Side Plank Pose with Right Hand Grab

How to do Side Plank Pose with Right Hand Grab

1. 1Begin in a solid Plank Pose with your wrists stacked beneath your shoulders and your core active.
2. 2Shift your weight onto your left hand and roll onto the outer edge of your left foot, stacking your right foot on top.
3. 3Press firmly into your left palm and engage your bottom side waist to lift your hips into a strong Side Plank.
4. 4Draw your right knee toward your chest and hook your right big toe with your right index and middle fingers.
5. 5Extend your right leg straight up toward the ceiling, pressing actively through your heel while keeping your hips elevated.
6. 6Rotate your chest open and, if balance permits, gently turn your gaze up toward your right foot.
7. 7Hold for several smooth, rhythmic breaths, keeping the supporting shoulder broad and stable.
8. 8Exhale to release the toe hold with control, lower your right leg, and return to Plank Pose before repeating on the other side.

Benefits

• Builds substantial strength in the supporting wrist, arm, and shoulder girdle.
• Fires and tones the obliques, transverse abdominis, and quadratus lumborum.
• Deeply lengthens the hamstrings, adductors, and calves of the elevated leg.
• Strengthens the lateral hip stabilizers to support pelvic balance.
• Refines whole-body proprioception, balance, and mental endurance.
• Expands the chest and ribcage to promote full, open breathing.

Common mistakes and cues

• Sagging hips

  Lift actively through the bottom oblique and press the floor away so the pelvis does not collapse downward.

• Collapsing into the shoulder

  Keep the supporting arm firmly engaged and collarbones wide to avoid dumping dead weight into the shoulder joint.

• Rolling backward

  Stack the top hip directly over the bottom hip rather than leaning backward to force the leg higher.

• Locking the standing elbow

  Maintain a micro-bend in the supporting arm to recruit stabilizing muscles and protect the elbow joint.

• Forcing the toe reach

  Use a strap around the foot if your torso rounds forward or hips drop when reaching for the toe.

Modifications and props

• Strap assistance

  Loop a yoga strap around the ball of your lifted foot to maintain spinal length without overreaching.

• Bottom knee down

  Place your bottom knee on the mat directly beneath your hip to provide a stable base for the leg extension.

• Tree variation

  Place the sole of your top foot against your bottom inner thigh in a side-plank Tree shape instead of extending the leg.

• Forearm base

  Lower onto your bottom forearm to remove wrist pressure while continuing to challenge your core and hip flexibility.

Cautions

• Wrist sprains or carpal tunnel

  Avoid bearing full body weight on the hand; practice the forearm variation instead.

• Rotator cuff issues

  Refrain from elevating the top leg if you experience sharp pain or weakness in the supporting shoulder.

• Hamstring injuries

  Do not force the lifted leg straight if you are recovering from proximal hamstring tendinopathy.

If you are working with an injury, pregnancy or a medical condition, check with a qualified professional before practising this pose.

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