What is the difference between a frog planche and crow pose?

Both are bent-arm balances with the knees on the arms, and many people use the names interchangeably. In the frog planche the knees rest low on the backs of the upper arms, just above the elbows, and the arms stay bent as a shelf, while Crane Pose sets the knees higher toward the armpits and works toward straight arms.

Is a frog planche the same as a tuck planche?

No. In a Tuck Planche the arms are straight and the knees float under the body without touching the arms, which makes it far harder. Some coaches call that knee-free tuck a frog planche, but the version shown here keeps the knees resting on the arms.

How long should I hold a frog planche before moving on?

A common rule of thumb is to build up to steady holds of about 20 to 30 seconds with the shoulders pushed forward and no wobble. From there, start straightening the arms with the knees still on them and add the Lean Planche before trying a tuck planche.

Will the frog planche teach me the full planche?

It teaches the forward lean, the fingertip balance and the wrist tolerance the planche needs, but not the straight-arm strength, because the elbows are bent and the legs rest on the arms. Pair it with straight-arm work such as the lean planche and Pseudo Planche Push-Ups.

Why do my wrists hurt in a frog planche?

The wrists are bent back under your whole body weight, which they need time to get used to. Warm them up first, turn your fingers slightly outward or use parallettes or yoga blocks, keep holds short, and see a clinician if the pain lingers after sessions.

Frog Planche

What Is the Frog Planche?

Frog Planche is a compound exercise that primarily targets the shoulders and also engages the triceps, serratus anterior, chest, abdominals and wrist flexors. It is an intermediate-level bodyweight hold in which you balance on your hands with your elbows bent and your knees resting on the backs of your upper arms, just above the elbows, while your feet hover off the floor.

In calisthenics this position is usually called the frog stand. The name is used loosely: some coaches say frog planche for a harder version in which the knees float free of the arms, which is really a step toward the Tuck Planche. This page covers the version with the knees resting on the arms. It is also close to the yoga Crane Pose, where the knees sit higher on the arms toward the armpits and the arms work toward straight, while here the knees rest low, near the elbows, and the arms stay bent as a shelf throughout.

The frog planche is the usual first step of the planche progression, ahead of the tuck, advanced tuck, Straddle Planche and Full Planche. It teaches the things every later stage depends on: leaning the shoulders forward of the hands, balancing on the fingers rather than the feet, and getting the wrists used to carrying the whole body. Because the elbows are bent and the legs rest on the arms, it does not build the straight-arm strength a true planche needs, so it is usually paired with the Lean Planche and practiced early in a session while you are fresh.

The front of the shoulders holds the body forward of the hands, the triceps keep the bent elbows from folding, and the serratus anterior pushes the shoulder blades apart so the upper back stays rounded. The abdominals and hip flexors keep the knees pulled in tight against the arms. Leaning further forward puts more load on the shoulders and less on the elbow shelf, and straightening the arms while the knees stay on them, often called the straight-arm frog stand, is the bridge to the tuck planche.

It suits anyone starting calisthenics or hand balancing who can already do solid Push-Ups and hold a Plank comfortably. If you cannot lift both feet yet, shift your weight forward onto your hands with your toes still on the floor and build up from there, and add regular wrist preparation, since the wrists are usually what limits the hold at first.

Muscles Worked

MuscleActivation

Deltoid: Primary
Serratus Anterior: High
Triceps Brachii (Lateral Head): High
Triceps Brachii (Medial Head): High
External Oblique: Medium
Flexor Carpi Radialis: Medium
Pectoralis Major: Medium
Rectus Abdominis: Medium
Adductor Longus: Low
Rectus Femoris: Low

Instructions

Squat down with your feet close together and your knees apart.
Place your hands flat on the floor about shoulder-width apart, just ahead of your feet, with your fingers spread wide and pointing forward.
Bend your elbows and lean forward so the backs of your upper arms form a shelf.
Set each knee on the back of its upper arm, just above the elbow, and squeeze the knees in against the arms.
Round your upper back, push the floor away, keep your hips high and look at the floor just ahead of your hands.
Shift your weight slowly forward into your hands until your feet feel light, then lift them off the floor one at a time and bring them together.
Balance by pressing your fingertips into the floor when you tip forward and the heels of your hands when you tip back, and breathe steadily.
Hold for the prescribed time, then shift your weight back and lower your feet to the floor under control.

