A side plank with rotation starts as a side plank on one straight arm with your feet stacked. You reach your top arm up to the ceiling, then turn your chest toward the floor and reach that arm under your body, keeping your hips lifted, and turn back up again. It trains the muscles around your trunk to control a twist, while the supporting shoulder works hard to hold you up. It is a harder exercise, usually added once a steady side plank feels comfortable.

How to do the side plank with rotation

Lie on your side on a mat with your legs straight and your feet stacked. Place your bottom hand flat on the mat directly under your shoulder.
Push up until the elbow is straight and lift your hips so your body makes a straight line from your head to your feet.
Reach your top arm straight up toward the ceiling.
Keeping your hips lifted, slowly turn your chest toward the floor and reach the top arm under your body, as far as you can control.
Turn back to the side and reach up to the ceiling again. Repeat for the set, lower your hips to rest, then change sides.

What you should feel

Work along the side of your waist and hip nearest the mat and across your stomach, plus the shoulder and arm you are leaning on.

Common mistakes

Letting the hips drop toward the floor as you turn.
Swinging through the turn instead of moving under control.
Letting the supporting shoulder sink toward your ear.
Placing the supporting hand ahead of or too far out from the shoulder.

How often

Many programs start with 2 to 3 sets of 5 to 8 turns on each side, a few days a week. Stop the set as soon as your hips start to drop. Your physio will adjust this.

Stop and check with your physio if

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.
Pain in the wrist or shoulder you are leaning on, or that shoulder feels like it could slip out.
Sharp pain in your lower back, or back pain that builds as you go.
The shoulder feels as if it has slipped out of place, looks a different shape or suddenly locks so you cannot move the arm, or your hand turns cold, pale or blue. Go to an emergency department straight away, without driving yourself, and do not try to put the shoulder back in yourself.

From the clinic

The voice guide mentions resting on your forearm and does not describe the turn. The video shows the turn on a straight arm, and this page follows the video. Doing it on your forearm instead is a little easier on the wrist and shoulder. If you cannot yet hold a steady side plank for 20 to 30 seconds, build that first. Putting your top foot on the mat in front of the bottom one gives a wider base and makes the turn easier to control.

A plank of any kind puts heavy load through the stomach wall. If you are pregnant, have recently given birth, have had abdominal surgery or have a hernia, ask your physio or doctor before you plank. With high blood pressure, breathe steadily all the way through each hold and never hold your breath. If it is not well controlled, get your doctor's go-ahead before you start.

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.

If you have had shoulder surgery, a dislocation or a broken arm, check with your physio before you take your weight on one hand. The reach under your body twists and rounds the spine while it carries your weight. With low bone density (osteoporosis) or a past fracture in the spine, leave the turn out unless your physio has cleared it. A plain side plank is usually the better choice.

Holding your hips up also works the muscles at the side of the bottom hip, much like a side leg lift. If you have had a hip replacement or other hip surgery, get the go-ahead from your surgeon or physio before you try the side plank with rotation. Some operations limit this kind of work for the first months, so the timing depends on your surgery.

Written and checked by the PocketPhysio editorial team. Last updated 2026-09-28.

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.

Side plank with rotation