How to Breakdance | Planche Push Up

The planche push-up is an advanced calisthenics move that showcases incredible upper body strength and control. It’s a staple in breakdancing, gymnastics, and street workout routines. In this comprehensive guide, we’ll break down the steps to achieve this impressive feat, as taught by Quang Bang from 2nd Nature crew and Business Time.

Quang Bang, a San Jose native who honed his skills while dancing in Sacramento during his college years at UC Davis, brings his expertise to this tutorial. His approach emphasizes progressive strength building and consistent practice to master the planche push-up.

Understanding the Planche Push-Up

Before diving into the training techniques, it’s crucial to understand what a planche push-up entails. This move requires you to:

Support your entire body weight on your hands
Keep your body parallel to the ground
Lower and raise your body while maintaining the planche position

The planche push-up demands exceptional strength in your shoulders, chest, and core, making it a challenging move to master.

Building the Foundation

Strength Training

Quang emphasizes the importance of building foundational strength before attempting the planche push-up. He recommends:

Bench press: Focus on heavy weights with low repetitions
Military press: Again, prioritize heavy weights and low reps

These exercises target the deltoids and triceps, crucial muscle groups for the planche push-up. If you don’t have access to a gym, don’t worry. Quang provides alternative exercises you can do at home.

Home Exercises

Elevated Push-Ups

Find an elevated surface like a sturdy table or bench
Perform push-ups with your feet elevated
This variation increases the load on your upper body, simulating the demands of a planche push-up

Handstand Push-Ups

If you’re comfortable with handstands, incorporate handstand push-ups into your routine
These directly target the shoulders and triceps, key muscle groups for the planche

Modified Push-Ups

Perform push-ups with your hands positioned near your waist instead of under your shoulders
This hand placement mimics the position required in a planche push-up
To increase difficulty, wear a backpack filled with books for added resistance

Progressing Towards the Planche

Knee Lifts

Once you’ve built a base level of strength, Quang introduces a progression exercise:

Start on your knees with your hands placed beside your knees
Lift your body off the floor, focusing on engaging your core and upper body
Initially, your feet may touch the ground frequently – this is normal
Hold the position as long as possible, even if your feet tap the ground

Leg Extensions

As you become more comfortable with knee lifts, progress to leg extensions:

From the knee lift position, tilt your head down
Kick your legs back, aiming to straighten them
Your feet may still touch the ground – continue to practice, focusing on holding the position longer each time

Planche from Handstand

Once you’re comfortable with the previous progressions, try entering the planche from a handstand:

Start in a handstand position
Slowly lower your body, flexing your deltoids and triceps intensely
Focus on descending slowly to maximize muscle engagement
As you near the ground, attempt to hold the planche position
Your feet may touch the ground initially – keep practicing to increase hold time

Planche Push-Up Progression

Frog Stand to Planche

To build towards the full planche push-up, start with this intermediate step:

Begin in a frog stand (also known as a crow pose in yoga)
Instead of resting your knees on your elbows, keep your arms by your sides
Lift your feet off the ground, curling your legs
Hold this position to build strength and stability

Tucked Planche Push-Up

Once comfortable with the frog stand progression:

Start from the bottom position with your legs tucked
Push up, maintaining the tucked position
Lower back down, touching your chest to the ground
Repeat, focusing on controlled movements

Full Planche Push-Up

When you’re ready to attempt the full planche push-up:

Quang suggests starting on your fingertips for better control and elevation
Begin in a planche position with legs extended
Lower your body while maintaining the parallel position
Push back up to complete the rep

Key Tips for Success

Consistency is Key: Practice regularly to build and maintain the necessary strength.
Focus on Form: Proper form prevents injuries and ensures you’re targeting the right muscle groups.
Progression is Personal: Don’t rush the process. Move through the progressions at your own pace.
Mindset Matters: As Quang says, “The first step to failing is thinking it’s impossible.” Approach your training with a positive, can-do attitude.
Finger Strength: If you’re planning to perform planche push-ups on your fingertips, build finger strength gradually to avoid injury.
Rest and Recovery: Give your body time to recover between training sessions. Overtraining can lead to setbacks.
Supplementary Exercises: Incorporate exercises that target your core, back, and legs to support your planche training.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Rushing Progressions: Attempting advanced variations before mastering the basics can lead to injury and frustration.
Neglecting Warm-Up: Always warm up thoroughly before practicing planche progressions to prepare your muscles and joints.
Inconsistent Practice: Sporadic training won’t yield results. Aim for regular, structured practice sessions.
Ignoring Pain: While some discomfort is normal when learning new skills, sharp or persistent pain is a sign to stop and reassess your technique.
Overlooking Diet and Rest: Proper nutrition and adequate rest are crucial for building the strength required for planche push-ups.

Incorporating Planche Push-Ups into Your Breakdancing

Once you’ve mastered the planche push-up, you can start incorporating it into your breaking routines. Here are some ideas:

Use it as a power move to transition between other elements of your routine
Combine it with other strength-based moves for an impressive sequence
Use it as a freezes, holding the planche position to add drama to your performance

Remember, while the planche push-up is an impressive standalone move, its true power in breaking comes from how you integrate it with your overall style and flow.

Conclusion

Mastering the planche push-up is a journey that requires dedication, patience, and consistent effort. By following Quang Bang’s progressive approach, you can build the necessary strength and technique to achieve this impressive feat. Remember, everyone’s journey is different – some may master the move in a month, while others might take longer. The key is to stay persistent, practice regularly, and believe in your ability to achieve your goals.

As you work towards your planche push-up, don’t forget to celebrate the small victories along the way. Each progression you master is a significant achievement in itself. Keep pushing your limits, stay motivated, and before you know it, you’ll be impressing your fellow breakers with your planche push-ups.

Happy breaking, and may your journey to mastering the planche push-up be as rewarding as the final achievement itself!