Pseudo-planche Push-up

How to perform it

1. 1Preparation and positioning. Use a non-slip surface or stable handles. Place the hands and feet so the prescribed body line and range can be repeated without the equipment shifting. Place the hands near the hips or at the declared lean angle on a stable surface; use parallettes when wrist extension is limiting.
2. 2Starting position. Set the hands and feet in the prescribed relationship, extend the elbows, and stack the ribcage over the pelvis. Protract the scapulae as appropriate, lean the shoulders forward of the hands, and establish a rigid trunk before bending the elbows.
3. 3Eccentric phase. Lower the body as one coordinated unit through the defined elbow and shoulder path. Lower while preserving the forward shoulder position and avoiding a sudden elbow flare or hip pike.
4. 4Bottom position. Reach the fixed depth marker without bouncing, twisting, or losing hand contact. Reach only the depth that can be reversed without losing the lean or scapular control.
5. 5Concentric phase / lockout. Press the support away and return to the prescribed lockout or top position. Press the hands down and back while maintaining the forward lean and a controlled body line.
6. 6Breathing and bracing. Inhale during the descent as appropriate, maintain moderate trunk and glute tension, and exhale through the press or landing preparation.
7. 7Valid rep. A valid repetition uses the stated hand position, depth, body line, and assistance standard from start to finish. The shoulder lean, hand position, and range are consistent; a normal push-up with a slight forward shift is not automatically this node.

Common mistakes

• Sagging or piking

  Fix: Stack the ribcage over the pelvis and reduce the difficulty before the trunk becomes the limiter.

• Elbows escaping

  Fix: Choose a repeatable elbow path that keeps the shoulders controlled rather than forcing a universal angle.

• Bouncing the bottom

  Fix: Lower to a fixed marker and reverse without rebound.

• Losing the planche lean

  Fix: Use a smaller lean and record it; do not claim progression when the shoulder position changes.

Safety

• The forward lean increases shoulder-flexion and wrist-extension demands and makes technique highly sensitive to individual structure; direct hypertrophy evidence for the skill is absent.
• Choose a setup, load, assistance level, and exit strategy that allow the defined standard to be maintained; do not train through acute, sharp, electric, or worsening symptoms.

Progressions & alternatives

• regressionPlanche-lean Push-up— Use a smaller lean or simpler planche-lean standard.
• progressionTuck Planche Push-up— A separate skill node is required before treating a tuck planche press as a formal progression.
• alternativePike Push-up— Use a more vertical shoulder press when forward lean is not tolerated.
• prerequisiteStraddle Planche Push-up— No automatic target is assigned; advanced planche nodes require separate review.