The reverse plank is a hold facing the ceiling. You sit with your legs straight, put your hands on the floor behind you and push your hips up until your body is straight from your shoulders to your heels. It works the back of your body, mainly the buttocks, the hamstrings and the muscles along the spine, while your arms and shoulders hold you up.

How to do the reverse plank

Sit on a mat with both legs straight in front of you.
Put your palms down on the floor a little behind your hips, about shoulder width apart, with your fingers pointing toward your feet.
Press down through your hands and heels and lift your hips until your body is straight from shoulders to heels. Your arms and legs stay straight.
Point your toes, squeeze your buttocks and draw your belly button in toward your spine.
Keep your head in line with your body, eyes toward the ceiling, and keep breathing as you hold. Then lower your hips to the mat with control.

What you should feel

Hard work in your buttocks, the backs of your thighs and your lower back, plus effort in your arms and the backs of your shoulders.

Common mistakes

Letting the hips sag toward the floor as you tire. Come down and rest instead.
Pushing the hips so high that your lower back arches.
Bending the elbows, or letting your shoulders creep up toward your ears.
Holding your breath.

How often

A common starting point is 2 to 4 holds of 10 to 30 seconds, with a short rest between, on 2 or 3 days each week. Your physio will adjust this.

Stop and check with your physio if

Pain in your wrists or at the front of your shoulders.
Sharp pain in your lower back or the backs of your thighs.
Chest pain or pressure, dizziness or feeling faint, a racing or irregular heartbeat, or being far more out of breath than the effort should cause.

From the clinic

In the video the head tips back to look at the ceiling. The voice guide also asks for a straight line from your head to your heels, so keep your chin slightly in and your head in line with your body. Your neck copes better with that while you hold. If a straight-leg hold is too hard, bend your knees with your feet flat to make a tabletop shape, or start with a glute bridge, which trains the same muscles lying on your back.

This position takes the shoulders backward while they carry your weight, and some painful or unstable shoulders do not like that. If you have shoulder or wrist problems, or have had surgery on either, check with your physio first. With high blood pressure or a heart condition, check with your doctor first, keep each hold brief and breathe steadily rather than holding your breath. If chest pain, pressure or tightness does not ease quickly when you rest, spreads to your arm, neck, jaw, stomach or back, or comes with sweating, feeling sick, feeling light-headed or being short of breath, call emergency services straight away, as this can be a heart attack. If it eases quickly and none of these happen, get medical advice the same day, and do not exercise again until you have been checked. If you faint while exercising, call emergency services, even if you feel fine again quickly.

Written and checked by the PocketPhysio editorial team. Last updated 2026-09-26.

This page is general education, not a diagnosis or a personal treatment plan. If you have pain, an injury or a health condition, see a physiotherapist or doctor before starting new exercises.

Reverse plank