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Not Skinny Guys' method of madness: The Planche / Front Lever progressions

post #1 of 14
1/2/08 at 5:27am
Thread Starter 
Building an Olympic Body through Bodyweight Conditioning

inspired by the YouTube link lefty posted here here. Personally, I ran into this about 7-8 months ago and have only worked on the Planche progressions. But due to part lazyness, part being equally curious about other exercising routines, I'm still plateau-ing at the Advanced Tuck Planche step. Would like to know if others here have tried this and/or how you guys have fared. Otherwise, a good discussion is always much appreciated.

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post #2 of 14
1/2/08 at 1:21pm
It's hard not to admire gymnast's bodies and their strength, but I have to think that the learning curve of those exercises for anyone over 16 would be a nightmare.

I find that as I get older I'm trying to focus more on athletics and leaning out, so it's something I'd like to try at some point.

Thanks for the link.

lefty
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post #3 of 14
1/2/08 at 1:23pm
I also came across this a while back. There's no way I would use this as a stand-alone program, but I tried adding in the Planche and Front Lever progressions to whatever I was doing at the time. I found it insanely difficult. I didn't make great progress with it, but it was a great way to destroy my core at the end of a workout. I'm thinking about adding the Planche back in as a way to develop better support strength for Olympic lifts.
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post #4 of 14
1/2/08 at 1:42pm
Man...this means I need to setup my rings in my apartment building now
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post #5 of 14
1/8/08 at 2:40pm
http://beastskills.com/

Just wanted to add in this cool site. Discusses methods to learn handstands, flags, elbow levers, etc.

I've been attempting to work on planches, front levers, and handstands myself. I'm only seeing some progress in the handstand though. Also picked up a belt and started weighting my dips and pullups.
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post #6 of 14
1/8/08 at 10:05pm
I'm actually making learning the planche and lever one of my goals for 2008. Screw resolutions :P
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post #7 of 14
1/12/08 at 2:50pm
How good are bodyweight exercises like these (planches etc) for building muscle and improving general strength, if you already do some weightlifting? I mean, I know that technically it's possible to get really ripped with only bodyweight exercises (gymnasts), but I don't exactly have all sorts of bars and rings and coaches at my disposal like gymnasts do.
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post #8 of 14
1/12/08 at 5:23pm
If you read the article, it mentions leverage and other such assorted things. Basically, you change the way you hit a muscle and how much load is on it. Building muscle is a function of diet. Both of these seem to be working on my chest and back strength pretty well though the lever progression is going much better for me. Probably due to climbing and lots of pullups. All you need is a pullup bar, or something similar to do a lot of bodyweight exercises. To do dips, find two counters that are close together, or a couple bar stools, etc. If you need weight and have kids, have one of them sit on you or fill a backpack with books.
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post #9 of 14
1/13/08 at 1:26am
Quote:
Originally Posted by adversity04 View Post
To do dips, find two counters that are close together, or a couple bar stools, etc. If you need weight and have kids, have one of them sit on you or fill a backpack with books.

+1.

When I was doing quite a bit of fitness training (before I had kids and lost all my spare time!), I would simply put two of our straight-back dining chairs fairly close together and use them to do dips. Great for strengthening both abdominals and leg muscles.

It's quite amazing just how many ways you can find of using common furniture and household accessories to do exercises if you are a cheapskate!

One of my friends couldn't be bothered buying a set of weights, so he used to practice weightlifting by wiring a few, full tins of paint to each end of a long crowbar. It worked a treat, although it was bit inconvenient if he wanted to use the crowbar to do yardwork on the weekends!
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post #10 of 14
1/13/08 at 6:23pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Journeyman View Post
When I was doing quite a bit of fitness training (before I had kids and lost all my spare time!), I would simply put two of our straight-back dining chairs fairly close together and use them to do dips. Great for strengthening both abdominals and leg muscles.

But how did your wife feel about the safety of the chairs? From personal experience, guys who are married or live with girlfriends might find this exercise hazardous to their health...
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post #11 of 14
1/14/08 at 5:33pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by yerfdog View Post
But how did your wife feel about the safety of the chairs? From personal experience, guys who are married or live with girlfriends might find this exercise hazardous to their health...

It shouldn't be that bad really... the chairs can take a long of weight b/c their bases are pretty spread out. I did it with two of those folding metal chairs and it was just fine, I'm sure dining room chairs would be more stable, but I wonder if they are too high backed to do them easily?
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post #12 of 14
1/14/08 at 6:45pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by adversity04 View Post
I'm actually making learning the planche and lever one of my goals for 2008. Screw resolutions :P

Same for me. I can already handle the tuck front lever and the frog stand (briefly). I used to be more capable at the latter than I am now. (Or rather, it hurts more now, thanks to a shoulder injury that occurred in the intervening time.) Time to resharpen the tools.
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post #13 of 14
2/18/08 at 3:32am
Ok, so after a number of weeks of practice, I can handle the frog stand fairly well. I can do it easily for 30 seconds or so, sometimes quite a bit longer, but my balance always eventually gives. Anyway, at what point do I move on to the tucked planche? And how exactly do I make the transition? As easy as the frog stand is for me now, the tucked planche seems hard as hell. I attempt it for even a second and I get an extreme rush of blood to my head, my pecs feel like they're going to burst, and my arms give.
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post #14 of 14
2/18/08 at 4:13am
Move on when you can hold the position for almost a minute. When you want to move to the tuck planche, start off with your knees together curled up under your body and your hands on the floor with arms locked. Then slowly rotate forward so your weight falls forward onto your hands. Support yourself as your feet come up, and try to keep your balance. It will hurt.
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