I Did The Copenhagen Plank Every Day For A Month—You Won’t Believe What Happened

With an ever-evolving fitness landscape, it’s often hard to keep up with new exercises and training methods. Despite their many benefits, some exercises always go undetected. The Copenhagen plank is one of them. 

Popularized by the FC Copenhagen soccer team, it uses a similar position to the side plank but a raised leg. This shifts the primary focus onto the hip adductors, with the core playing a secondary role. 

I must admit that I didn’t know what this variation was. I’m aware of the benefits of planks, but not this variation. 

Because of the success of my last challenge performing an unknown exercise, I decided to dive in. My goal was to discover the benefits and have fun doing it. 

I wanted to perform the Copenhagen plank nearly every day for a month. I decided to start at 30 seconds and see how much longer I could hold it.  Let’s see what happens!

Copenhagen Planking For 30 Days — What Happened

Here’s what happened after performing this versatile plank variation. I’ve documented each week, giving my thoughts and feelings below. 

Week 1

In week one, my main goal is to try the new variation and see how I find it. I’ve set a target of performing three sets of 30-second holds for five days a week. To ensure more flexibility, I’ll make sure I do five days a week rather than using set days. 

Because I’m always traveling, I’ll have to find raised surfaces wherever I am. Luckily, most chairs are at the perfect height, and I can find them everywhere. 

It took me a couple of sets to get the movement down to start with. I’m finding it strange keeping my legs apart as I’m used to the side plank. However, I can really feel my adductors working! 

To me, it’s kind of like a movement that combines the side plank benefits with some added extras. What a great exercise.

I managed to get all sets at 30 seconds but definitely struggled to maintain my form towards the end. I’ll keep the volume the same and really focus on the technique cues and mind-muscle connection for week two. 

Week 2

After a well-deserved rest over the weekend, it’s time to begin week two. I feel refreshed, and my hip adductors and abs feel well-recovered. Let’s start with the same volume and see what happens throughout the week. 

Okay, so midway through the week, I’ve gotten more used to the general movement. I feel more confident holding the position, so I will keep everything as is for now. 

Because I’m getting used to it, I’ll probably try a higher height in week three before upping the volume. 

Throughout the week, I used chairs, park benches, and coffee tables. You name it, I used it! It’s just one of the many things that make this exercise so versatile. While it doesn’t exactly vary the movement, it feels like it does, which is increasing my enjoyment.

At the end of the week, I’ve decided that I’m going to go a little higher in week three. Only a small increase but I imagine it will be harder. For me, increasing my intensity like this is a great way to progressively overload my training. 

Week 3

At the start of week three, we’re halfway through the challenge. When using a chair or a similar raised surface, I’ve added some clothes on top to artificially raise the height. This allows more freedom over what I used rather than trying to find the exact height. 

I found it harder, but I love that all it took was adding some clothes. It really is such an easy exercise to modify. 

The higher height was tough but my stronger thighs and core muscles started to pull through. At three weeks in, I’m starting to see a difference in their strength and function. I would say this is because I’ve progressively increased the exercise intensity. 

In week four, it’s time to increase the duration to see how far I can push it. I’ll go back to the normal height and go for three sets of 45 seconds. 

Week 4

At the start of week four, I feel ready to increase the duration. I’m more confident with the movement. I feel stronger, and I’m ready for the new challenge. 

The 45-second holds were a challenge, but I felt strong enough to do them. The first few days have gone by and I’ve had no issues so far. My shoulders did start to rotate forward a little towards the end, but I quickly corrected this. 

In the middle of the week, I decided to go play basketball with some new friends I met traveling. To my surprise, my movement felt great. I felt like I was changing direction quicker and could maintain my balance more when fighting for the ball.

What a great benefit of performing this interesting variation!

At the end of the week, I’ve successfully completed the challenge. I did three sets of 45-second holds for five days and noticed some great benefits from doing it. 

Overall, I would say that this challenge was a huge success. I learned something new and improved along the way.

Results And Key Changes

Some of the benefits I noticed really surprised me. Here are the main ones and why they matter to me. 

I Developed Stronger Inner Thighs

The primary movers are the hip adductors. They keep the working leg in a straight position to prevent your hips from dipping down. 

Most training routines tend to neglect them. While you may work them, they don’t tend to give enough of a meaningful stimulus for huge strength gains. This can lead to lower back pain if it’s not properly addressed.

After a month of the Copenhagen plank, my squat felt stronger. Granted, I used mainly heavy items I could find while traveling, but I felt stronger nonetheless. 

When squatting down, my hip position felt more stable at the bottom. My stronger adductors kept my hips from shifting sideways. This allowed me to maintain a more stable position and focus on activating my quads. 

