How many reps of the clap push-up should you do when you are new to the exercise?

Keep it to 3 sets of 3 to 4 reps with close to 2 minutes of rest, dropping back to a regular plyo push-up the moment the clap stops fitting cleanly. Chasing more reps than that usually just buys sloppier landings.

How do you make the clap push-up easier or harder?

To make it easier, go back to a standard plyo push-up without the clap until you have clear air time under your hands. To make it harder, add a second clap or clap behind your back instead of in front.

What is the clap push-up good for and when should you skip it?

It is a benchmark of upper-body explosiveness, reserved for those whose plyo push-ups already leave the floor with real air time to spare. It is a poor choice before that benchmark is met, and a poor choice with any wrist, elbow, or shoulder issue, since a mistimed clap means landing hard and late.

Advanced

Clap Push-Up

The clap push-up is a more demanding progression of the plyo push-up, requiring extra push-off height to fit a clap between takeoff and landing. It is a benchmark of upper-body explosiveness and reactive control. Only attempt it once your plyo push-ups leave the floor with clear air time, and keep the reps low and crisp.

Equipment: Body Weight
Body part: Chest
Type: Plyometric
Browse by muscle: Pectoralis Major Sternocostal
Browse by movement: Horizontal Press

How to do it

1
Assume a push-up position with a tight, straight body and hands under the shoulders.
2
Lower the chest to the floor with control.
3
Press as hard as possible to drive the hands high off the ground.
4
Quickly clap the hands together beneath the chest.
5
Return the hands to the floor and land on bent elbows.
6
Absorb the landing softly and reset before the next rep.

Tips

Generate the height from the press, not from throwing the head or hips upward.
Keep the core locked so the hips do not sag when the hands leave the floor.
Bail to a regular plyo push-up the moment your air time drops off.

Variations

Common mistakes

The head and shoulders throw upward to help create height instead of the press doing the work, adding momentum the arms did not actually earn.
The hips sag the instant the hands leave the floor since there is nothing bracing the midsection through the airborne moment.
Pushing through a set after air time has already dropped off chases a clap that is not really there anymore and just risks a hard landing.
Attempting claps before plyo push-ups show clear daylight under the hands skips the exact benchmark this progression is built on.

Frequently asked

How many reps of the clap push-up should you do when you are new to the exercise?: Keep it to 3 sets of 3 to 4 reps with close to 2 minutes of rest, dropping back to a regular plyo push-up the moment the clap stops fitting cleanly. Chasing more reps than that usually just buys sloppier landings.
How do you make the clap push-up easier or harder?: To make it easier, go back to a standard plyo push-up without the clap until you have clear air time under your hands. To make it harder, add a second clap or clap behind your back instead of in front.
What is the clap push-up good for and when should you skip it?: It is a benchmark of upper-body explosiveness, reserved for those whose plyo push-ups already leave the floor with real air time to spare. It is a poor choice before that benchmark is met, and a poor choice with any wrist, elbow, or shoulder issue, since a mistimed clap means landing hard and late.

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