Exercise Tutorial: Plyo Push Up

Table of Contents

    What Is a Plyo Push Up

    Plyo Push Ups, also known as Plyometric Push Ups, are a body weight exercise that aims to increase your upper body strength and power while working your chest, triceps, abs and shoulders.

    How to Do a Plyo Push Up

    1. Starting at the top of a push up position, or a high plank. Arms are extended approximately shoulder width apart with hands underneath our shoulders and feet together or slightly apart while keeping the core tight and our back and neck in a straight line.

    2. Just like a regular push up, lower your body until your chest is hovering a couple inches above the floor.

    3. Then you’re going to explode upwards as you extend your arms with enough force that your hands leave the ground.

    4. Land softly on the ground, immediately going into your next rep

    5. Repeat the movement for the required reps

    Plyo Push Up.gif

    Proper Plyo Push Up Form

    When doing an advanced exercise like the Plyo Push Ups, it’s important to do so using proper form. A lot of the time, when fatigue sets in people start to lose their form, whether their anterior shoulder drops forward or they lose their low back, and this can potentially lead to injury. When performing a Plyo Push Up it’s important that we keep our elbows slightly tucked and our back nice and straight, essentially creating a straight line from our head to our toes.

    It’s also important that as we perform this movement, we brace our core and keep our shoulders down and back. Shoulders down and back? What does that mean? Think of trying to pull shoulder blades together. Do these things, and you’ll successfully perform a Plyo Push Up with proper form and without risk of injury

    Plyo Push Up Form Progression

    If you’ve mastered the Plyo Push Up and are looking to make it even more challenging, here are a couple things you can try:

    • Add a clap to your push up, try an extra clap to it or even clapping behind your back instead

    • Elevate your feet to perform a Decline Plyo Push Up

    • Try a plyo superman pushup in which both arms and legs leave the floor

    Why Is the Plyo Push Up Useful 

    The Plyo Push Up is useful because it’s a great way to build upper body explosiveness, strength and power. It also adds a great challenge component to your workout as it’s an advanced exercise that can take your training to the next level.

    Not only does the Plyo Push Up improve your upper body strength and power but it strengthens your core as well as provides more stability from bracing your back, making this a great exercise that you can do anywhere. The lack of space and equipment needed to perform Plyo Push Ups also make this valuable exercise for those who don’t have access to a gym or who have limited space.

    Although this exercise is not for beginners, the Plyo Push Up is highly adaptable. There are many ways to make it easier if you’re trying these for the first time and want to elevate your pushup game or are having a hard time exploding off the floor. For these individuals, you can try performing the movement on a stable elevated surface like a bench, low wall or even drop to your knees.

    Plyo Push Ups Muscles Worked

    Plyo Push Up Benefits

    There are numerous benefits of the Plyo Push Up which will make you want to start adding them into you exercise routine ASAP!

    • Increases upper body strength and power

    • Can be incorporated into HIIT workouts or circuit training

    • Improved muscular endurance and speed

    • Increased rate of force production

    • Increased Motor Unit Recruitment

    • Enhances core stability

    • Doesn’t need equipment


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    Alexis Hlady

    My name is Alexis Hlady and I am a Kinesiology (BKin. Honours) graduate from Brock University with a Master of Professional Kinesiology (MPK) from the University of Toronto. I am very passionate about health and physical activity and hope to pursue a career in the high-performance sport & training aspect of kinesiology in the near future. 

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