Straddle Planche with parallettes
The Straddle Planche is an advanced calisthenics exercise where the body is held horizontally and parallel to the ground, with the legs spread apart. This position shortens the lever arm, making the exercise easier compared to the Full Planche.
It intensely trains the shoulders, core, and arms, requiring strong abdominal muscles, stable shoulder strength, and resilient wrists. The Straddle Planche can be performed on parallettes or directly on the ground, with the ground variation demanding greater wrist endurance. The regular Planche, where the legs are kept together, poses an even greater challenge, requiring more balance and strength.
Necessary equipment
Straddle Planche with parallettes - the correct execution
- Start in quadruped position on the parallettes
- Extend your arms to the maximum and consciously tense your triceps
- Press the Parallettes firmly into the floor and position your shoulders in a protracted depression (front down)
- Activate your chest and shoulder muscles
- Lean forward and shift your body weight to your hands
- Lean forward until you almost feel like you are going to tip over
- Release the feet from the floor
- Stretch the hips and spread the legs
- Keep the hips extended and the upper body parallel to the floor
- Make sure your arms remain extended throughout and your shoulders are in a deep and forward position (protraction/depression)
The exercise Straddle Planche is intended to be used as a technique exercise.
Which muscles are trained by Straddle Planche?
Primary trained muscles for Straddle Planche
Front Delts - The front part of the deltoid muscle, also known as the anterior shoulder, is located at the front of the shoulder. It is primarily involved in the forward movement of the arm, such as lifting the arm forward. It also assists in the internal rotation of the arm. This muscle is engaged in activities that involve lifting objects in front of the body or pushing forward.
Serratus Anterior - The serratus anterior muscle, also known as the anterior serratus muscle, is a muscle that runs along the sides of the ribs and attaches to the inside of the shoulder blade. It helps move the shoulder blade forward and outward and fix it against the chest wall. This is particularly important for movements such as bringing the arm forward or lifting the arm overhead. The serratus anterior muscle also plays a crucial role in stabilizing the shoulder during pushing or striking actions.
Biceps - The biceps brachii muscle is located on the front of your upper arm. It helps you bend your arm at the elbow, rotate your palm upwards, and lift your arm forward.
Secondary trained muscles for Straddle Planche
Triceps - The triceps brachii muscle is located at the back of your upper arm. It extends your arm at the elbow and also helps move the arm backward.
Lower Back - The erector spinae muscle runs along your spine and helps you extend your back and stand upright.
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Alternative variants of Straddle Planche with parallettes:
Banded Straddle Planche with parallettes
Compared to the classic Straddle Planche on parallettes, the Banded Straddle Planche on parallettes provides support through a resistance band, which reduces the load on the shoulders and core while making balance easier. The basic posture with spread legs remains unchanged. This exercise is particularly useful as an intermediate step toward the full Straddle Planche, as it allows for controlled progression.
Necessary equipment
Banded Straddle Planche with parallettes - the correct execution
- Place a medium resistance band (black) over the parallettes, for example on a pull-up bar
- Position the resistance band at your hips
- Start in quadruped position on the parallettes
- Extend your arms to the maximum and consciously tense your triceps
- Press the Parallettes firmly into the floor and position your shoulders in a protracted depression (front down)
- Activate your chest and shoulder muscles
- Lean forward and shift your body weight to your hands
- Lean forward until you almost feel like you are going to tip over
- Release the feet from the floor
- Stretch the hips and spread the legs
- Keep the hips extended and the upper body parallel to the floor
- Make sure your arms remain extended throughout and your shoulders are in a deep and forward position (protraction/depression)
Similar exercises to Straddle Planche
Tuck Planche on parallettes
The tuck planche is a fundamental preparatory exercise for the planche. In this position, the body is held horizontally above the ground with the legs tucked toward the chest and the arms straight. Parallettes make the grip easier, reduce strain on the wrists, and provide extra stability as well as more clearance for the legs and feet due to the elevated starting position. The frog stand is often mistaken for the planche, but it involves bent arms, not straight arms, and therefore doesn’t belong to the family of straight arm skills.
Planche Lean with parallettes
The Planche Lean is one of the best exercises to prepare for the Planche, one of the most impressive calisthenics moves. Using parallettes helps reduce strain on the wrists and provides a more stable grip.
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