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Planche Progressions

Muscles worked

  • Front Shoulder
  • Serratus
  • Upper Chest

Form Cues

  • Place hands shoulder-width apart, fingers turned outward ~45° for wrist comfort (or use parallettes)

  • Lock elbows fully and turn them forward: this stabilizes the shoulders and engages the biceps

  • Protract the scapulae: push your shoulder blades apart and round the upper back

  • Depress the shoulders: push them down toward your hips to shorten the lever

  • Maintain a hollow body with posterior pelvic tilt: squeeze glutes and tuck ribs

  • Lean forward to shift your center of mass over your hands: more lean = harder progression

  • Point toes and keep legs tight together (or in straddle depending on progression)

  • Breathe steadily: do not hold your breath during holds

  • How fast the planche comes depends heavily on proportions: long arms relative to your legs need less forward lean and make it far easier, so measure progress against yourself and not against others

  • Structure the session around the holds: 5 to 8 sets of planche progressions first, then 3 to 5 sets of bent-arm pushing such as planche push-ups or planche presses

Progressions

  1. 01

    Tucked Planche

    • Place hands shoulder-width apart, fingers turned outward ~45° for wrist comfort

    • With bent knees, lean forward until your feet lift off the ground

    • Tuck knees tightly to chest: the tighter the tuck, the shorter the lever and the easier it is

    • Protract scapulae fully: push shoulder blades apart and round the upper back

    • Lock elbows completely and turn them forward

    • Maintain posterior pelvic tilt: tuck your tailbone and squeeze glutes

    • Keep hips at or slightly above shoulder height

  2. 02

    Adv. Tucked Planche

    • Place hands shoulder-width apart, fingers turned outward ~45°

    • Lean forward and lift feet off the ground in a tucked position

    • Open your hip angle more than basic tuck: back approaches horizontal while knees stay tucked

    • Protract scapulae: push shoulder blades apart, rounding the upper back

    • Lock elbows fully and turn them forward

    • Maintain posterior pelvic tilt and full-body tension

    • This requires significantly more forward lean than the basic tuck

  3. 03

    Super Adv. Tucked Planche

    • Place hands shoulder-width apart, fingers turned outward ~45°

    • Lean forward significantly and lift into position

    • Extend hips further than adv. tuck: knees move further from chest, back nearly horizontal

    • Protract scapulae: push shoulder blades apart

    • Lock elbows fully and turn them forward

    • Maintain hollow body with posterior pelvic tilt: this becomes harder as hips extend

    • The greater hip extension demands much more forward lean and shoulder strength

  4. 04

    One Leg Planche

    • Place hands shoulder-width apart, fingers turned outward ~45°

    • Extend one leg straight back at hip height, parallel to the ground

    • Keep the other leg tucked toward your chest to shorten the lever

    • Protract scapulae and lock elbows, turning them forward

    • Maintain hollow body: do not let the hip of the extended leg drop

    • Lean forward enough to balance: the extended leg requires more forward lean than a full tuck

    • Alternate legs between sets to develop both sides evenly

  5. 05

    Pike Straddle Planche

    • Place hands shoulder-width apart, fingers turned outward ~45°

    • Lift into position with legs wide apart (straddled) and hips piked at roughly 90°

    • The pike shortens the lever, making this easier than a flat straddle

    • Protract scapulae fully and lock elbows, turning them forward

    • Maintain posterior pelvic tilt and squeeze glutes

    • The wider the straddle, the shorter the effective lever

    • Focus on gradually opening the hip angle over time toward a flat straddle

  6. 06

    Straddle Planche

    • Place hands shoulder-width apart, fingers turned outward ~45°

    • Lean forward maximally and lift legs into a wide straddle, parallel to the ground

    • Body must be horizontal: hips at shoulder height

    • Protract scapulae fully and lock elbows, turning them forward

    • Maintain hollow body with posterior pelvic tilt: do not arch the lower back

    • Point toes and keep legs straight and actively separated

    • The wider the straddle, the shorter the effective lever: use this to your advantage

  7. 07

    Almost Full Planche

    • Place hands shoulder-width apart, fingers turned outward ~45°

    • Lean forward and lift legs: begin closing the straddle toward legs together

    • Keep body horizontal with hips at shoulder height

    • Protract scapulae fully and lock elbows, turning them forward

    • Maintain a tight hollow body: posterior pelvic tilt, glutes and core maximally engaged

    • Closing the legs increases the lever significantly: this requires substantially more shoulder strength than straddle

    • Point toes and keep legs tight

  8. 08

    Full Planche

    • Place hands shoulder-width apart, fingers turned outward ~45° (or use parallettes)

    • Maximum forward lean: shift entire bodyweight over your hands

    • Legs together, straight, and parallel to the ground with toes pointed

    • Body perfectly horizontal: hips at shoulder height

    • Protract scapulae maximally and lock elbows, turning them forward

    • Maintain the tightest possible hollow body: posterior pelvic tilt, every muscle engaged

    • This is the pinnacle of the planche progression: maximum strength and body tension required

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