My very short straddle planche

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I know, it's not perfect. I can't straddle my legs very far so it's a fairly tough position. My shoulder is slightly bothering me just from that one effort, which I knew would come and that is why I did not try to give a good 3 second hold. That would have caused serious problems. I did that a few times last week to show a few friends and it was WAY too much. Anyways, I figured I should post this since I've been talking about it. I don't talk smack, if I say it I can do it.

I hope you guys like it, I'll probably have something much much better come this next May!

Nicely done! It's alright that you do them in the street, cuz let's face it, any traffic will be stopping to watch.

I had a question about the proper scapula position. The one-arm serratus push ups really helped keep the bottom part of of the scapula down, but the tops are still poking up (could just be I'm not strong enough to keep my shoulders protracted). Are the muscles I need to work the trapezius (if so, which fibres), and the latissimus?

Planche leans are kicking ass, by the way. Everybody, start doing them. 8)

damn slizz how much fat did you lose???!!!!

so for the rest i noticed that you use a tipical position of the fingers pointed forward, in the beginning also i used this position but after when i had achieved the full planche for 2-3 sec on floor i started to train it on the rings BUT here the hands are turned out, similar to the movement on the floor where the fingers are pointed near the knees. so i stop train the full planche with the fingers in the previous position and i started to learn it with the hands completely turned out and the movements was so difficult: the pressure i had to do on the fllor was higher then the previous version of the planche as the work of bicep tendons!

so the question is, make sense continue to train with the "fingers forward version" also if on the rings i need the other version?!

seems that the pointed forward version is more simple than the other version!!! or is only a mine impression?

Slizz you look great! Not that its about looks, but it shows you've been doing something.

Thanks guys! Well, as far as finger position goes I'm using this because it is what my shoulder can handle right now. My planche leans will be with fingers back, but my actual planche work will probably be fingers forward until my shoulders can handle the strain no problem and then I'll make the switch. I'm not in a hurry anymore, and for some reason that makes progress come faster.

Fingers forward is definitely easier. I have probably dropped around 10-12 lbs of fat over the past 4-5 months, which is why I dropped from 210-ish to 200-ish. I have dropped about 5 of that since the May Seminar after the Biosig intervention. My arms are getting bigger again, probably due to the OAC assisted work. I'll have to video that soon. I have decided to use 50 lbs of assistance for about 6 weeks and then drop 5 lbs or so. That's pretty much how that will go, so in about a year I should be doing sets of 3 reps per arm of good OAC.

Erik, you may A) need to concentrate on activating the fibers that run under the pecs on the upper ribs, as serratus anterior attaches to ribs 1-8 (I know, that's 2/3 of your ribcage) and B) you may benefit from having your hands above your shoulders and performing the serratus push ups with a slight incline. This will target the higher fibers more directly. You may need work on lower and higher to get what you need.

Cole: Thanks!

1 Awesome Planche Slizzardman. I will show this to people who don't believe it can be done at higher bodyweights.

2 Thanks for the technique part at the end. I made a slight adjustment in mine and it helped a lot!

3 I envy that you can have cookie dough for a week and only go up one percent. I am further convinced that I am the poster boy for carb intolerance.

MMMM, cookie dough.

You really have leaned out Sliz. Look'n good and hairy. This is good.

More lean in planche, however faceplanting on street is not too fun.

Mmmmm, asphalt and tire remnants!

You could always consider it "eating Paleo." I'm pretty sure rocks were a staple food group ten thousand years ago.

Sorry if I'm obtuse, but did you mean hands out in front like an extended bridge? Or should I just go the same route as the weighted pull ups and start doing supined scapula pushes with a heavy barbell? Really what matters to me right now is that I master the right position, rather than get strong in a bad one (like I've done a few times before :cry: ).

No worries lol! I am literally thinking like the opposite of PPP, but you could just keep your hands under your shoulders and elevate the feet. That would work as well and might be better. Probably will be, honestly. That's just to connect with the upper parts of the serratus and strengthen them.

Slizz your right where I am as well, I can drop just a tad lower but you have 60lbs on me!!! Well done man.

you look lean as hell.

One thing to try, make a V with your index finger and thumb and try the planche that way, I could lower another 2-3 inches as soon as I tried that hand position over fingers forward.

Keep up the progress man.

well fingers should be slightly turned out in HS. that V between your thumb and index finger should point forward. This allows the elbow to externally rotate as well.

we just don't want to turn out to the point the fingers are turned out to the side but this is hand placement for basic handstand hold and front handsprings.

some may teach back handspring with fingers turned in slightly or internally rotated facing each other.

Timy7 said:

Slizz your right where I am as well, I can drop just a tad lower but you have 60lbs on me!!! Well done man.

you look lean as hell.

