Name: Playbook - Jess St John - Beginner Planche Workout
Uploaded: 2024-02-22T03:31:01.000Z
Duration: 60 min
Description: Beginner Planche Workout

If your next is goal to learn planche, this is the workout you want to start with! But if you’re new to calisthenics, please work through my bodyweight beginner and calisthenics basics programs before advancing to planche!

Planche tips for the workout:

Hand placement:
Fingers forward will be hardest on your wrists but easier on your shoulders. Wrist mobility will limit your range of motion which requires your shoulders to work less. Fingers to the side will allow more range of motion and require shoulders to work more. Fingers pointed backwards will allow any range of motion and require more work from the shoulders - I recommend this position to build maximum strength. To be consistent in this position, create an imaginary horizontal line with your thumbs, and spread fingers to widen your base of support.

Hands should be roughly shoulder width apart or slightly further.

Shoulders:
Always push through your shoulders - think of rounding them up and pushing yourself away from the ground.

Wrist and hip:
Ideally your hips will line up directly above your wrists (or close to them).

Arms: 
Arms are straight

Glutes:
Always squeeze glutes to allow legs to extend without dropping. The only exception is in a tuck planche.

- From a high plank position, hands under shoulders 
- Bending at the elbows, lower your chest towards the floor 
- Elbows should be going back towards your feet and staying close to your body 
- Extend your arms to come back up
- Push through shoulders at the top
- Always squeeze core so hips and shoulders move together

Tricep push up

- Set up like a tricep push up but with hands backwards 
- Line up thumbs to create an imaginary horizontal line and spread fingers
- Lower chest and hips at the same time keeping the core engaged
- At the bottom of your push up, your elbows should be directly above or slightly in front of your wrists (not behind)
- Push everything up at once
- Squeeze biceps to straighten arms and push through shoulders at the top

Pseudo Push Up

ONLY PICK ONE! Once you can hold a banded tuck planche for 20+ seconds, move on to banded straddle planche. If you’re in between, start with straddled and regress to tuck as needed.

- Loop band over a bar and place hips on band
- Place hands a close as you can to  underneath the bar and walk feet in close
- Line up thumbs to create an imaginary horizontal line and spread fingers
- Lean shoulders forward 
- Bend knees and drop hips so they are shoulder height
- Slowly lift toes off the ground 
- Squeeze biceps to straighten arms and push through shoulders to round them upwards

Banded Tuck Planche

- Loop band over a bar and place hips on band
- Place hands a close as you can to  underneath the bar and walk feet in close
- Line up thumbs to create an imaginary horizontal line and spread fingers
- Lean shoulders forward 
- Bend knees and drop hips so they are shoulder height
- Slowly lift toes off the ground 
- Straddle legs and squeeze glutes so hips don’t drop
- Squeeze biceps to straighten arms and push through shoulders to round them upwards

Banded Straddle Planche

Banded Planche Regression

- Line up thumbs to create an imaginary horizontal line and spread fingers
- Start in a pike (hips up), and lower into a full planche position with feet on the ground
- Lean shoulders as far forward as possible
- Squeeze core and glutes for stability 
- Squeeze biceps to straighten arms
- Push through shoulders to round them upwards 
- Push back up to pike and repeat

The slower the better 🙌🏼

Pike to Planche Leans

Can use a cable machine, resistance band, or dumbbells (to use dumbbells set up lying on a bench on your back)
- Start in a split stance leaning forward with arms behind you
- With palms facing forward raise arms in front of you 
- Stop when your wrists get to hip height
- Slowly return to starting position

Supinated Front Raise

- Place feet on a bench
- Line up thumbs to create an imaginary horizontal line and spread fingers
- Lean forward so shoulders are in front of wrists 
- Squeeze biceps to straighten arms and push through shoulders to round them upwards 
- Squeeze glutes and core to minimize movement of the body
- Slowly lower one foot, tap the floor, return it to the starting position and repeat on the other side 

Reps are total

Planche Plank Toe Taps

- Lay on a surface parallel to the ground with hips folded over the side
- Keep legs straight (feet should not touch the ground)
- Squeeze glutes to raise legs parallel to the ground and slowly lower back down

To add a challenge try with ankle weights and/or added a mini band around the legs

Glute Extension

- Create a triangle with your feet and one hand (the wider your stance the easier, the more narrow, the harder)
- Spread fingers to increase stabilization 
- Keeping shoulders in line with each other (ie not twisting), relax the supporting shoulder to lower your chest, then push through your shoulder (think of pushing the ground away), to raise your body (this is a small movement)
- Make sure to squeeze your core and glutes to stabilize 

Reps are per side

Beginner Planche Workout

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