My IMC training was all on planks, and yes, this is exactly what I was taught. Climb on instruments to above cloud then sort yourself out as necessary.
However, my PPL(H) training never came even close to cloud. Under the CAA PPL(H) there was no instrument training at all. You never went into IMC, hence no need to train for it. Actually I did a couple of hours just for the experience, but there was no official need for it. The JAA (H) syllabus does require 5 hours IF though.
In the case I mentioned above, I knew exactly where I was, the terrain was flat, and I had only just flown into it. I also knew it was a very shallow layer so opted to drop down out of it rather than attempting a 180 in a very unstable IF platform. I still think that was the correct decision in the circumstances.