Adventures in planche land [UPDATE]

An update on my attempts to perform the planche gymnastic move…

My last post was in May and I had just managed to hold the ‘crow tuck hold’ using the paralletes. After many weeks of trialing different progressions (e.g. 1 foot slightly extended) I struggled to make any real progress so I decided to play around with my resistance bands. I’ve used resistance bands (the type used to assist pull-ups) with my clients for various exercises but hadn’t thought to use them with gymnastic work.

The bands were a revelation.

With advanced gymnastic moves like the planche, it’s extremely hard to get into the ‘hold’ position unless you already have the strength and experience, which is where resistance bands come in. By placing a band around your hips, it’s possible to get into and hold a planche position that your body wouldn’t ordinarily be able to achieve.

In the video I’m using a green and black band to help achieve my planche straddle. The aim is to build up my strength and ability so I can hold a planche straddle with just the green band… then just a black band… then a red band… then no band.

Thoughts:
The more I work on moves like the planche, the more I have huge respect for athletes who have mastered it. I’m also loving the little achievements and wins that you get with gymnastic training - sometimes you surprise yourself with what you can suddenly achieve.