Full Planche Push-Up

Muscles worked

Setup

1. Place your hands on the floor slightly wider than shoulder-width with fingers pointed forward or slightly outward to reduce wrist strain.
2. Lean your torso forward, shifting your center of mass over your hands until your feet naturally lift off the ground.
3. Fully extend your legs behind you, squeezing your glutes and quads to create a perfectly straight line from head to toes.
4. Protract your shoulder blades (push the floor away) and engage your core to maintain a hollow body position.

How to do it

1. Inhale and slowly lower your body toward the floor by bending your elbows, ensuring you lean further forward as you descend to maintain balance.
2. Lower until your chest is just above the floor or your elbows reach a 90-degree angle, keeping your body strictly parallel to the ground.
3. Exhale and powerfully press back up to the starting position, focusing on driving through the palms.
4. Finish the rep by fully protracting your scapula at the top, holding the planche for one second before the next repetition.

Form checklist

• Keep your hips level with your shoulders; do not let the lower body sag or the butt pike upward.
• Maintain locked-out knees and pointed toes to ensure maximum lever tension.
• Keep your elbows tucked close to your sides rather than flaring them out to protect the shoulders.
• Ensure your scapula remains protracted at the top of the movement.

Pro tips

• Think of the movement as a seesaw; as your chest goes down, your shoulders must move forward to counterbalance the weight of your legs.
• Create 'internal tension' by gripping the floor with your fingers, which helps stabilize the wrists and engages the forearms.
• Squeeze your glutes as hard as possible to prevent a posterior pelvic tilt break, which is the most common cause of failed form.

Make it harder

• Perform the movement on parallettes to increase the range of motion, allowing the chest to dip below the level of the hands.
• Add a 3-5 second isometric hold at the bottom (deepest point) of each repetition.

Frequently asked

What muscles does the full planche push-up work?

The full planche push-up primarily targets the deltoids, pectorals, and triceps, and also works the abs, lats, obliques, rhomboids, and serratus anterior as secondary muscles.

What equipment do you need for the full planche push-up?

The full planche push-up requires no equipment — just your body weight.

Is the full planche push-up good for beginners?

The full planche push-up is rated advanced. Build a base with simpler variations first, then progress to it with light load and strict form.

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