How To Do A

Planche
Positioning, Progressions,
Variations, & FAQs
GMB Planche Guide All rights reserved. Brief
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CONTENTS

Contents 3
Introduction 4
What You Need to Know 6
Benefits 7
How to Train 7
Planche Fundamentals 9
Body Positioning 10
Tuck Planche Progressions 11
The Full Straddle Planche 12
Parallettes, Bands, & Partner Assistance 14
Advanced Planche Exploration 15
Programming for the Planche 17
How To Progress 17
Sample Workout Session 18
Common Questions & Concerns 21
Outroduction 24
INTRODUCTION

The planche is a move that demonstrates a high level of body strength

and control. Even those that arent well versed in bodyweight exercise
see it for the amazing feat that it is.

It should also be obvious that its not something you can just jump into.
You have to be aware of how to be properly prepared for the training and
the best way to go about it.

This move is not for everyone but if youve been working your
handbalancing and strength and have wanted to learn the planche, it is
definitely within your reach. You just need to practice smartly, be honest
with yourself about your current level of ability, and work towards the
skill patiently and consistently.

The progressions, variations, and positioning Ill show you below will
guide you the right way toward getting a planche.

Planche Guide 4
GMBs Public Service Announcement

Before we get into the nitty gritty, heres an obligatory PSA:

Were not doctors, and this guide and the suggestions included in it are
no substitute for being seen by a real-live professional in person.
If you havent been training due to a previous injury or physical
limitation, just be sure to get cleared by a doctor or physical therapist
before starting a training program.
And if you develop any ongoing aches and pains that dont seem to
improve with rest, make an appointment to see a professional as soon as
possible.

Okay?
Good, now lets continue.

Planche Guide 5
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

Before we jump into the tutorial portion of this article, theres some
general information you need to know about the planche.

This is a really cool skill that Id guess most people would love to be able
to do. But since the planche is quite advanced, I wouldnt recommend
that everyone out there train specifically for it right away. And there are
some people Id encourage to stay away from it completely.

The planche is not for you if:

You have a more pressing issue to work on, such as losing weight or
rehabbing an injury.
Your goals are more general, such as building strength.

Youre relatively new to hand balancing.

You have issues with wrist weakness or stiffness.

If you do fall under one of the above categories, all is not lost. Youll just
need to address those issues prior to beginning work on the planche.

So, for instance, if youre looking for a more generalized fitness program
or youre just getting started, our introductory course, Elements, is a
great option. Or if you have work to do on wrist and straight arm
strength, our programs Parallettes One and Parallettes Two will help
you out with that.

Planche Guide 6
Benefits

The planche is one of the most impressive bodyweight feats of strength

around. You wont find too many people able to do this.

But besides just a cool party trick, it will help you build incredible
straight arm strength, powerful shoulders, and crazy strong wrists. Even
at the easier levels of the planche like the open tuck planche you will
still have achieved impressive wrist, shoulder, and straight arm strength.

The training also carries over to help with other movements such as a
press to handstand, back levers and other hand balancing skills.

If you have the fundamental strength and flexibility to begin working the
planche, there are a lot of good reasons to incorporate the work into
your training.

How to Train

The planche is a difficult skill to work on, so I dont recommend just

tacking this work on to your regular training. It will have to be integrated
appropriately.

I obviously cant make recommendations in this context for your training

specifically without knowing exactly what you are doing, but I can make
general suggestions for how to structure planche work into your routine.

Dont do your planche work with other intensive straight arm work, such
as the iron cross or one arm handstand, in the same workout.

Planche Guide 7
You may be able to get away with that if you are more experienced and
have been training this type of work for a while but not if you are just
starting out on them. This is very intensive exercise and places a lot of
stress and strain on the tendons of the wrists, elbows and shoulders.

I suggest pairing exercises that work the back with your planche
training, such as a rowing movement like the reverse row sit back, or
front lever variations.

Its not necessarily just about being balanced in your training but also
giving areas of your body a break.

