Yesterday after I put in some time in the treadmill I wanted to work on my handstands and planche holds a little bit.  Well the handstand practice quickly went out the window after I repeatedly banged my three bad toes coming down from attempts.

So I decided to try out some planche holds.  I first did an elbow planche, a hold I started messing with a month or so ago.  It is a move that focuses more on balance than strength since your weight is perched on top of your elbows.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3OF0Dec-9Wk

I then widened my hand position on the ground and tried something new, getting off my elbows and just pinning my arms to my sides.  I was surprised I actually could hold it for several seconds.

I then went even further apart with my base where my arms were barely touching my sides.  I could only hold that momentarily, but it was still a hold.

Lou saw my video and recommended I try the hold on parallelettes, a small version of parallel bars.  Supposedly doing it on the floor as I am is one of the more difficult ways to do the hold.

Later Lou said he had an old set of parallelettes that he made/modified that I could have.  He shipped them off today.  I joked with Lou that maybe some of his hardcore work out intensity will rub off on me hopefully. I can’t wait to get my hands on them.

They instantly will become one of my more prized pieces of work out equipment.