Side Planks are Underrated
- drangielynpt
- Apr 21
- 2 min read
🧠Why Side Planks on the Knees Are Great for Glute Medius Strength 🦵
Side planks are more than just a core exercise, they’re powerful for activating the gluteus medius, a muscle that plays a huge role in hip stability, knee alignment, and pelvic control during walking, running, and everyday movement.
đź“Ś What research says:
🔬 Glute medius activation:
Electromyography (EMG) studies quantify the gold standard for measuring muscle activity. Studies consistently show that side-plank variations (especially when the hip is the main focus) produce high levels of gluteus medius activation, which is needed to effectively strengthen the muscle (above ~70% of maximal voluntary contraction).
👉 In fact, side plank with hip abduction is one of the top exercises for glute med activation. It ranks equal or even higher compared to other common rehab exercises like single-leg squats and clamshells.
💪 Bend those knees you say?!!? Here’s why it helps:When you place your bottom knee on the ground in a side plank, you reduce load on the low back and shoulder without losing the benefit to the hip muscles. This makes the exercise more accessible and still effective at recruiting the glute med. Many clinicians skip this variation early in rehabilitation or strength programs. However, it lets you focus on controlled pelvic stability and hip activation before progressing to full side planks.
đź“Ť Glute medius matters because:
It helps keep the pelvis level when you stand on one leg (like walking or running).
Strong glute med helps prevent “knees going in”, a common contributor to knee pain.
Weak glute med is often seen in hip, knee, persistent low back pain, and even early onset ankle fatigue. So targeting it matters for both performance and pain prevention.
đź’ˇ How to cue a side plank on your knees effectively:
Keep ribs stacked over hips, hips lifted forward (think if you have two flashlights on your hip bones and you want to keep them facing forward)
Think about pushing your bottom knee into the ground to lift your hips up towards the ceilingÂ
Still not feeling it the way you think you should? Schedule a form check with Dr. Angie Lyn.
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