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Pseudo 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)

  • Lean forward from a plank position, shifting your shoulders past your wrists

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

  • Lock elbows fully and turn them forward

  • Maintain a hollow body position: posterior pelvic tilt, ribs tucked, glutes squeezed

  • Keep a straight line from head to heels: do not let hips sag or pike

  • The further you lean, the more load on the shoulders: progress gradually

  • Breathe steadily throughout the hold

  • Depress the shoulders as well as protracting them: push them down towards your hips, which shortens the lever and makes the lean a little easier

  • How hard the lean feels depends on proportions: long arms relative to your legs need less forward lean, so judge progress against your own previous holds

Progressions

  1. 01

    Planche Plank

    • Start in a plank with hands shoulder-width apart, fingers turned outward ~45°

    • Shift shoulders just barely forward of your wrists: this is the minimum lean

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

    • Lock elbows and turn them forward

    • Maintain a tight hollow body from head to heels: posterior pelvic tilt, glutes squeezed

    • This is the foundation: master this before increasing the lean

  2. 02

    Pseudo Planche Half Lean

    • Start in a plank with hands shoulder-width apart, fingers turned outward ~45°

    • Lean forward until your shoulders are roughly halfway past your wrists

    • Protract scapulae and lock elbows, turning them forward

    • Maintain a straight line from head to heels: hollow body, posterior pelvic tilt

    • Keep feet in place: only toes touch the ground as you lean

    • You should feel significantly more load on your shoulders and wrists than in planche plank

  3. 03

    Pseudo Planche Lean

    • Start in a plank with hands shoulder-width apart, fingers turned outward ~45°

    • Lean forward maximally: push shoulders as far past wrists as you can while keeping feet on the ground

    • Protract scapulae fully and lock elbows, turning them forward

    • Maintain a tight hollow body: posterior pelvic tilt, do not let hips sag

    • Toes barely maintain contact with the ground at maximum lean

    • This directly simulates the forward lean angle of actual planche: build hold time here before progressing to tuck planche

  4. 04

    Elevated Pseudo Planche Lean

    • Start in a plank with hands on the floor and feet elevated on a box or bench

    • Lean forward, pushing shoulders past wrists: the elevation increases shoulder loading

    • Protract scapulae fully and lock elbows, turning them forward

    • Maintain a straight line from hands to feet: hollow body with posterior pelvic tilt

    • The higher the foot elevation, the closer this simulates actual planche angles

    • This is the most demanding pseudo planche variation: ensure full mastery of floor pseudo planche lean first

Common mistakes

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