Wrist Torque During Front Lever and Planche

[esther22]

Occasionally I see some youtube videos go over how to use wrists to assist a front lever or planche, but sometimes the information is conflicting. Specifically, which direction should the torque be applied? The way I see it, in a front lever, a torque should be applied upwards to push your lower body up, and a similar wrist torque should also be applied in a planche. However, I am not sure if this is correct or if wrist torque even has a significant impact. To my knowledge, having infinite wrist strength by itself isn't enough to perform a front lever or planche.

Here is diagram:

https://imgur.com/a/d911187

Here are some videos that mention it, and also if they mention the same direction of torque:

(front lever, same direction)

(front lever, opposite direction)

(planche, opposite direction)

 

[deborah123]

@esther22

Occasionally I see some youtube videos go over how to use wrists to assist a front lever or planche, but sometimes the information is conflicting. Specifically, which direction should the torque be applied? The way I see it, in a front lever, a torque should be applied upwards to push your lower body up, and a similar wrist torque should also be applied in a planche. However, I am not sure if this is correct or if wrist torque even has a significant impact. To my knowledge, having infinite wrist strength by itself isn't enough to perform a front lever or planche.

The reason why different grip techniques work is not because they are pushing or pulling or going in a certain direction. It's the fact that trying to force the bar to rotate with your hands increases the muscle irradiation.

Thus, a stronger grip on the bar will help to increase the muscle activation of nearby muscles which increases the tension you can generate through the arm and shoulder girdle which makes holding the strength isometric easier.

This is similar also to people doing planche or front lever with fully pointed toes (plantarflexed, like gymnasts) or fully pointing the toes up toward the ceiling with front lever and toward the floor with planche(dorsiflexed). Obviously, the pointed toes looks more aesthetically pleasing at least to me, but a number of calisthenics guys do the dorsiflexed all the time. The full contraction of the calf or tibialis anterior muscles helps increase muscle activation and tension.

Grip harder using the technique that feels most comfortable to you.

 

[morag7000]

@esther22 Pretty interesting, its not talked about much in calisthenics. I dont really know if it helps but ill try it out next time I do front lever

 

[tacocat]

@esther22 I think i agree with your diagram.

I deffinately find front lever easier in a false grip position and trying to maintain that grip.

Same with planch on bars, I force the pressure backwards.