Learn the advanced tuck planche: get a flat back, hold your hips at shoulder height and reach 5 clean seconds in 4 stages without getting injured.
The honest answer: the advanced tuck planche is a tuck planche with a flat instead of rounded back and the hips at shoulder height — it lengthens the lever considerably and is one of the skills where most people stay stuck for months to years. If you "get" it with a bent back, you have not reached the skill, only changed the line.
That progress here shows in small steps is shown by a study of nine elite gymnasts: four weeks of targeted eccentric strength training for static rings elements brought a gain in maximal strength of 3.6 percent on the support scale (the gymnastics name for the planche) [2] — a transfer from elite gymnasts to you, but it shows: even professionals gain only a few percent in four weeks.
Part of the truth: body build joins in. A simulation with a 9-segment model and 80 body types found that body mass, height and the proportions of legs and trunk influence balance in the planche [3] — a computational model, not a measurement on people. This fits: in seven rings gymnasts, muscle activity of trapezius, chest and biceps differed between the planche and five preparatory exercises [1]. Drills do not replace the skill.
This skill measures not your courage but your patience.
Start each session with the tuck planche and count only seconds with straight arms.
Milestone (practice): 3 × 10 seconds.
Push the shoulders further forward and lower the back toward horizontal, the knees stay bent. The hips stay at shoulder height.
Milestone (practice): 5 × 3 seconds with a visibly flatter back.
Extend the hips a small distance so the thigh no longer lies directly against the chest. This lengthens the lever step by step.
Milestone (practice): 5 × 3 seconds in the half-open position.
Back flat, hips at shoulder height or slightly above, arms straight, knees bent.
Milestone (practice): 3 × 5 seconds clean — after that the straddle planche is the next goal.
This skill is safety-critical: wrists, elbows, biceps tendon and shoulders carry most of your weight on straight arms. In street workout, 62.4 percent of 93 respondents reported at least one injury in twelve months, tendon irritation was the most common diagnosis (31.0 percent of the injured), the shoulder led with 23.0 percent and overtraining was most often named as the cause [4].
A review of still-rings elements in gymnastics (37 studies) states that elements like the support scale and their preparatory drills require a high training load and that aids can reduce the load in hold elements [5] — a hint from elite sport, a transfer. Build hold times slowly, treat pain as a stop signal and never train to collapse. This guide explains and motivates, it does not replace supervised training.
If you have been stuck for weeks, train shorter sets with more rest: 4 to 6 attempts of 3 to 5 seconds, 2 to 3 minutes in between. Tendons and nervous system thank you more than any extra maximal hold. A practice cue supported by the principle of high load and recovery, but not a planche study.
How to plan your week (practice): two sessions with at least two days between them. Begin with 10 minutes of warm-up for wrists, elbows and shoulders, then the lean variant, then 4 to 6 attempts. On other days add pressing exercises such as PPPU and dips, but without fatigue before the planche session. A lighter week every four to six weeks. Note the hip height on video: a hip one centimetre higher with the same back line is real progress, even if the seconds stay the same.
That depends on strength and body build; the latter influences difficulty [3]. Expect months to years (experience value), not weeks.
As a practice benchmark, 3 × 5 seconds with a flat back and straight arms before you tackle the straddle planche. That is not a study value. Cleanliness matters more than time.
In the tuck planche the back is rounded and the knees are close to the chest; in the advanced tuck the back is flat and the hips more open. The lever gets longer and harder. Drills do not replace the skill [1].
It loads wrists, elbows and shoulders heavily. Tendon irritation is common among street workout athletes [4]. Build-up, mat and pain as a stop signal are mandatory.
When you hold 3 × 5 seconds of advanced tuck cleanly with a flat back and straight arms and the wrists show no complaints the next day. That is a practice benchmark, not a study value. Moving too early usually lengthens the way.
Learning the Strict Muscle-up: Over the Bar Without Swing, Without the Chicken Wing