T Nation

Planche Push Ups

Conditioning
#1

I was starting to do bench again now that I’ve finally got some shoulder problems worked out and just honestly feel burnt out on bench from over a decade of PL type training and just dreaded doing it so I figured I’d pick something radically different to do. I thought about dips but those are the only exercise where I have trouble with my humerus ramming into the soft shoulder stuff. So I figured these were the closest thing, yeah I know still pretty different.

I’m nowhere close to being able to do these. I can do pseudo Planche push ups for a straight 5x5 with some difficulty. I can’t even do a tuck Planche much less even a tuck Planche push up. I’ve watched a few youtube vids with what I think are some good ideas for progressing.

But I was wondering if anyone in these parts does these and how did you get there?

#2

In my younger years, when i was mostly doing bw stuff, planche pushups were a goal of mine but i never made it. I did get down elbow levers, v sits, L sits (from the floor) as far as the more technical stuff goes and had been working on front levers. Obviously looking at guys like Al Kavadlo would be helpful, but particularly i would suggest BeastSkills .com

He has lots of tutorials on all kinds of bw skills. You might have to do a little digging but there is tutorials there on the site.

Now when i was working towards it, i started with getting up higher numbers on my psuedo planches and after i progressed on them for a little while, i started adding a little bit of extra weight and i started attempting tuck planche holds. I put my hands up on milk crates to give myself some room and once i could hold myself for a little bit i would start doing controlled negatives but thats as far as i ever got.

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#3

I just got this. Best book on progressions I’ve seen so far. I have some Kavadlo books too.

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#4

Yes sir. I am attempting to be able to do a full planche push-up eventually. I can do pseudo planche push-ups and planche push-ups (knee’s tucked) on paralettes. Hopefully I’ll be able to get them one day.

I’ve been a lot more interested in progressive calisthenics but am definitely still learning. I must say it is definitely fun and exciting.

Do you have a particular calisthenics program you follow?

#5

Honestly, I’m kind of abandoning the planche push up goal at least for now. If I do pseudo planches where my hands are at about my hips I can only do 3. What I’ve seen in bodyweight training forums is that in time and devotion it’s kind of equivalent of like a 2x bw bench press and I’d rather split up my energies more so right now I’m working on advancing ring push ups and ring dips for my horizontal pressing.
It’s super nice being able to rotate my hands while I press or pull, much easier on my wrists and shoulders. Regular dips are a no go for my shoulders and I can do more non assisted reps than the assisted ring dips, but w/ the rings no issues of my humerus running into my shoulder capsule.
Maybe when I’m up to pseudo planches on the rings where my hands are actually really close to my hips, I’ll revisit the goal but that’s quite some time since atm just 3x8 of regular pushups not even feet elevated is kicking my butt and I have to use a bench to hold the weight of my legs and add little more stability for the dips for 3x8 lol. But I just got started on the rings too so I imagine progress will come fast initially.

No particular program, just keeping my program balanced and making sure I do some sort of progression whether is be volume, weighting my calisthenics, or leverage via more advanced variations.

Upper A: Mostly while I get used to the rings I’m sticking w/ 3 sets of 8-12
Ring Dips- I position my legs on the bench so the bench is holding less and less of my bw for progression
Full ROM Pike Push Ups on Parallettes paired w/
Ring Pull Ups
Ring BW Curls facing away from the anchor point paired w/
Ring BW Skull Crushers
Ring Face Pulls- I’ve always done these w/ bands and w/ the rings the strength curve is the opposite, I have no idea how this will play out regarding benefits
Tuck Sits on Parallettes

Upper B:
Standing BB Press
Ring Push Ups paired w/
BW Ring Rows
very regressed Pelican Curls paired w/
ring triceps long head focused extentions- if it were a free weight ‘skull crusher’ the weight would be behind your head in the stretched position and barely be over your head in the fully extended position
L-Sits on Parallettes using a mini band to help hold my legs up

I haven’t actually written my program down like this and analyzed it but I still like it even now that I visually see it. I might replace some movement w/ free weight equivalents down the road but I wanna learn the rings and my bodyweight so that’s where the heavy emphasis is for now.

Sorry if that told nothing you wanted to know and everything you didn’t haha.

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#6

Sounds like it’s a good program to me but is there any reason you wouldn’t have a lower body day for body weight squats, pistols etc?

I must say that I definitely love Olympic rings. If I were to get only 1 or 2 pieces of equipment, it’d be a pull-up bar and some rings.

No need to apologize. I was just curious as to what a fellow body weight strength practitioner does for a routine. I still consider myself a novice in the realm of calisthenics and am really interested in other’s training methodologies.

#7

More or less novice myself w/ bw training myself! When I did PL about the only bw stuff I did was that I’d occasionally work in some chin/pull ups and do some steps ups and 45 degree hypers and exercise ball bw leg curls. I’ve only really got going w/ the heavy bw emphasis the past couple to few months.

The meat and potatoes of lower is still weights. Front squats and variations of oly pulls. But I am doing peterson step ups, sissy squats, bw ring leg curls, and skater squats so a lot more than I used to.

#8

That makes sense then in regards to hitting your lower body with weights. I’ve heard of others doing the same thing. I used to hate front squats but have sense gained an appreciation for them.

I have also done body weight ring curls and they are pretty hard but I definitely feel it working my hamstrings.

One thing that I realized is that body weight training is freakin’ tough. I find that it requires a unique type of concentration that weight training can’t duplicate. That’s not to say that weight training doesn’t require concentration.

#9

Is “Overcoming Gravity” a good read? I have been interested in it.

#10

Yes, it is. It’s not a book with pre-written programs though. It shows you how to write your own.