When asking people that have achieved the planche, which planche drill was the most effective in helping them achieve the planche, most of them say the planche lean.
Clearly, this implies the planche lean is very effective.
In this blog post, we will discuss why they are effective and how to utilize it to achieve the planche.
We believe the planche lean is most effective, because it is the most similar to the actual hold you are trying to achieve.
It is an isometric exercise similar to the planche itself.
Furthermore, it allows you to train the same joint angles as the actual hold you are trying to achieve.
This is not something you get if you are training the tuck planche to achieve the straddle planche. The joint angles are different that it won’t translate nearly as well.
The Planche lean is very similar to the planche in terms of stress on your joints so we highly recommend you warm up a lot before attempting the movement.
Be sure you warm up your shoulders biceps and wrists.
Good planche lean warm-up:
It can be quite hard to track progress on planche leans without knowing some tricks.
Place a sticker to piece of tape for where you want you hand and feet to be each time.
Slowly adjust the tape, or adjust the hold time to progressively overload.
Alternatively if your gym has markers onthe floor as shown on the right, then you don't need stickers!
Using socks
We want to reduce friction on a planche lean, to closer mimic the true planche whenyou legs are in the air.
This will make the hold harder, but more realistic.
To do this we recommend wearing socks as your foot will slide on the floor easier.
Furthermore, keep your feet limp so the top of your feet are on the grounds instead of the bottom of your feet.
Using a Skate board
Another great option is to place you feet on a skateboard. The skateboard can move freely having even less friction than your socks on the ground.
Furthermore the skate board adds height to your feet making the planche lean even more realistic to the planche where your legs are in the air.
Using a rowing machine
The best method is using the seat of the erg machin, Not only does it slide like a skate board the seat is even higher, further miming the real planche!
Bent Arms
Don’t cheat by bending your arms, this won’t do you any favors unless you want a sloppy planche.
Sunken or elevated Hips
This is another common method as also seen in a Plank that people use to cheat.
Avoid bending the hips or sagging your body.
Retracted Scapula
The Scapula should depressed!
How long should I hold the planche lean?
We recommend picking an intensity where you can hold the planche lean from 3-10 seconds. This will give you request intensity and volume required to progresss and achieve the planche over time.
How many sets of the planche Lean should I train per session?
We recommend 3-5 sets with long breaks between set. Since this is a strength exercise 3-5 minute per set is recommended.
How frequently should i train the planche lean?
We recommend training this 3x week. Isometrics can be performed frequently as they are not so hard on the muscles. However the planche leans hard on the joints so please listen to your body. If you are having pain in your wrists or elbows take a few days off!
Remy started calisthenics in 2014 and has mastered advanced movements such as the one arm pull-up, front-lever, one arm muscle-up and more.
