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Exercise library · Chest

Plyo push-up

Horizontal press for the chest with your bodyweight.

How to do it

1 of 4

Plank, hands a bit wide

  1. Starting position

    Start in a plank with your hands slightly wider than your shoulders and keep your body straight from head to heels.

  2. The movement

    Lower your chest toward the floor, press explosively so your hands lift, and land softly before lowering again.

Most common mistake

Don't let your hips drop as you press, brace your core and keep your body straight throughout the movement.

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Muscle group
Chest
Equipment
Bodyweight
Where
Home or gym
Logged as
Reps

Muscles worked

The pressing muscles are the usual ones, chest, triceps and front shoulders, but the aim is different: producing force quickly, that is, upper body power, more than building muscle. On landing, your shoulders, wrists and trunk catch your body and slow it down for the next rep. Wait until you can do several clean sets of standard push-ups, and learn the movement with a small push-off before you go all out.

Common mistakes

  • You clap before you get enough height. A clap needs time for your hands to get back before landing, otherwise you can end up on your fingers or hit your face. Start with your hands just leaving the floor, and add the clap once you have height to spare.
  • You land on straight arms. With locked elbows, the impact goes straight into your wrists and shoulders. Catch yourself with slightly bent arms and let the landing flow into the next lowering.
  • You do them when you are already tired. Explosive reps lose speed and precision once your muscles tire. Put the exercise early in the session and end the set as soon as your push-off weakens.

Variations and alternatives

  • Incline push-ups can be done explosively with your hands on a sturdy bench, an easier way to learn the push-off and the landing.
  • Push-ups at normal speed build the base this exercise needs.
  • The bench press builds the strength that power rests on.
  • The slam ball also trains explosive effort, but with your whole body.

Sets and reps

Plyo push-ups are trained with few reps and full rest. Three to five sets of 3 to 6 reps are plenty, with one to two minutes between sets. Every rep should be as fast as the first, which is why the sets are short. Warm up your shoulders and wrists first (see warming up), and read sets and reps for how the exercise fits into a session.

Do not progress by adding reps. Aim instead for a higher push-off, then the clap, and after that harder variations, such as feet on a low step. That is progressive overload for power: harder reps, not more of them. If your wrists or shoulders hurt, rather than just work hard, stop and get them examined by a doctor or physiotherapist.

Also called

  • clap push up
  • plyo push up

Swap for

Taken, or missing the equipment? The same movement with something else.

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