In this blog, I show you how to safely set up, perform, and program Copenhagen Planks, and provide you with progressions, regressions, and alternatives to help you meet your goals.
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Adductors Anatomy & Function
First, a quick review of anatomy.
Located on the inside of the thigh, the adductors consist of 3 muscles – the adductor magnus, the adductor brevis, and the adductor longus, which is the most commonly injured.
In a non-weight bearing position, all three muscles bring the leg toward midline, known as adduction.
In a weight bearing position, they are considered stabilizers of the pelvis during walking, running, and various sporting activities.
The adductors have additional functions at the hip as well. For example, the adductor longus contributes to flexion when the hip is extended and extension when the hip is flexed. The adductor magnus is also one of the primary hip extensors during a squat.
Copenhagen planks, which challenge the hip adduction action of the groin muscles, are usually performed with the intention of preventing injuries, such as a strain of the adductor longus.
How To Set Up Copenhagen Planks
To set up for Copenhagen planks, you only need two things:
- A comfortable surface for your forearm.
- A place to support your leg, like a chair, bench, barbell, smith machine, or something similar.
The top of a Copenhagen plank should look similar to a side plank except your feet will be elevated instead of on the ground.
If you’re using a hard surface to support your leg, I recommend using padding for comfort.
Copenhagen planks can also be done with a partner holding your top leg, which is particularly helpful if you’re involved in team sports.
However, the emphasis here will be home and gym-based demonstrations.
How To Perform Copenhagen Planks
To perform the Copenhagen plank, lift your hips off the floor until your body forms a straight line and your legs come together.
A top-down view should also reveal a straight line from your head to your feet.
Slowly lower back down, tap the floor, and repeat. Do not rest on the ground between repetitions.
Bend the bottom knee if you’re using an object that prevents you from straightening your leg, such as a couch or plyo box.
To make the exercise harder, you can either:
- Increase the range of motion by further elevating your top leg.
- Hold a light weight on your hip and increase the weight over time.
Copenhagen planks can also be performed isometrically, in which you just hold the top position for a set duration of time.
To make the exercise easier, perform the movement with your top leg bent, so you are supporting your weight with the inside of your thigh near your knee.
Once again, these can be completed for repetitions or held for time.
Research
Before discussing alternatives to Copenhagen planks and how to program them into your training routine, I want to briefly touch on the research as it relates to injury prevention and rehab.
Two studies have demonstrated that lower hip adductor strength increases the risk of injury.
It is unsurprising then that a study by Haroy et al in 2019 found that incorporating a simple adductor strengthening program substantially reduced the prevalence and risk of groin problems in male football players.
This is likely associated with the increases in eccentric hip adduction strength caused by Copenhagen planks.
For those familiar with Nordic Hamstring Curls, the theoretical basis is similar – think of Copenhagen planks as causing the adductors to get stronger and longer.
How To Program Copenhagen Planks
As highlighted by Ishoi and Thorborg in 2021, there is a dose-response relationship between training volume and strength gains. This means that a greater number of repetitions during a 6-8 week training program leads to greater changes in eccentric hip adduction strength.
The paper by Haroy et al in 2019 had athletes build up to 1 set of 12-15 repetitions, 3 times per week over the course of 6 weeks before tapering off in preparation for in-season competition. The researchers did not measure eccentric hip adductor strength in this study, but the total volume matches that of Haroy et al in 2017 which did demonstrate an increase in eccentric hip adductor strength.
A paper by Ishoi et al in 2016, which had the highest total volume of all the protocols and showed one of the greatest increases in strength, had athletes work up to 3 sets of 15 repetitions, 2 times per week over the course of 8 weeks.
What does this mean for programming?
If you want to increase your eccentric hip adduction strength and decrease your risk of injury, you should likely build up to 1-3 sets of 12-15 repetitions, 2-3 times per week over the course of 8 weeks.
If you’re less concerned about specific adaptations or trying to reduce the risk of groin injury because you just want to include Copenhagen planks as part of your regular gym program, it’s reasonable to perform 2-3 sets of 6-15 repetitions, 2-3 times per week.
Either way, you want to make sure each repetition is slow and controlled.
If you’re performing isometrics, aim for 15-60 second holds depending on the difficulty for you. They should be hard!
Copenhagen Plank Alternatives & Additions
If you’re interested in alternatives or regressions for adductor strengthening, there are a lot of options that I’ll separate based on position.
In a seated position, you can use the seated hip adduction machine or squeeze an object isometrically for a set duration of time.
If you’re lying on your back, you can squeeze an object between your knees or ankles.
In side lying, you can do leg lifts with bodyweight or add resistance in the form of an ankle weight.
While standing, you can perform hip adduction with a band or cable around your ankle.
You can also perform a sliding hip abduction/adduction maneuver, which is extremely challenging and should be completed with your hands for assistance.
If you have access to a Roman chair, you can do side bends with an emphasis on the inside leg, with or without weight.
If you’re recovering from an injury or just want to be as comprehensive in your training as possible, remember that the adductors play a pivotal role in flexion and extension of the hip, so it’s important to include squats, split squats, step ups, etc., as well as hip flexor focused exercises.
Lastly, if you intend to play sports, don’t forget to slowly ramp up your kicking, sprinting, and cutting!
Looking for rehab or performance programs? Check out our store here!
Want to learn more? Check out some of our other similar blogs:
How To Perform Nordic Hamstring Curls, How To Perform Reverse Nordics, How To Grow Your Glutes
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