If you are tall or heavy don't lose hope - full planche at 202cm 102kg/6'7 225lbs and other feats by heavyweight calisthenics athletes

[thomaslowrens]

@serina1995 That's true, the highest levels shown here are very unlikely to be reached, but the purpose of this post is to show that the limits are higher than many people think, so maybe only someone gifted and on steroids can get a full planche at a height above 2m, but someone a bit shorter and natural with normal genetics might get it too, and the full front lever is a lot more achievable for example.

 

[analystsareus]

@thomaslowrens Remember, the 4 minute mile was impossible until it wasn't, and once it wasn't, a lot of people started achieving it.

By posting this, you might well be destroying the assumptions of taller folk (like myself), encouraging them to train harder for it.

 

[thomaslowrens]

@analystsareus I hope it removed some preconceived ideas.

 

[amenradio]

@serina1995 You're also kind of comparing two separate things. A person above 6 ft is still more capable of doing the planche, at least a straddle, by practicing and increasing their strength...whereas a manlet, no matter how hard he trains, will never be able to dunk.

 

[thomaslowrens]

@amenradio Here is a 5'2/157cm guy dunking. That's shorter than world class calisthenics athletes like Ziolus and Emanuele Majeli and Rayan Onizuka who are 160cm/5'3.

So a greater physical disadvantage is more unlikely to be overcome but it can be hard to determine the true limits, just like there could be even shorter dunkers and taller planchers, up to some point where it's physically impossible but we haven't found that point yet, there's more unknown freak athletes to be discovered.

 

[rvgirl42]

@thomaslowrens I take steroids (currently, 500 mg test weekly) and am 6'1 205 lbs atm. I'll say confidently, all (not some), all of them take gear. It helps a massive amount in building both strength and size. Calisthenics is much easier (especially any advanced move) at lighter weights but thats not conducive to being tall - you'd be really skinny/lanky if you naturally dieted to basically have abs/being light. You sometimes see it with pro athletes but they also have fully coordinated and moderated lifestyles between trainers, cooks and dieticians. Also, the bulk of these likely have gymnastics backgrounds as kids so learned/maintained moved growing up. You also have to be disproportionately stronger as you get taller to do certain moves.

As far as me, I can do muscle ups, handstands and to an extent back levers (maybe like 10 seconds tops, really like 5 lol). I do think if your tall you can definitely learn BW movements but as i said, u have to disproportionately stronger as u get taller while having limited bf. if you dont have years of practice - its hard. honestly, speaking i think getting good at this while making meaningful progression both skill wise and physique wise is hard af without gear. it is more doable the leaner u are but that's not a good look the taller u get. i know for sure some do it but just trying to be honest.

Just my two cents. I know I'm going to get downvotes and a bunch of anecdotal stories telling me otherwise and how I'm an idiot.

That being said, these guys are legit motivation and great write up.

 

[jc44]

@rvgirl42

I'll say confidently, all (not some), all of them take gear.

I feel like I have to reply to this, I wasn't quite strong enough to be included in Rocks post but I do have full planche at 188cm.

And unless someones been injecting me while I'm sleeping, I'm not taking any steroids

You are completely correct about the difficulties of acquiring these movements at a greater height. Obviously all I have is an anecdote (about myself) but I'm not really quite arrogant enough to assume that I'm the literal peak of the world in terms of genetics and diet. I certainly don't have a dietician working for me!

I don't want to call you an idiot. But I will encourage you to reassess what you think might be possible.

 

[thomaslowrens]

@rvgirl42 Thank you, in the main examples I put some of the most extreme feats I've seen from giants so it's not surprising if they're on steroids, but is it true for all of them? Even Sebastiano Paitowschi at the time he held a full planche?

The Bar Giants page shows several less heavy guys, are they all on steroids too? And many of them definitely have no gymnastic background, though maybe they practiced other strength sports before.

The taller you are the more you'll have to sacrifice legs and stay lean while getting as much upper body muscle as possible since weight scales cubically compared to height, while strength scales quadratically, as it's proportional to muscle cross section area.

 

[thomaslowrens]

@rvgirl42 I've looked through the profiles of more guys so tell me, does this lanky guy at 200cm 82kg/6'7 180lbs look like a steroid user?

 

[shaunicus]

@rvgirl42 I definitely don't think all have to be on steroids. Look at Jan Hojer for example. One of the top climbers in the world. 1.87, OAC/front levers using only TWO fingers.

Front/back levers doesn't seem to far fetched to achieve without steroids even if you're tall. Planche is another thing to me, that feels like 5 steps above levers.

 

[klong0149]

@rvgirl42 I'm 6'3" and weigh 174lbs, and can do straddle planches easily.

I disagree with the idea that being of a slimmer build if your are tall is a bad look. Most tall people are ectomorphs, and you can be fit and strong looking while still retaining natural body shape. Which means there's no need for gear.

 

[sacnite]

@rvgirl42 The thing is you start your argument wrong by saying “I uSe StEroIdS, HenCe i kNoW WhO usEs”. None of them has that ugly ass skin roids users develop, nor overdeveloped traps or side delts and plus, almost all of them pictures are while pumped/under alot of image filters. Idk why op said Filipo has big legs, but a quick search on his insta and youll se he has fit legs but horrible quad size (which matters more for leg weigth.) Also look the last athlete, Vlad, normal arm size, is not super shredded and he also has a picture next to Saibov which is 100% natural and is bigger than him. I do think some of them uses (Like Feschuk or whatever his lastname is) but to claim all of them uses roids just proves u dont even know what you’re talking about.

 

[nanayah]

@sacnite Not all of them might be on steroids but they might be using other substances to increase recovery and just help with the skills. Not all steroid users have to look like bodybuilders. *not that you said that they have to, I am just adding my own thoughts.

EDIT: ok I clicked through all of the profiles and most of them seem to have an unattainable physique. I am definitely not getting my hopes high as I am quite tall.

 

[dawn16]

@thomaslowrens They all seem to be near/above their natural (upper body) muscular potential, did you specifically search for tall AND heavy? I'm wondering if someone tall and relatively thin can do a planche, I suppose there are many not-tall and thin people who can (Steven Low maybe?).

 

[thomaslowrens]

@dawn16 There are some very tall athletes who are around 80kg/176lbs or below, for example Ievgen Shcherbyna, and the Bar Giants page has more examples. Thin legs allow for a thinner upper body, as long as there's at least some decent upper body muscle mass, some people have longer tendon insertions so they can generate more force with comparatively less muscle size.

 

[jackjolly]

@thomaslowrens So purely from the idea speaking, I am 6'4'' with short legs (30 pants length) and long torso and arms it should be a bit more doable for me than for someone who has very long legs?

 

[thomaslowrens]

@jackjolly It also depends on the size of thighs and calves, and long arms could actually be good because they reduce the required lean angle, putting some muscles at a length where they can produce more force.

I think there's more than a dozen athletes around 6'4 who've reached the full planche, so you can give it a try, maybe you'll reach at least the straddle planche, and the full front lever has a much greater height limit, it's much more achievable.

 

[jimbog]

@jackjolly Idk... this is a huge generalization and kinda dicey to talk about lol but often times black guys have shorter torsos with longer legs and I see more guys with that build able to do these kind of movements. I may be way off here and sorry if I am that was always just my perception of it.

 

[dollapy]

@dawn16 I'm 5'10 and weigh 140, and in the past, I came close to planche with zero practice. Definitely easier for tall/thin than tall/heavy.

 

[vic_torres]

@thomaslowrens This is a great write up and it is motivating to see all these beasts on one post