Core · Bodyweight
Side Plank March
How to do the side plank march, the muscles it works, and the mistakes to avoid. Pulled straight from the Kovo app's exercise library.
- Equipment
- Bodyweight
- Difficulty
- Intermediate
- Logged as
- Reps
- Movement
- Isometric
- Mechanic
- Isolation
How to do it
Set up in a side plank with your elbow under your shoulder and body in a straight line. Holding the plank, lift your top leg up and down in a marching motion without letting your hips drop. Complete your reps, then switch sides.
- 1Your bottom-side obliques fighting to keep your hips lifted
- 2Your top glute driving the leg up on each march
- 3A stable torso with no twisting as the leg moves
Common mistakes
- Letting your hips sag toward the floor between reps
- Collapsing into your support shoulder
- Rotating your torso instead of keeping it square
Muscles worked
The side plank march mainly works the obliques and lower abs, with the upper abs, glutes, side delts, and hip flexors assisting.
- ObliquesPrimary
- Lower AbsPrimary
- Upper AbsSupport
- GlutesSupport
- Side DeltsSupport
- Hip FlexorsSupport
- Upper TrapsMinor
- QuadsMinor
- HamstringsMinor
- Front DeltsMinor
- AdductorsMinor
Kovo programs the side plank march for you and tracks it every session.
We build your whole program, drop the right lifts into each workout, and adjust your weights as you get stronger. Free on iOS and Android.
More abs & core exercises
- How to do the ab wheel rollout
- How to do the ankle tap plank
- How to do the ankle taps
- How to do the resistance band dead bugs
- How to do the resistance band pallof press
- How to do the rollout
Last reviewed June 2026.