Exercise – Pseudo Planche Holds

The Pseudo Planche Hold aka Terrible Position is a challenging exercise for bent arm strength. It’s often used in calisthenics for planche, parkour for vaults, and handbalancing for advance shoulder development. Check out the Planche Lean as an entry progression to this static hold.

Get into the planche lean position and perform a push-up while squeezing your elbows back – hold the bottom position for time. Really try to hollow the body and squeeze the elbows tight to the chest. The further forward your shoulders are in front of your hands, the more challenging the exercise is.

If you’d like to take it up a notch, try one of the following:

• As you move further forward, get one leg up to increase the weight on your arms
• Perform pseudo planche push-ups