Andrew’s (Spring85sigma) BodyBlog

My Goal is six months from now I will be able to perform at least five of these most difficult push-ups. Can a 44 year old do it? We’ll see! Hopefully some of you all will join me in the challenge.  Below is a bit of information about Planche push-ups and a description and picture of the “frog stand,” the first exercise in the progression towards the planche push-up. For more information visit the website.

Excerpts from

“Building an Olympic Body through Bodyweight Conditioning”

By

Christopher Sommer
 
Emphasis and underlines are mine. For the complete article see:
http://www.dragondoor.com/articler/mode3/229
 
“Success at these exercises requires consistent incremental improvements. Do not seek improvement quickly or become frustrated after only a few weeks. You would not poke a seed into the ground and then jump back waiting for the plant to explode out instantly. You must be patient with physical conditioning also. While you may become more skillful or feel more powerful while performing a new exercise relatively quickly, this is due to becoming more neurologically efficient (“greasing the grove”), rather than experiencing an absolute gain in strength. It takes approximately 6 weeks to establish the first concrete strength gains. In other words, make haste - slowly.”Be prepared to spend at least six months at these exercises to work through the various progressions. What?! Six months?! Yes, that’s right, at least six months. Some people may need to spend a year or more. You wouldn’t expect to bench press 300 lbs. right away. Nor should you expect to build high-level bodyweight strength instantly either. Be consistent, be patient and soon you too can be enjoying the benefits of greatly increased strength and athletic ability.”
 
The Planche Progressions

”Obviously, for those of us who are mere mortals, it is not possible to simply remove the legs from the floor and go directly to the planche. However with the proper progressions and patience, this position is attainable by a reasonably fit, hard working athlete. While working the various planches, strive to hold the hips level with the shoulders. Make sure that the elbows are straight. Bending the elbows greatly lessens the intensity of these exercises and will greatly slow your progress. Almost straight is still bent; so be diligent and keep them straight.”One final general note on planches; hand positions on the planche series exercises are completely optional. Some prefer fingers forward, others to the side. Some swear by support on fingertips (my favorite) and others completely flat. Just experiment and find the grip that you prefer. If you find that a flat hand support on the floor is too uncomfortable for your wrists, these progressions can also be performed on a set of push-up bars”.Frog Stand

”Begin this position by assuming a full squat and placing your hands on the ground directly in front of your feet. By directly, I mean right next to your toes. Arrange yourself so that your knees are resting against your bent elbows. Now gradually lean forward taking your weight both unto your hands and also unto your knees by leaning them on your elbows. Using your knees on your elbows will allow your legs to help your shoulders bear the load of your bodyweight. As you continue leaning forward you will eventually be able to remove your feet completely from the floor and hold yourself up with only your hands on the floor and your knees on your elbows for support.”Balance is also a key to this exercise. As you first begin to learn how to lean forward in this position, you will often probably overextend and fall forward. Don’t worry have fun with it and enjoy some new training. Some pillows placed in front of you will help to cushion any crash landings.”Notice that this is the only static position in our progressions with bent elbows. Continue holding sets of this position until you have reached your one-minute total time.”
 
 

Here is what the frog stand is supposed to look like.

  
 
(LOL! This is a kid!)
 
I was surprised to find I was able to hold the position. I developed a progression leading to the 60-second total time to hold the postion before moving to the next progression. Based on my reading of the article I worked out the following progression to be used each week (vary according to your strength and needs):
 

Week              Time-5 days                    
        Sets

1                      6 x 10 seconds                        6
2                      5 x 12 seconds                        6
3                      4 x 15 seconds                        6
4                      3 x 20 seconds                  �
�     6
5                      2 x 30 seconds                        6
6                      1 x 60 seconds                        6
 
I found that I could do 3 x 20 seconds and will work up to being able to hold the position 6 times for 60 seconds each time before moving to the next progression. I worked this exercise into the end of my workout this morning. It is not an exercise to be done to exhaustion. My initial reaction was “fear of falling” The balancing of the body required is enormous. I could feel the effort in every part of my body. I will post the next progression next week.
 
If you decide to take this challenge, write a comment on this blog or on my page to let me know how you are progressing. I will highlight my progress in my body blog.
 
Let’s do this!
 

This entry was posted on Monday, October 27th, 2008 at 2:41 pm and is filed under Planche Push-Up Training, Exercise Demonstrations. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.