Having stronger thighs will undoubtedly also improve my core stability, posture, and performance. So a win all around when you consider the multiple benefits.

My Core Stability Got Better

I know that the Copenhagen plank is primarily a hip adductor exercise. However, the core muscles play an important secondary role. These include the transverse abdominis, rectus abdominis, obliques, and erector spinae. 

This can definitely be included as a core strengthening exercise. 

Performing the movement properly still requires the correct core engagement. As secondary movers, I could feel my core working to maintain the raised side position. Using this as another core strengthening exercise helped to improve my core stability. 

As you should know, core stability is essential for posture, injury prevention, and movement efficiency in sports and daily life. Improving this should help to improve these aspects as well. 

I Felt Improvements In My Sports Performance

While I’m not a high-level sports performer, I enjoy playing recreational sports in the different places I travel. Common examples include football and basketball. When doing this, I understand the importance of every muscle working together as one unit. 

The hip adductors help to stabilize movement and ensure correct movement patterns. This is the case during weighted exercises and everyday activities. 

Adding the Copenhagen plank to my routine definitely improved my change of direction and balance. I felt the difference when playing basketball for sure. My movement and foot placements were more stable. 

With this, it seems that core strength and stability training can improve aspects of sports performance. How much this translates into performance differences is yet to be determined. 

I would say that this would also improve any daily movement. For example, running for the bus or getting up from the floor. 

Choosing between planks vs. crunches for my sports performance routine isn’t that simple. Because of this, I can include both of them! 

I Liked How Easy They Were To Modify

Being able to adapt exercises to your needs and ability level is an important part of training. It helps to improve progress, reduce injury risk, and make the exercise more enjoyable. 

A great feature of the Copenhagen plank is how adaptable it is. Partial elevations that keep your knees on the floor can be used to reduce the difficulty. I increased the difficulty of the challenge by raising the hold height slightly.  

If I wanted to use other ways to progressively overload my training, I could extend the hold time. Alongside this, I could even add a band underneath with the right anchor point. 

This adaptability gave me the freedom and confidence that I would make good progress. It also meant that I knew I would be able to challenge myself throughout.  

I Felt More Comfortable Maintaining My Posture

Posture is an important part of everyday life and performance. It ensures a stable body position when still and during movement. Even when seated, our posture keeps us upright to reduce lower back strain. 

The core is well-known to play key roles in posture. However, the hip adductors also play a vital part. They aid pelvis movement, which controls spinal positioning.

Performing the Copenhagen plank helped me to be more aware of my pelvis position when seated and standing. This naturally forced me to stand up straighter and, therefore, assume a better posture. 

I’m trying to focus on key postural movements, so this was a welcome benefit for me. 

How To Do A Copenhagen Plank 

Follow these steps to perform the Copenhagen plank using the same form as I did. These technique cues ensure targeted muscle activation and safe performance. 

How To Do

1. Set up next to a suitable raised surface. A flat gym bench is a perfect option. A padded area or gym mat set to the side of the bench can improve user comfort. 
2. Lie on the left side of your body next to the raised surface. Your feet should be close to the bench, with the side of the bench just in front of you.
3. Assume a side plank position with your left elbow resting on the floor. Your left shoulder should be directly over your elbow with your forearm pointing in front. Place your right foot on top of the bench. There should be a straight line from your head to your heels. 
4. Engage your core as you press through your right foot to lift your hips off the ground. Your left leg should be in a straight position, dangling underneath. 
5. Hold the straight body position for the stated time. 
6. Switch to the other side, using the same technique cues as above.  

Tips

• Keep Your Core Engaged — Your core plays a key role in maintaining a straight body position. Ensure it stays engaged throughout the hold while maintaining a controlled breathing pattern. 
• Avoid Rotating Your Shoulders — A common mistake is rotating your shoulders forward when struggling to maintain the position. Focus on keeping your upper body in line with your torso. 
• Use A Suitable Raised Surface — The height of the raised surface changes the exercise difficulty. The height of a flat bench provides a perfect starting point. 
• Change The Variation If Needed — Perform on your knees if the straight version is too difficult. Raise the surface height to increase the difficulty. 

Final Thoughts

Like me, most of you probably didn’t know what the Copenhagen plank was until reading this article. After performing it for a month, I can safely say that I’ll remember it. 

Alongside building stronger hip adductors, it helped to improve aspects of my sports performance, core stability, and posture. 

These are all important things to me. Because of this, I’m going to try to do more of them now that the challenge is over.

Have a go for yourself and see what you think. You’ll probably be surprised at the challenge they offer! 

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