I’ve started really getting into my planche and handstand training recently, so this post is good timing =D
I’ve been able to extend my legs a little with straight arms, but I don”t have the core strength to put them out fully just yet.

Btw, what exercises do you do to complement your planche training?
I’m doing alot of core, lower back and upper body work.
Also, do pistols really work your lower back?? May have to throw those into my training as well =)

Keep up the good work =D
I want to be able to straddle planche by summer =P lol.

Hey Matt – the handstand is always a good thing to practice concurrently with your planche training, as is the L-sit. I’m also continuing my usual regimen of muscle-ups, pull-ups, push-ups, dips, etc.

And, yeah, the weighted pistols work my lower back (and of course my legs!).

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Hey Al – been a big fan of you website since I found it last month from your posts on bar-barians. I have always incorporated some standard body weight training into my strength training, which was heavy on free weights and kettlebells, but have been focusing more on body weight movements. I notice that advanced body weight training throws alot of stress on the shoulders. So my question is: is there any type of prep work (not warm up) that someone can/should do before they start working the tuck planche to L-sit? I can already hold an L-sit for 30 sec, but haven’t really worked the planche yet- like I said, really stresses the shoulders (not pain, but I don’t want something to go pop). Thanks and keep up the great work.

Thanks! If you can hold an L-sit for 30 seconds then you’re probably ready to start working on the tucked planche – just make sure to ease in real slow. Start with a few sets of 3-5 second holds and then gradually build up from there. You are right that it can be stressful on the shoulders so you don’t want to do too much too soon.

This is pretty beast! We worked on tucks, high tucks and L-sits today (with parallettes, though, not KBs), which was ridiculously fun but it murdered my hands. Does using the KBs (or anything with a smaller grip, I guess) help with that much, or does it just take some time?

Thanks, Nelly! In my experience, the KB’s are not any easier on the hands than parallettes. Like you said, it just takes time to get conditioned.

Well I found out that doing headstand-frogstand-headstand for reps (slow, controlled movement of course) can build necessary shoulder strength for tucked planche, and when i was comfortable with my tucked planche, i did headstand-tucked plance-headstand for reps, and it helped my shoulders massively

Thanks for the suggestion, Derrick! I’ll have to try that!

The first picture has a candle that meshes nicely with your foot. It looks like a big thumb.

Haha – you’re right! I never saw it like that before – trippy!

I always admired the gymanist that make such moves look simple. Have you ever trained with a gymnastics teacher? What do you think about the “worlds strongest kid” video where the 5-7 yr old kid is doing a planche on stacked wooden cubes and pushups with no feet on the ground? How can a kid have such core strength?

I blogged about Guiliano Stroe a while back: http://www.alkavadlo.com/2010/03/giuliano-stroe-worlds-strongest-boy/

As for your other question, I’ve taken a few tumbling classes but I’ve had no formal gymnastics training on the planche.

Funny thing about kids, they just do what you tell them, w/o question. As a guitarist, I’ve seen 5yr old prodigies that make me want to quit. I think not having any mental barriers of “cant do” or “impossible” –being young and naive, may be a large part of it.

I find it strange that you struggle with this, when proportionally you are as muscular or more muscular than most gymnast, esp. female gymnast. Do you think perhaps your height makes it more difficult. Most gymnast are very short, and probably for good reason: low center of gravity?

Being tall definitely makes it harder to achieve a full planche, but there are guys taller than me who can pull it off, so I’m sure I’ll get there one day. We all have strengths and weaknesses – I gotta keep practicing!

Hey Al, have you tried tucked planche push ups, or getting someone to spot you doing the full planche then doing a negative?

Hey Daniel – I can do a couple of tucked planche push-ups and I’ve tried a lot of different tactics towards working the full planche, but it still continues to elude me.  I’ve kind of put it on the back burner for now, but I’m sure I’ll come back to it at some point!

Hey Al, what if I don’t have any paralletes? Should I do the tucked planche with my palms open or on my fists?

Yeah either one sounds good.  Get it in however you can!