Common Mistakes

Knees too far from the elbows
Resting the knees high toward the armpits or letting them slip down off the arms takes away the elbow shelf the position relies on and makes the balance shaky.
Not leaning far enough forward
Keeping the shoulders over or behind the hands leaves the weight on the feet, so they never lift off the floor.
Collapsing between the shoulders
Letting the chest sink between the arms instead of pushing the floor away and rounding the upper back dumps the load into the wrists and elbows.
Dropping the head under the body
Tucking the head back toward the feet shifts the balance and makes it easy to tip forward, so look at the floor just ahead of your hands.
Holding the breath
Holding your breath stiffens the whole body and shortens the hold, so keep breathing steadily while you balance.
Jumping into the hold
Hopping the feet up instead of shifting your weight forward until they float makes it hard to control and is the quickest way to tip over.

Injuries

Frog Planche is a medium risk exercise when performed with proper technique. The wrists carry your whole body weight bent back to about 90 degrees, and they are the most common complaint, especially as you lean further forward. The bent elbows and the front of the shoulders take a steady load too, and the knees pressing into the backs of the upper arms can leave the arms bruised or sore. The main acute risk is tipping forward onto your face or head while you learn where the balance point is.

Warm up the wrists before every session with circles, gentle stretches and rocking on all fours, spread your fingers wide, and press the fingertips into the floor to brake any forward tip. Practice on a mat with a cushion in front of your hands until the balance is reliable. If the wrists complain, turn the fingers slightly outward or hold the position on parallettes or yoga blocks to keep the wrists closer to neutral, and keep holds short.

To regress, keep your toes on the floor and shift your weight forward onto your hands until the feet feel light, or lift one foot at a time. Once you can hold the full position steadily, progress by leaning further forward, then by straightening your arms with the knees still on them, before moving on to the Tuck Planche.

Stop if you feel sharp pain in the wrist, elbow or shoulder, or numbness or tingling in the hand or forearm, which can come from the knees pressing on the nerve that runs around the back of the upper arm. Wrist pain that lingers after sessions is a reason to cut back and see a clinician rather than push through it.

Overview

Primary Focus: Shoulders
Equipment: Body weight
Modality: Strength
Difficulty: Intermediate

Alternative Exercises

Other Names for the Frog Planche

The Frog Planche is also known as:

Frog Stand

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What is the difference between a frog planche and crow pose?: Both are bent-arm balances with the knees on the arms, and many people use the names interchangeably. In the frog planche the knees rest low on the backs of the upper arms, just above the elbows, and the arms stay bent as a shelf, while Crane Pose sets the knees higher toward the armpits and works toward straight arms.
Q: Is a frog planche the same as a tuck planche?: No. In a Tuck Planche the arms are straight and the knees float under the body without touching the arms, which makes it far harder. Some coaches call that knee-free tuck a frog planche, but the version shown here keeps the knees resting on the arms.
Q: How long should I hold a frog planche before moving on?: A common rule of thumb is to build up to steady holds of about 20 to 30 seconds with the shoulders pushed forward and no wobble. From there, start straightening the arms with the knees still on them and add the Lean Planche before trying a tuck planche.
Q: Will the frog planche teach me the full planche?: It teaches the forward lean, the fingertip balance and the wrist tolerance the planche needs, but not the straight-arm strength, because the elbows are bent and the legs rest on the arms. Pair it with straight-arm work such as the lean planche and Pseudo Planche Push-Ups.
Q: Why do my wrists hurt in a frog planche?: The wrists are bent back under your whole body weight, which they need time to get used to. Warm them up first, turn your fingers slightly outward or use parallettes or yoga blocks, keep holds short, and see a clinician if the pain lingers after sessions.