Well get into the tutorial portion of this post now, and Ill walk you
through how to specifically train for the planche. Youll see that there are
quite a few steps to follow to get to the planche, but dont get
overwhelmed. Just take it one step at a time, be consistent and patient,
and youll make great progress.

Planche Guide 8
PLANCHE FUNDAMENTALS

The training for the planche is best worked on gradually and patiently.
You cant force progress, but you can definitely force an injury and get set
back before youve even properly started.

Begin your training correctly, strengthen the body in specific ways, and
work toward the planche incrementally.

The position of the wrists, shoulders, and legs in the planche is quite
precarious, and could lead to strain or injury if you dont first understand
how to position yourself properly, so in the video below Ill go into detail
on proper body positioning for the planche.

Well then demonstrate how to work toward the tuck planche, which is
the first step to getting a full planche.

Click on the link below to see the planche fundamentals in detail.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8mnNpNZ88Oo

Planche Guide 9
Body Positioning

With more advanced progressions of the planche, some of the following

body position recommendations will change, but the basic positioning is
as follows:

Elbow pits facing forward.

Shoulders pulled down as you lean forward.

Fingers can be facing forward or out to the side, and you can elevate
the heel of the hands on padding or a small block if its more
comfortable.
Lock out your arms and push down into the ground.

You may notice I didnt even mention the legs here. Thats because the
leg position will change quite a bit with each progression.

Planche Guide 10
Tuck Planche Progressions

The tuck planche, also called the floating crane, is the first step youll
need to master, and the following will get you to the tuck planche and is
the start of your journey to the full planche.

Progression Instructions
Start in a basic plank position and lean your body forward
until your shoulders are in front of your wrists. Work on this
Basic Planche Lean
position with your toes curled under, as well as coming up
onto your toes.

Widen your legs so that they are in a straddle position on the

Straddle Planche Lean floor. Lean forward, keeping your toes on the ground.

Raising your feet onto a chair, box, or any other raised

Raised Planche Lean surface, repeat the instructions for #1.

Move your raised surface closer to your arms so that you can
Raised Planche Lean with Bent
bend your legs from the raised surface as you lean your body
Legs
forward.

Placing just your feet on a raised surface, tuck your knees

Crane with Raised Feet into your arms, so that you are in a supported crane position.

Now, you'll go into a full crane pose, with your knees

Full Crane Pose supported by your arms, and your feet up in the air.

From a crane position, practice taking one knee off your arm
Crane with One Floating Knee at a time. You can practice this on the parallettes if it is
easier or more comfortable.

Once you're comfortable with pulling one knee off your arms
Floating Crane (Tuck Planche) at a time, start to work on pulling both knees off, coming into
the floating crane pose.

Another way to work on getting into the tuck planche is to go

from the straddle planche lean and work on first lifting one
Straddle Planche Lean into Tuck
leg off the ground at a time, then tucking one knee into your
Planche
chest at a time, and finally, pulling both knees into the chest,
coming into that tuck planche.

Once youve worked up to the tuck planche, you can start working
towards the full straddle planche.

Planche Guide 11
THE FULL STRADDLE PLANCHE

Unlike the tuck planche, the steps to work up to the straddle planche are
a bit more fluid. The reason for this is that any of the following exercises
will help you work up to the full straddle planche.

Its a matter of preference and what exercise you find works best for you
and your body type. I would try them all and then choose two to focus on
at a time. Spend at least 3 weeks on those two, then switch them out for
others for another cycle.

Click here to see the full straddle planche variations and progression in
detail:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6snDOgFBBFA

Planche Guide 12
Heres a description of each of the variations included in the above video.

Progression Instructions

Straddle Open Tuck Hold Starting in the tuck planche, pull your knees apart and hold.

Tuck Push Back to Half From the tuck planche, push your knees apart and back into a half
Straddle straddle. Repeat.

Tuck Push Back to Open Start in a tuck planche, then move your knees back until they are
Tuck Planche floating in an open tuck planche.

