10 Best Bodyweight Incline Side Plank Alternatives for Core Strength
If the Bodyweight Incline Side Plank causes pain or you lack an incline surface, use other bodyweight moves that stress the obliques and lateral chain. Try a standard side plank (stack feet, elbow under shoulder) or side plank hip dips. Keep ribs down and pelvis stacked to engage the obliques.
Original Exercise: Bodyweight Incline Side Plank
How to Perform Bodyweight Incline Side Plank
- Start by lying on your side with your legs extended and stacked on top of each other.
- Place your forearm on the ground directly below your shoulder, with your elbow bent at a 90-degree angle.
- Engage your core and lift your hips off the ground, creating a straight line from your head to your feet.
- Hold this position for the desired amount of time.
- Lower your hips back down to the ground and repeat on the other side.
Best Bodyweight Incline Side Plank Alternatives
1. Exercise Ball Pull-In
82.7% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Place an exercise ball nearby and lay on the floor in front of it with your hands on the floor shoulder width apart in a push-up position.
- Now place your lower shins on top of an exercise ball. Tip: At this point your legs should be fully extended with the shins on top of the ball and the upper body should be in a push-up type of position being supported by your two extended arms in front of you. This will be your starting position.
- While keeping your back completely straight and the upper body stationary, pull your knees in towards your chest as you exhale, allowing the ball to roll forward under your ankles. Squeeze your abs and hold that position for a second.
- Now slowly straighten your legs, rolling the ball back to the starting position as you inhale.
- Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions.
2. Bridge - Mountain Climber (cross Body)
78.2% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Start in a high plank position with your hands directly under your shoulders and your body in a straight line.
- Engage your core and lift your right foot off the ground, bringing your right knee towards your left elbow.
- Return your right foot to the starting position and repeat the movement with your left foot towards your right elbow.
- Continue alternating sides, moving at a controlled pace.
- Keep your hips level and avoid lifting your hips too high or sagging them too low.
3. Bottoms-up
75.9% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Lie flat on your back with your legs extended and your arms by your sides.
- Bend your knees and bring them towards your chest, keeping your feet off the ground.
- Engaging your abs, lift your hips off the ground, bringing your knees towards your head.
- Pause for a moment at the top, then slowly lower your hips back down to the starting position.
- Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
4. Ab Roller
72% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Hold the Ab Roller with both hands and kneel on the floor.
- Now place the ab roller on the floor in front of you so that you are on all your hands and knees (as in a kneeling push up position). This will be your starting position.
- Slowly roll the ab roller straight forward, stretching your body into a straight position. Tip: Go down as far as you can without touching the floor with your body. Breathe in during this portion of the movement.
- After a pause at the stretched position, start pulling yourself back to the starting position as you breathe out. Tip: Go slowly and keep your abs tight at all times.
5. Advanced Kettlebell Windmill
71.3% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Clean and press a kettlebell overhead with one arm.
- Keeping the kettlebell locked out at all times, push your butt out in the direction of the locked out kettlebell. Keep the non-working arm behind your back and turn your feet out at a forty-five degree angle from the arm with the kettlebell.
- Lower yourself as far as possible.
- Pause for a second and reverse the motion back to the starting position.
6. Decline Sit-up
71% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Lie on a decline bench with your feet secured and your knees bent.
- Place your hands behind your head or across your chest.
- Engage your abs and lift your upper body off the bench, curling forward towards your knees.
- Pause for a moment at the top, then slowly lower your upper body back down to the starting position.
- Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
7. Butt-ups
69.7% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Lie flat on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the ground.
- Place your hands by your sides, palms facing down.
- Engaging your abs, lift your legs off the ground, bringing your knees towards your chest.
- At the top of the movement, squeeze your abs and pause for a moment.
- Slowly lower your legs back down to the starting position.
8. Bent-Knee Hip Raise
68.9% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Lay flat on the floor with your arms next to your sides.
- Now bend your knees at around a 75 degree angle and lift your feet off the floor by around 2 inches.
- Using your lower abs, bring your knees in towards you as you maintain the 75 degree angle bend in your legs. Continue this movement until you raise your hips off of the floor by rolling your pelvis backward. Breathe out as you perform this portion of the movement. Tip: At the end of the movement your knees will be over your chest.
- Squeeze your abs at the top of the movement for a second and then return to the starting position slowly as you breathe in. Tip: Maintain a controlled motion at all times.
- Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions.
9. Dead Bug
68.7% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Lie flat on your back with your arms extended towards the ceiling.
- Bend your knees and lift your legs off the ground, creating a 90-degree angle at your hips and knees.
- Engage your core and lower back to press your lower back into the ground.
- Slowly lower your right arm and left leg towards the ground, keeping them straight and hovering just above the floor.
- Pause for a moment, then return to the starting position.
10. Decline Reverse Crunch
68.3% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Lie on your back on a decline bench and hold on to the top of the bench with both hands. Don't let your body slip down from this position.
- Hold your legs parallel to the floor using your abs to hold them there while keeping your knees and feet together. Tip: Your legs should be fully extended with a slight bend on the knee. This will be your starting position.
- While exhaling, move your legs towards the torso as you roll your pelvis backwards and you raise your hips off the bench. At the end of this movement your knees will be touching your chest.
- Hold the contraction for a second and move your legs back to the starting position while inhaling.
- Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions.
Why You Might Need a Bodyweight Incline Side Plank Alternative
You might substitute the Bodyweight Incline Side Plank due to shoulder or neck irritation, limited access to an elevated surface, or to target a different difficulty level. Alternatives let you maintain anti-lateral-flexion and anti-rotation demand on the obliques and transverse abdominis while reducing undesirable lumbar shear. For example, a floor side plank shifts load distribution; cue: align elbow under shoulder and press the top hip up to keep the spine neutral. Choosing a regression (kneeling side plank) or progression (side plank leg raise) preserves the same movement pattern—lateral stabilization—while matching your mobility and pain thresholds.
How to Choose the Right Substitute
Select a substitute based on pain, training goal, and progression pathway. For rehab or shoulder pain, pick a kneeling side plank to reduce shoulder torque; cue: keep the ribs pulled toward the pelvis and avoid shoulder protraction. For core-strength goals, use a full side plank with slow hip dips to increase time under tension and train eccentric control of the external oblique. If you need more hip abduction work, choose side-lying leg raises to engage gluteus medius along the lateral chain. Progress by lengthening the lever (stacked feet to leg raise) or adding controlled tempo.
Frequently Asked Questions
What muscles does Bodyweight Incline Side Plank work?
The move primarily targets the external and internal obliques and the transverse abdominis for lateral stability and anti-rotation. It also recruits the quadratus lumborum and gluteus medius to maintain pelvic alignment; brace the core by pulling the ribcage toward the pelvis to maximize oblique activation.
What is the best bodyweight alternative to Bodyweight Incline Side Plank?
A standard side plank on the floor is the most direct bodyweight alternative because it preserves the lateral stability demand. Execute with stacked feet, elbow under the shoulder, hips lifted, and squeeze the glutes to keep a straight line from shoulder to ankle.
Can I build muscle without doing Bodyweight Incline Side Plank?
Yes. You can develop the obliques and lateral chain using progressive variations like longer holds, added lever length (leg raises), or dynamic reps (slow hip dips) to increase time under tension. Consistent overload through increased duration, reps, or harder variations drives hypertrophy without that specific incline variation.
More Exercise Alternatives
Find Alternatives for Any Exercise
Use our free tool to discover the best substitute exercises based on your available equipment and goals.
Try the Exercise Substitution Finder →