One thing to try, make a V with your index finger and thumb and try the planche that way, I could lower another 2-3 inches as soon as I tried that hand position over fingers forward.

Keep up the progress man.

Thanks! I am taking it slow and letting the strength sort of flow back in. It's pretty crazy how much easier it is to get strong when I'm not pushing so hard!

Hey Slizzardman... do you do weights or just gymnastics stuff? You look pretty damn muscular. You also look pretty tall... perhaps your muscles are bigger than most people doing this stuff because the leverage is so great? How tall are you and how much do you weigh if I can ask?

I m 6-1 or 6-2 and right now back up to 205-208 lbs.

I do some front squats and deadlifts, but sadly I am pretty inconsistent with those. I do use the freemotion machine a lot now, but I am literally using it as a rings simulator. I do lots of MPPu variations (yewki, reverse yewki, front pull, etc) for my back as well as some assisted OAC and now some rope climbing. Now that I can slowly start working into rope climbs there will be further transformation lol!

I am literally just doing gymnastic movements for my physique and I'm looking great and getting super strong at the same time so I am very happy!

My muscles are big because I am taking my time and working very progressively, allowing them to become what they need to be before I move on to the next level. That means I have been training for a good while, and consistent work with slow, intelligent load increases is what builds my kind of body. Sometimes you just need a few extra ounces of resistance at a time, and if you aren't doing things that way you won't get the results you really deserve.

The low leverage combined with my bodyweight does necessitate a certain amount of size, that is true.

Ah cool... how long have you been working on this type of stuff?

I'm actually hoping not to get too much bigger... maybe just a bit in my chest. Shouldn't be a big problem though since I'm only 5'7.

I've been doing GB work since Feb of 09 or so, but I spent about 12 months from September of 09 to Sep 2010 or so injured due to chasing the planche too hard.

The funny thing is that now that I have refined my approach and am taking much smaller steps I am getting stronger WAY faster than I ever have before and the muscular development is proceeding in the same manner. I too hope to have an impressive chest one of these years! I have found that chest-hollow straight arm cable flyes with the hands in line with the cable pulleys are incredibly useful. You can do the same with bands if you have a way to attach them to two machines or eye hooks in the walls or something. These are basically a much more adjustable XR Flye. I just started these this week so we will see what happens between now and New Year's!

One of my best friends just noticed how much bigger my biceps have gotten, which is 100% due to the straight arm work. It's crazy, they are just full from the shoulder to the elbow and have gotten wider too. Straight arm ring strength = HUGE BICEPS!

Lol... your chest looks pretty good. I was amazed actually the day after on of the WOD's which had a lot of back pulls my chest was really really sore. So it may not seem like this stuff's working your chest, but apparently it is. Plus if you look at the pics of the guys in BtGB they mostly have pretty full chests.

I actually don't want my biceps to get much bigger. I've always had disproportionately big arms for the rest of me, which I don't like because I'm short and it can look funny, lol.

Hey Slizzardman. If you have the time, could you make i video about the proper muscle activation during planche/planche leans? If i remember correctly you said during the video that you would make one. I am sure its just not me who would find that very helpfull!

- Thanks, Andreas/Andull

if you search under slizzardman on youtube you can find a video fo the pl leans:

for the muscles there are great activation of

-anterior delts (in my opinion the biggest involved, the position of planche and planche leans let the delts to be near at the position of max elongation and is near this position where a musce can generate the biggest force)

-chest

-biceps (the involve depends from how you decide to put your hands)

-triceps

-serratus (damn important to maintain a hollow position)

-wrist flexors

-lower back

-trasrversus (to maintain your abs inside)

-gluteus

i forgot something?

alex87 said:

if you search under slizzardman on youtube you can find a video fo the pl leans:

for the muscles there are great activation of

-anterior delts (in my opinion the biggest involved, the position of planche and planche leans let the delts to be near at the position of max elongation and is near this position where a musce can generate the biggest force)

-chest

-biceps (the involve depends from how you decide to put your hands)

-triceps

-serratus (damn important to maintain a hollow position)

-wrist flexors

-lower back

-trasrversus (to maintain your abs inside)

-gluteus

i forgot something?

Thanks

how long can u hold advanced tuck for? and does having hands forward bother your wrist at all?

Maybe 15s at most? My shoulder and elbows aren't anywhere near ready for straddle.

Well, I don't even worry about it quite honestly. I pick something that I KNOW is safe and start from there. That requires some trial and error, but you are really best off starting over and making a 3-6 month plan to get back to where you were pre-injury or close to it with slow, measured steps. That is the most sure way to avoid re-injury.

Assistance exercises for the muscles involved, in addition to whatever prerequisite work and/or FSP work you decide to do, is a very good idea. Prehab is mandatory.