Tuck Push Back to Single

From the tuck planche, push one leg back into a single leg planche.
Leg Planche

From the tuck, straighten the legs into a full straddle planche. You
Tuck Push Back to Straddle
can work on these with a pause, a longer hold, and/or repeats for
Planche
conditioning.

You should feel free to play with these variations, but remember to stay
with a couple of the variations for a few weeks before moving on.

Planche Guide 13
PARALLETTES, BANDS, & PARTNER ASSISTANCE

Theres a lot that can be done with the help of certain apparatus. Lets
take a look at some of the ways you can use parallettes, bands, or
partner assistance to help you out.

These are completely optional but many people feel these tools are
helpful in getting a feel for the position. If you have access to these
pieces of equipment and a good partner to help you, these can be a nice
addition to your planche training.

Click here to see these planche assistance exercises in detail:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qUGJHUmRpYc

Planche Guide 14
ADVANCED PLANCHE EXPLORATION

These advanced planche variations are beyond most recreational

bodyweight trainees, but its important to see where you can go with this
with enough time and dedication.

In the video our GMB Lead Trainer, Junior Vassiliou, demonstrates what
his training has led him to in this past year.

Click here to see the advanced planche exercises in detail:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wYWlie_g_js

Planche Guide 15
There are many other advanced variations but those included in this
video are:

Handstand Lower to Planche

Open Tuck Push Back to Single Leg Planche

Top Position Pull to Straddle Planche (on the parallettes or rings)

Floor Tuck Push Back to Straddle Planche (repeats)

Straddle L Pull Back to Straddle Planche (on parallettes)

Single Leg Tuck Pull to Single Leg Tuck Planche (on parallettes)
L-Sit Push Back to Full Planche

Planche Guide 16
PROGRAMMING FOR THE PLANCHE

As much practice as possible is ideal, but in the beginning of your

training, daily work will lead to burnout and injuries. Youll need to
gradually work up to higher volume and frequency of training.

I suggest spending at most 3 days a week. After 2 months of practice you

can add another day of training, and after about 4-5 months of consistent
work, youll understand enough about your body to be able to wave
intensity levels for daily practice in this training.

How To Progress

In the video above of the progressions working up to the tuck planche, I

like to structure my clients sessions like this:

Starting at the lowest level, work up to 5 sets of 20 seconds, resting

2-3 minutes between sets.

When you can perform an exercise with good form for those 5 sets of
20 seconds, go ahead and move on to the next level. It may seem
much harder than the previous level, but still workable. This may
sound a bit vague, but as you get more experienced in your training,
youll know what I mean.

Now, this doesnt mean you stay at that new level and just grind away at
it. Youll need to get more practice in, so I recommend working the
harder progression first then going down to the previous progression to
get some more practice in.

Planche Guide 17
This is much like drop sets in weight training where you work hard at
one weight, then decrease the weight to get more repetitions in.

Sample Workout Session

You are able to get the Raised Planche Lean with Bent Legs for 20
seconds for 5 sets.

Start your session by warming up with the Raised Planche Lean with
Bent Legs for 3 repetitions. A short hold for the first one, then a bit
longer for the second and then the third for 20 seconds.

Then move to the Crane with Raised Feet progression. You see that its
difficult but workable. Youll then perform this hold for sets of 3-5
seconds. Dont go to failure, but instead, stop before your form breaks
down. Do several sets of these (up to 8) at your predetermined hold time
(3 seconds is a good start when you are moving up a level).

Planche Guide 18
Dont do another set if your form breaks down so much you cant even
hold it a second. Its time to change it up.

Youll then go down a level, going back to the Raised Planche Lean with
Bent legs, and work those for 10 second holds for up to 5 sets. Youll be
fatigued by then, so dropping down to about half of what you can hold is
good, you may even need to hold it even less as you get to the fifth set.

Remember quality technique is key!

Dont sacrifice that just for a few more ugly seconds. Its not worth it and
you wont be any better for it.

If you still feel fresh you can drop down another level to the Raised
Planche Lean for a few more sets or try some assisted work with the p-
bars, bands, or a partner to finish up your workout. But if you feel like
youve done enough, theres no need to do more if you arent up to it.

