Chest / Beginner / Compound (multi-joint)

Plyo Push-up

An explosive bodyweight exercise for the chest, with the front delts, triceps and serratus assisting.

At a glance

Primary

Chest

Secondary

Front delts, Triceps, Serratus anterior

Equipment

Bodyweight

Movement pattern

Horizontal push, Jump / plyometric

Level

Beginner

Type

Chest, Compound (multi-joint), Explosive

Loads the wrist. Use a load you can control and skip it if it causes pain.

How to do it

1. Move into a prone position on the floor, supporting your weight on your hands and toes.
2. Your arms should be fully extended with the hands around shoulder width. Keep your body straight throughout the movement. This will be your starting position.
3. Descend by flexing at the elbow, lowering your chest towards the ground.
4. At the bottom, reverse the motion by pushing yourself up through elbow extension as quickly as possible. Attempt to push your upper body up until your hands leave the ground.
5. Return to the starting position and repeat the exercise.
6. For added difficulty, add claps into the movement while you are air borne.

Common mistakes

• ✗ Landing with locked elbows.

  Why it hurts: The impact goes straight into the elbows and wrists.

  ✓ Instead: Land with soft elbows and sink into the next rep.

• ✗ Hips sagging on landing.

  Why it hurts: The lower back takes the impact.

  ✓ Instead: Keep a tight plank; start with hands on a bench to reduce the load.

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