Planche Press
- Zielmuskel
- —
- Equipment
- Body weight
- Körperregion
- Stretching
- Typ
- Stretching
The planche press is an advanced bodyweight pressing skill that works the anterior deltoids and upper chest as primary movers, with significant contribution from the serratus anterior, triceps, and wrist extensors. You transition from a full planche — body horizontal, arms locked, no leg support — through a full range press up into a handstand and back down. It builds elite-level overhead and horizontal pressing strength while demanding total-body tension throughout.
Planche Press: So führst du sie aus
- 1Begin from a solid full planche hold: hands flat on the floor shoulder-width apart, arms fully extended, body parallel to the ground with no leg contact.
- 2Engage your core, glutes, and legs to form a single rigid plank; do not allow your hips to rise or sag before initiating the press.
- 3Protract your shoulder blades fully and push the floor away to create maximum scapular spread.
- 4Initiate the press by driving force through your palms and extending through the anterior deltoids, allowing your hips and torso to begin rising while maintaining horizontal body alignment as long as possible.
- 5Continue pressing as your body pivots upward; your shoulders will travel forward over your hands and then overhead as the movement progresses.
- 6Finish in a balanced handstand with arms fully locked, body vertical, and shoulders stacked directly over your wrists.
- 7To lower, reverse the movement under control: shift your shoulders forward, allow your body to descend in a slow arc, and resist with your anterior deltoids and triceps the entire way down.
- 8Land back in the full planche position with arms straight and body parallel to the floor, absorbing the load through shoulder protraction rather than elbow bend.
Technik-Tipps
- Hollow body position is non-negotiable — posterior pelvic tilt, ribs down, glutes squeezed — from the planche through the handstand and back.
- Think of pushing the floor away from you rather than pulling yourself up; this cue reinforces the scapular protraction that protects your shoulders.
- Keep your wrists in a neutral or very slightly extended position and spread your fingers wide to distribute load and reduce joint stress.
- Film yourself from the side to check that your body remains as horizontal as possible during the initial phase of the press before it must arc upward.
- Build the movement in segments — press from tuck planche to handstand, then straddle, then full — before attempting the complete skill.
Häufige Fehler
- Piking the hips early: allowing the hips to rise before the rest of the body causes the movement to become a pike press rather than a true planche press, removing most of the anterior deltoid demand.
- Bending the elbows during the ascent: the planche press is a straight-arm movement; introducing elbow bend turns it into a push-up and drastically reduces the skill-specific strength gain.
- Insufficient shoulder protraction: failing to fully protract the scapulae at the bottom and top places excess shear stress on the shoulder joint and limits force transfer through the pressing chain.
- Rushing the descent: lowering without control defeats a large portion of the training stimulus and increases injury risk to the shoulders and wrists; the eccentric phase should be at least as slow as the concentric.
- Attempting the skill without full planche hold prerequisite: pressing from a planche you cannot hold statically guarantees form breakdown and heightens wrist and shoulder injury risk.
Häufig gestellte Fragen
What muscles does the planche press work?
The anterior deltoids and upper chest (pectoralis major, clavicular head) are the primary movers. The serratus anterior works hard to maintain scapular protraction throughout. Triceps lock out both the planche and the handstand endpoints. Wrist extensors stabilize under significant load, and the entire core and posterior chain must stay rigid for the duration of the movement.
What prerequisites do I need before training the planche press?
You should be able to hold a full planche for at least 3–5 seconds with solid form before attempting to press from it. Along the way, you will need a straight-arm tuck planche hold, straddle planche hold, and ideally a press handstand from standing pike or straddle. Straight-arm strength training such as planche leans, pseudo planche push-ups, and weighted scapular protraction work are standard prerequisites.
How is the planche press different from a pike press to handstand?
A pike press starts with your hips elevated and uses hip flexion to initiate movement; it is a significantly easier skill. The planche press begins with your entire body horizontal and parallel to the floor, which means the anterior deltoids must generate force through a far longer lever arm from the very first degree of the movement. The demands on shoulder strength are substantially higher.
How long does it take to learn the planche press?
For most athletes, reaching a clean full planche press takes multiple years of consistent straight-arm strength training. Progressing through tuck planche, advanced tuck, straddle planche, and full planche holds — each of which can take months to a year individually — is required before the press becomes trainable. Genetics, prior gymnastic background, and training volume all affect the timeline.
Are there safer ways to build toward the planche press?
Yes. Eccentric-only reps (lowering from a handstand to a planche as slowly as possible) are commonly used because they allow you to practice the exact movement pattern at a load your muscles can handle before the concentric is possible. Resistance band assistance, parallettes (which reduce wrist extension stress), and segmented holds at various points in the range of motion are also standard training tools.
