Copenhagen Plank (Short)
The Elite Hockey Drills app builds drills like this into your personalized off-ice program, week by week. Your first week is free.
How to Do It
Lie on your side with the top leg’s lower shin or knee resting on a bench, forearm under the shoulder on the floor. Lift the hips so the body forms a straight line, supported by the forearm and the bench, the bottom leg hovering or lightly assisting. Squeeze the top-leg inner thigh to hold. Hold for the prescribed time, then switch sides.
Why It Works
Loads the top-leg adductors isometrically as they support the hips against gravity, while the lateral core resists side-bending; the short lever (knee/shin on bench) reduces the load, building adductor and lateral-core strength safely.
Hockey Transfer
Directly strengthens the adductors that power and stabilize the skating stride and resist the groin strains common in hockey; the lateral-core demand supports staying stacked over an edge.
Coaching Cues
- "Squeeze the top inner thigh"
- "hips high, body in a line"
- "don’t let the hips sag"
Common Mistakes
Hips sagging toward the floor; rotating the torso; relying on the bottom leg
Progression / Regression
lengthen the lever (foot on bench) or add a hold/load
shorter hold or bottom leg assists more
Primary Muscles
Energy System
Strength/neural (isometric)
Put it to work
on the ice.
The Elite Hockey Drills app builds exercises like this into a personalized off-ice program — created by a sport scientist and former national-team coach. Your first week is free.
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