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Technique

  1. From a kneeling position, place your hands close together on the floor with the fingers pointing to the sides, or towards your feet.
  2. Keeping the upper back domed, lean forward and down to place your elbows into your belly, below the ribcage.
  3. Continue leaning forward while reaching the feet back
  4. Lift one leg off the ground, keeping some of your weight on the other leg’s toes. Aim to place most of your weight on your hands.
  5. The primary muscles work equally regardless of which leg you lift up, so it is not necessary to count the exercise as unilateral: it is enough to alternate the legs with each set.

Form tips

  • Experiment with where your elbows need to be to create a strong fulcrum on which to balance. They may need to be closer together, or lower on the belly, to be able to balance.
  • Gaze forward at a spot on the floor in front of you.

Muscles

Strength

Primary

  • Shoulders
  • Chest

Secondary

  • Biceps
  • Abs
  • Obliques
  • Glutes
  • Hamstrings
  • Spine
  • Pelvis
  • Hip adductors
  • Anterior deltoid
  • Pectoralis major (clavicular head)

Equipment

Appears in

Progressions

e16h

Frog elbow lever

Intermediate

Regressions

e087

Pushup

Novice
e03b

Elbow lever

Intermediate
e03u

Bottom pushup hold

Novice
e080

Plank fingers back

Novice
e0wf

Tuck plank

Novice
e07x

Planche lean

Intermediate
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