Shoulders · Bodyweight
Planche on a Chair
How to do the planche on a chair, the muscles it works, and the mistakes to avoid. Pulled straight from the Kovo app's exercise library.
- Equipment
- Bodyweight
- Difficulty
- Expert
- Logged as
- time
- Movement
- Isometric
- Mechanic
- Compound
How to do it
Place your hands on the seat of a sturdy chair and lean your weight forward over them with arms straight and shoulders pushed in front of your wrists. Lift your feet and hold your body off the ground, supported only by your hands. This is an advanced balance and strength hold.
- 1Front delts and chest under deep tension holding you up
- 2Strong scapular push, shoulders rounding forward over the hands
- 3Core, glutes, and quads locked to keep your body rigid
Common mistakes
- Letting your shoulders sit behind your wrists
- Bending your elbows instead of keeping arms straight
- Letting your hips sag or your body fold in the middle
Muscles worked
The planche on a chair mainly works the front delts, mid chest, and lower abs, with the triceps, forearms, lower chest, upper abs, upper chest, lats, lower back, upper traps, lower traps, obliques, quads, glutes, and hip flexors assisting.
- Front DeltsPrimary
- Mid ChestPrimary
- Lower AbsPrimary
- TricepsSupport
- ForearmsSupport
- Lower ChestSupport
- Upper AbsSupport
- Upper ChestSupport
- LatsSupport
- Lower BackSupport
- Upper TrapsSupport
- Lower TrapsSupport
- ObliquesSupport
- QuadsSupport
- GlutesSupport
- Hip FlexorsSupport
- BicepsMinor
- Mid TrapsMinor
- HamstringsMinor
- Side DeltsMinor
- Internal RotatorsMinor
- AdductorsMinor
Kovo programs the planche on a chair for you and tracks it every session.
We build your whole program, drop the right lifts into each workout, and adjust your weights as you get stronger. Free on iOS and Android.
More shoulders exercises
- How to do the battle rope alternating waves
- How to do the arm circles
- How to do the arnold press
- How to do the resistance band front raise
- How to do the resistance band lateral raise
- How to do the resistance band overhead press
Last reviewed June 2026.