Anti Rotation Core Workout: 3 Day Plan
Train the core to resist twisting: unilateral planks, bird dog progressions and hip stability across three sessions a week. Bodyweight only.
- Days per week
- 3
- Session length
- 38–41 min
- Exercises
- 21
- Level
- Intermediate
- Equipment
- No equipment
Your week
- MonDay 1 · Foundations & Bracing
- TueRest
- WedDay 2 · Lateral Chain & Unilateral Control
- ThuRest
- FriDay 3 · Dynamic Anti-Rotation
- SatRest
- SunRest
Free on iPhone and Android, or adjust it in the web planner
The workouts
Day 1 — Foundations & Bracing
Establish strong bracing and lateral stability with controlled plank and contralateral patterns.
About 40 minutes · 7 exercises| # | Demo | Exercise | Sets × Reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Side PlankRest 60s | 3 × 30s | 60s | |
| 2 | Bird DogRest 60s | 3 × 12 | 60s | |
| 3 | Dead BugRest 60s | 3 × 12 | 60s | |
| 4 | Front Plank with Arm LiftRest 60s | 3 × 10 | 60s | |
| 5 | Shoulder TapRest 60s | 3 × 20 | 60s | |
| 6 | Glute Bridge MarchRest 60s | 3 × 16 | 60s | |
| 7 | Hollow HoldRest 60s | 3 × 25s | 60s |
Day 2 — Lateral Chain & Unilateral Control
Progress unilateral stability and anti-rotation endurance.
About 38 minutes · 7 exercises| # | Demo | Exercise | Sets × Reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Side Bridge Hip AbductionRest 60s | 3 × 12 | 60s | |
| 2 | Side Plank Leg LiftRest 60s | 3 × 10 | 60s | |
| 3 | One Arm Front PlankRest 60s | 3 × 25s | 60s | |
| 4 | Bear PlankRest 60s | 3 × 30s | 60s | |
| 5 | Straight Leg Dead BugRest 60s | 3 × 10 | 60s | |
| 6 | Single Straight Leg Glute Bridge HoldRest 60s | 3 × 20s | 60s | |
| 7 | SupermanRest 60s | 3 × 25s | 60s |
Day 3 — Dynamic Anti-Rotation
Add dynamic challenges that resist rotation while moving the limbs.
About 41 minutes · 7 exercises| # | Demo | Exercise | Sets × Reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bear Plank KickbackRest 60s | 3 × 12 | 60s | |
| 2 | Front Plank Toe TapRest 60s | 3 × 20 | 60s | |
| 3 | Plank arm liftsRest 60s | 3 × 12 | 60s | |
| 4 | Front Plank with Arm and Leg LiftRest 75s | 3 × 8 | 75s | |
| 5 | Spider PlankRest 60s | 3 × 16 | 60s | |
| 6 | Bird Dog PlankRest 60s | 3 × 12 | 60s | |
| 7 | Side Bridge with Straight LegsRest 60s | 3 × 30s | 60s |
About this plan
Three sessions a week aimed at one job: keeping the trunk still while something tries to turn it. Three sets of everything, no equipment.
Day one runs side planks, bird dogs, dead bugs, plank arm lifts, shoulder taps, bridge marches and hollow holds. Day two escalates to side bridge hip abduction, side plank leg lifts, one-arm planks, bear planks, straight-leg dead bugs and single-leg bridge holds. Day three adds movement: bear plank kickbacks, plank toe taps, plank arm lifts, arm and leg lifts, spider planks and bird dog planks.
Anti-rotation is the least trained and most useful core quality. Every step you take is a small rotational challenge — one leg swings forward, the pelvis wants to follow, and something has to stop it. Carrying a bag on one shoulder, pressing a dumbbell single-handed, throwing anything: all rotational, all requiring the trunk to refuse.
The shoulder tap at twenty reps on day one is the simplest test in the plan. In a plank, lift one hand and touch the opposite shoulder. If your hips swing, you have found your ceiling — narrow your feet to make it harder, widen them to make it easier.
One-arm planks on day two are a large jump. Take an arm away and the load on the remaining side roughly doubles, which is why the obliques are listed as the target rather than the rectus abdominis. Build up with short holds rather than chasing a time.
The glute bridge work is not a change of subject. The glutes and the deep trunk control the pelvis together, and anti-rotation strength with weak glutes tends to leak at the hip.
Train this plan in the app
LoadMuscle carries all 3 routines with a demo for every exercise, and logs your sets as you go, so next session you can see what to beat. Free on iPhone and Android. Want something built around your own schedule and equipment instead? Try the free workout planner.
