Elbow Lever

These notes combine advice from 24 reviewed passages across 4 workouts.

Overview

The elbow lever, also called elbow planche or fake planche, is a balance skill organized around a central support point. It develops an understanding of the scale-like balance and body positioning also used in planche, front lever, and back lever skills, and it was considered useful for developing the waist area. [15] [17]

Keep the body and feet tense, spread the feet, and open forward. The main technical task is to settle the body’s weight over a precise balance point. [2] [22]

Hand and elbow setup

Place the hands inward to create tension. After contacting the floor, maintain a full 90-degree support angle; a 45-degree angle or an angle that opens too far will not provide the same support. [1] [2] [4]

Avoid placing the hands flat. Turn them sideways or backward, lock them inward, and place the elbow contact at the center of the body’s weight. Keep the center of mass over the middle of the support. [5] [10]

The arms can slip at first. Control of the inward hold may improve with practice, and better center-of-gravity control can make the movement feel more comfortable. [5] [9]

Entry and balance

Set the hands, spread the feet, and load the center. Lean forward slowly as far as control allows and let the feet lift as the weight shifts. Do not jump into the balance. [11] [12] [13]

For a ring-supported entry, reduce the load on the ring at first. Use the same controlled forward shift practiced in the related push-up exercise. [13]

For the elbow-planche entry, keep the feet apart and firm on the toes. Open the body and lift the waist slowly from the toes, using only a slight lift and raising the opposite side enough to establish balance. Look at a point on the floor in front rather than straight across. [18] [20] [21]

Body line and corrections

Avoid excessive body flexion and a pyramid-shaped position. Do not close into the familiar scapular pattern. Extend and open the body while keeping it upright so the weight does not remain behind. [6] [11] [16]

Keep the body open and direct the weight toward the fingertips. If the balance needs correction, move slightly backward while monitoring the wrist position. [23]

If the head is too close to the floor, increase the body’s height and narrow the opened position slightly to help the body rise. [24]

Practice setup and grip

In a wall-supported setup, establish hand-and-elbow contact and lean forward so the support holds the body. Position the setup so the relevant angle is easy to see and does not descend too far. [3] [8]

A T-shirt may provide more grip and reduce slipping in the supported position. [7]

Wrist stress

Coach’s claim

Wrist pressure may occur during the movement. Reverse-wrist work immediately afterward may reduce the stress. The stress may be tolerable and lower than the stress of a planche. [19]

Coach’s experience

In his own ring setup, the coach preferred turning the support fully backward because he found that a sideways orientation placed more load on the area being discussed. [14]

Sources

1. 2024-01-16, 3701.9-3707.5s

Workout: workout:2024-01-16

Passage: passage:2024-01-16:001437-001438

2. 2024-01-16, 3708.5-3739.9s

Workout: workout:2024-01-16

Passage: passage:2024-01-16:001440-001452

3. 2024-01-16, 3752.3-3776.8s

Workout: workout:2024-01-16

Passage: passage:2024-01-16:001458-001465

4. 2024-01-16, 3790.6-3816.0s

Workout: workout:2024-01-16

Passage: passage:2024-01-16:001469-001482

5. 2024-01-16, 3817.2-3836.0s

Workout: workout:2024-01-16

Passage: passage:2024-01-16:001483-001488

6. 2024-01-16, 3842.1-3855.4s

Workout: workout:2024-01-16

Passage: passage:2024-01-16:001493-001498

7. 2024-01-16, 3868.3-3877.7s

Workout: workout:2024-01-16

Passage: passage:2024-01-16:001507-001511

8. 2024-01-16, 3888.9-3896.5s

Workout: workout:2024-01-16

Passage: passage:2024-01-16:001512-001514

9. 2024-02-19, 2089.2-2099.2s

Workout: workout:2024-02-19

Passage: passage:2024-02-19:000739-000742

10. 2024-02-19, 3487.3-3512.5s

Workout: workout:2024-02-19

Passage: passage:2024-02-19:001230-001240

11. 2024-02-19, 3531.3-3542.1s

Workout: workout:2024-02-19

Passage: passage:2024-02-19:001251-001257

12. 2024-02-19, 3554.8-3569.6s

Workout: workout:2024-02-19

Passage: passage:2024-02-19:001265-001273

13. 2024-02-19, 3570.3-3585.1s

Workout: workout:2024-02-19

Passage: passage:2024-02-19:001275-001284

14. 2024-02-19, 3590.3-3599.2s

Workout: workout:2024-02-19

Passage: passage:2024-02-19:001286-001290

15. 2024-02-19, 4697.5-4727.0s

Workout: workout:2024-02-19

Passage: passage:2024-02-19:001724-001737

16. 2025-03-05, 3916.2-3940.3s

Workout: workout:2025-03-05

Passage: passage:2025-03-05:001431-001442

17. 2025-03-05, 3945.4-3953.2s

Workout: workout:2025-03-05

Passage: passage:2025-03-05:001446-001451

18. 2025-03-05, 3969.6-3989.8s

Workout: workout:2025-03-05

Passage: passage:2025-03-05:001463-001480

19. 2025-03-05, 3991.8-3999.8s

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Passage: passage:2025-03-05:001482-001486

20. 2025-03-05, 4087.5-4112.1s

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Passage: passage:2025-03-05:001505-001505

21. 2025-03-05, 4136.0-4140.7s

Workout: workout:2025-03-05

Passage: passage:2025-03-05:001516-001516

22. 2025-03-05, 4445.4-4462.1s

Workout: workout:2025-03-05

Passage: passage:2025-03-05:001667-001678

23. 2025-03-05, 4484.8-4497.9s

Workout: workout:2025-03-05

Passage: passage:2025-03-05:001687-001697

24. 2025-03-31, 4741.6-4790.5s

Workout: workout:2025-03-31

Passage: passage:2025-03-31:001500-001508