle internally rotates and flexes the shoulder, lifting the arm in front of the body.

In a plank, the anterior deltoid flexes the shoulder as the arms are positioned in front of the torso. During a one-arm plank, this muscle performs a second action in the lifted arm. It internally rotates the shoulder of the arm as the hand reaches behind the body.

Serratus Anterior

The serratus anterior sits along the side of the ribcage. It connects the upper ribs to the shoulder blade and is responsible for multiple shoulder blade movements.

The serratus anterior stabilizes the shoulder blade (scapula) and keeps it sitting along the back of the ribcage. It protracts the scapula by moving it forward. This muscle also moves the shoulder blade upward when the arms lift overhead.

During a plank, the serratus anterior fixes the scapula in place. The muscle activation rate for the serratus anterior in a plank with a front arm raise is 14.2%. This gives us a good idea of how hard the muscle is working in a one-arm plank.

Gluteus

The glutes are a group of three muscles that make up the buttocks. These muscles are responsible for several actions of the hip joint. They extend the hip by moving the leg backward.

The glutes also move the leg sideways, rotate the leg, and help stabilize the pelvis. During a one-arm plank, they work to support the lower back and provide pelvic stability.

Quadriceps

The quadriceps are composed of four muscles: the rectus femoris, vastus lateralis, vastus medialis, and vastus intermedius. The three vastii muscles originate on the upper thigh bone and insert on the kneecap. The rectus femoris runs from the pelvis to the kneecap.

Together, the four muscles straighten and stabilize the knee joint. The rectus femoris also flexes the hip, moving the leg in front of the body. In a plank, the quadriceps help stabilize the pelvis. The muscle activation rate for the rectus femoris is 20% in a traditional plank.

Iliopsoas

The iliopsoas muscles sit inside the pelvis and consist of the iliacus and the psoas major and minor. The iliacus connects the side of the pelvis to the upper thigh bone. The psoas major and minor attach to the lower spine and insert on the thigh bone.

This muscle group helps the quadriceps flex the hip, giving them the name hip flexors. They also rotate the leg outward. In a plank, the iliopsoas muscles aid in pelvic stabilization.

Equipment

Bodyweight

Bodyweight

Requires bodyweight resistance and additional equipment for proper execution.

Variations

Exercises that target the same primary muscle groups and require the same equipment.

Sit-Up

Dead Bug

Plank

Mountain Climber

Hanging Leg Raise

V-Up

Flutter Kick

Scissor Kick

Plank Shoulder Tap

Leg Raise

Alternatives

Exercises that target the same primary muscle groups and require the different equipment.

Kneeling Cable Crunch

Standing Ab Wheel Rollout

Dumbbell V-Up

Kneeling Ab Wheel Rollout

Renegade Rows

Kettlebell Plank Drag

Who Should Do?

Athletes

One of the benefits of planks is that they help sports performance by improving core endurance and stability. One-arm planks target the entire core, and this variation also works on balance and stability.

Increasing core strength is beneficial to a range of sports. Core training can boost basketball players’ shooting percentages by improving coordination and balance. This training can also improve agility, jumping, and sprinting ability, benefiting a variety of athletes.

Enhancing core strength can increase the rotational force needed to swing a golf club or baseball bat. Research indicates improving core strength and stability may benefit golf swings.

Weightlifters

The one-arm plank is an efficient exercise for weightlifters as it builds core strength, endurance, and stability. The core helps the body maintain optimal alignment, reducing the risk of injury.

A study on novice Olympic weightlifters found that improving core endurance and balance aided in learning lifting techniques. Core strength was also associated with increases in muscle hypertrophy and clean and jerk strength in weightlifters. Core strength is connected to force production, so building core strength can help weightlifters safely progress their loads.

Who Should Not Do?

Those With A Shoulder Impingement

A shoulder impingement is when tissue becomes pinched inside the shoulder joint. This can cause pain and weakness in the affected arm, especially when the arm is raised. 

Excessive stress is not recommended for those with a shoulder impingement. Shoulder weight-bearing positions, like the one-arm plank, could cause excessive stress to an injured joint. 

In a one-arm plank, the elevated arm reaches behind the body. This position causes the shoulder to internally rotate, which could aggravate the condition.

Those With Thoracic Aortic Disease

Thoracic aortic disease is caused by a weak section in the upper heart that can lead to swollen blood vessels. The vessels have a risk of rupturing, causing life-threatening complications.

Exercise recommendations for this condition include keeping exercise intensity below 40%–50% of one repetition maximum. One-arm planks are a challenging full-body exercise that could be too strenuous for this condition.

Those with thoracic aortic disease should avoid isometric exercises, which work the muscle without the muscle changing in length. Planks are an isometric exercise, making them unsuitable for this population.

Benefits Of The One-Arm Plank

Improves Core Strength

The core consists of the mid-section muscles that run all the way around the trunk. To build equalized core strength, the core muscles on all sides need to be sufficiently worked. Planks activate all the core muscles in a single exercise.

Targeting the obliques, rectus abdominis, and erector spinae in the back, planks are efficient at building balanced strength. The one-arm variation incorporates balance, increasing core activation. This enhances the core strengthening potential of the exercise.

Aids In Blood Pressure Management

The one-arm plank is an isometric exercise. Research indicates that isometric training can have a positive effect on blood pressure. In an eight-week study, adults performing isometric exercises experienced a decrease in resting blood pressure.

When compared with aerobic exercise and traditional resistance training, isometric training had a bigger effect on blood pressure. It also showed a more significant reduction in resting blood pressure in comparison to high-intensity interval training.

Increases Shoulder Stability

The shoulder joint is one of the most unstable and vulnerable joints in the body. Poor shoulder stability can increase the risk of injury, especially in athletes performing overhead arm movements. Plank exercises strengthen the anterior deltoid and the serratus anterior, which play a role in shoulder stabilization.

Building strength in the anterior deltoid improves stability at the front of the shoulder joint. Strengthening the serratus anterior improves shoulder blade alignment, in turn improving shoulder mechanics.
There is a link between core stability and shoulder impingement syndrome. This shoulder condition is more prevalent in those with poor core stability. Core strengthening exercises, like the one-arm plank, can positively impact shoulder health.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are plank jacks good for?

Plank jacks are a full-body exercise. The sideways movement of the legs increases glute activation compared to a regular plank. The impact of the jacks can also enhance cardiovascular fitness.

How long should I do plank jacks?

Plank jack duration depends on fitness level and training goals. Beginners may start with 20 seconds, while experienced plankers can try 30–60 second bouts. Those focusing on endurance should aim for 60–90 seconds.

What is the hardest plank position?

Plank variations that incorporate a balance component significantly intensify the exercise. Some advanced plank variations include Swiss ball planks, bird dog planks, and suspended planks.

Do plank jacks improve agility?

Increasing core strength can improve agility. Plyometrics (explosive) and lateral movements also help agility. Plank jacks strengthen the core, plus have high impact and sideways motion components.

Resources

Endomondo.com refrains from utilizing tertiary references. We uphold stringent sourcing criteria and depend on peer-reviewed studies and academic research conducted by medical associations and institutions. For more detailed insights, you can explore further by reading our editorial process.

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