Easier base, same oblique hold.
Push your hips up and forward, the bent knees make it kinder on your form.
Bending your knees shortens the lever, so your obliques hold the same straight-line position from knees to head with less total load. That makes it the right entry point for building side-plank time before graduating to stacked feet. The work is identical in kind, hips lifted and braced against collapse, just scaled to where you are.
Completely. Your obliques are doing the same anti-collapse job, just with a shorter lever. It is the standard starting point for anyone whose full side plank crumbles after a few seconds.
When you can hold the knee version with crisp form for around 45 to 60 seconds per side. Then switch to stacked feet and accept that your hold time will drop while you adapt.
One straight line from your knees through your hips to your head, forearm under your shoulder, hips pushed up and slightly forward. If your hips hang back or sag, the hold is not doing its job.
