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

Work 3 sets of 5 reps with close to 2 minutes of rest, since every rep needs to be explosive, not just a faster push-up. Add a rep or two per set before you ever add extra height or a clap.

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

To make it easier, drop to your knees for the same explosive press with less body weight to launch, or press from an incline against a bench. To make it harder, add a small clap or progress to the single-arm version.

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

It builds fast pressing power and reactive strength that carries over to throwing and pushing sports. It is a poor choice without a solid base of standard push-ups already in place, and a poor choice with any current wrist, elbow, or shoulder pain, since the landing loads all three at once.

Advanced

Plyo Push-Up

The plyo push-up brings upper-body power training to the chest, shoulders, and triceps by asking you to press hard enough to launch the hands off the ground. It builds fast pressing force and reactive strength for throwing and pushing athletes. You need a solid base of standard push-ups first, since the landing loads the wrists, elbows, and shoulders quickly.

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

How to do it

1
Set up in a push-up position with hands under the shoulders and a braced trunk.
2
Lower your chest toward the floor under control.
3
Press explosively so your hands leave the ground at the top.
4
Keep the body rigid in a straight line throughout the push.
5
Land on slightly bent elbows to absorb the impact softly.
6
Reset your position and flow into the next rep.

Tips

Keep the hips level and the core braced so the body moves as one rigid unit.
Absorb the landing with bent elbows instead of catching it on locked arms.
Drop to the knees if you cannot clear the floor cleanly with full-body plyo push-ups.

Variations

Common mistakes

The hips sag or pike at the top of the press instead of staying level, letting the power leak out of a loose midsection.
Landing with locked, straight elbows instead of letting them bend sends the impact straight into the joints instead of the muscles absorbing it.
Attempting the full-body version before standard push-ups are strong and clean skips the strength base this drill assumes you already have.
The hands come down in a different spot each rep since there is no control over where they land, which is asking for a wrist to roll wrong.

Frequently asked

How many reps of the plyo push-up should you do when you are new to the exercise?: Work 3 sets of 5 reps with close to 2 minutes of rest, since every rep needs to be explosive, not just a faster push-up. Add a rep or two per set before you ever add extra height or a clap.
How do you make the plyo push-up easier or harder?: To make it easier, drop to your knees for the same explosive press with less body weight to launch, or press from an incline against a bench. To make it harder, add a small clap or progress to the single-arm version.
What is the plyo push-up good for and when should you skip it?: It builds fast pressing power and reactive strength that carries over to throwing and pushing sports. It is a poor choice without a solid base of standard push-ups already in place, and a poor choice with any current wrist, elbow, or shoulder pain, since the landing loads all three at once.

Related exercises

Other movements among FitRay's 2,000+ exercises that load the same target muscle — same equipment and level first.

All Chest exercises