Supermove series: planche

Date

03.17.20 More info+

The process is slow and the achievement satisfying.

Kyle Suib’s pursuit of the planche (essentially a legs-suspended plank) has been years in the making. “It’s a beautiful combination of strength and mobility,” he says.

Suib, a circus trapeze artist and group fitness instructor at Equinox locations in DC, was a rower and dancer in college. He started expanding his fitness repertoire in 2012, first with cycling, then by becoming a personal trainer, then getting into group fitness.

Over the first few years, he grew more interested in bodyweight training and less in heavy lifting. “I eventually shifted gears entirely and dedicated my fitness development to circus work, primarily duo trapeze and handstands,” he says.

Throughout his training, he’s learned an important lesson: “Everything in fitness can be enhanced with better mobility.”

Suib fell in love with the planche about six years ago while watching gymnastics videos on YouTube. “I have a tendency to tell myself, ‘I want to do that,’ so I put the work into it,” he says. “Let me be clear: The process is slow.”

Most people who can hold a planche, he notes, have been working towards it for years. For Suib, the first step was rehabbing his damaged shoulders and building flexibility, of which he had none. Improved mobility followed.

The full planche is a highly advanced move that requires strength in absolutely every muscle. Below, Suib shares the routine he practiced to get from square one to half planche. “I haven’t mastered the full move yet, but it’s gotten better,” he says.

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Supermove series: planche

03.17.20

More info+

The process is slow and the achievement satisfying.

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