Save the longer and more intensive workouts for the days you are on fire.
Those are the days that you will benefit from more work, not the days
where you are barely dragging yourself in to train.

So, to recap:

Whatever level youre at, warm-up with 3 repetitions of that

progression (working up to 20 seconds on the third repetition).
Move up to the next progression, and do about 8 sets of 3-5 seconds.
Go back to the previous progression, and perform 5 sets of 10
seconds.
If you still feel fresh, work on some of the band or partner assisted
conditioning exercises. If youre tired, just stop there for the day.

Planche Guide 19
This type of workout progression gives you some leeway in the level of
progressions you end up working on over the course of your training.

Too many times people will feel they need to hit a magic
number of seconds in a particular level before they can move
on and they end up doing the same exercise for months.

Thats no fun! And its also not productive.

As you can see, with the plan I outlined above you are still getting a lot of
work in, but youve also found a way to test out the next level without
adhering to a strict long hold at the previous level.

You may find out the the so-called harder progression is easier than you
thought it would be and you end up moving on to the next one more
quickly in your practice. Whereas if you didnt even try, youd still be
stuck trying to add more seconds two levels back.

Work hard on the exercises, build some volume up patiently with one
progression and the level below it and youll gain strength consistently
and be less frustrated.

And what more can you ask for?!

Planche Guide 20
COMMON QUESTIONS & CONCERNS

The planche is obviously a tough move with a lot of potential issues that
may come up. Ill try to address some of the biggest questions you may
have below.

What are the minimum basics I need before attempting the planche?

First off, I would suggest making sure that your wrists are in great
shape. The planche puts an incredible amount of stress on the wrists
and some people never get the planche simply because they neglect
their wrist prep.

Something else that would be good is to have a solid top position on the
rings, and also to be able to hold a decent handstand, both with arms
completely locked.

Planche Guide 21
How will I know that Im ready to begin planche work?

When you can comfortably hold a standard plank (push-up) position for
up to 30 seconds you can start working on the planche leans.

How long will it take to get the planche?

That depends on your desire to get it, how strong you already are, and
how much time you are able to put into it. For some people it could take
less than 6 months, while for others, it could take up to 2 years of
continued training.

How often should I train?

If your main goal is to get the planche, then start off with three days a
week. If you find that your body can handle another day then slowly work
on adding it in.

Just be careful not to move up a progression too soon because youll just
be asking for trouble with your wrists and tendons. So, I suggest
spending as much time as you can on the basics and gradually working
on building up your wrist, arm, and shoulder strength in each hold.

Can women do planches?

Of course! If you watch the videos above youll see GMB Trainer, Kirsty
Grosart, showing off her amazing planche skills. With enough time and
strength, anyone can work on the planche.

Planche Guide 22
These progressions arent like other progressions Ive seen for the
planche. Are these wrong?

No, I promise. Once you get the tuck planche, there are many ways to
work from there to the full straddle planche. You dont need to follow an
exact order of progressions, and you dont need to hit a specific number
of whatever exercise to move on to the next step.

Work at whatever level youre comfortable with, and whatever variations

work best for you, and youll get there.

Planche Guide 23
OUTRODUCTION

Whew You made it to the end of

this very long, detailed article. As
you can see, the planche is not
just some move you can jump into
and expect to get in a few
weeks, or even a few months.

Dont Be Intimidated You

Can Do This!

Even though its a complex move that requires a big commitment, its
absolutely within reach with the right approach, mindset, and enough
patience. As long as youve got a decent base to work off of, and its a
reasonable goal for you dont forget, this skill is not for everyone you
CAN get it if you follow the progressions and recommendations above.

The planche is just one of a number of advanced hand balancing moves

covered in our intermediate parallettes course, Parallettes Two. If one of
your goals is the planche, the other skills taught in P2 will complement
that well. As always, were here to help if you have run into any trouble.

Have fun!

The GMB Team

Planche Guide 24