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Plyo Pushup

May 16, 2023 | Joel Runyon

The Plyo Pushup is an advanced exercise only for those with highly-developed upper body strength. It derives its name from Plyometric movement, whereby explosive force is applied in short intervals for maximum fat burning and muscle-building benefits.

How to do a Plyo Push Up

To begin, get down on a mat or comfortable part of the floor with the palms of your hands flat and shoulder-width apart. Your legs should be extended out behind you with the toes of your feet bent and your heels raised up. Your eyes should be looking down towards the ground and your neck, back, and hips all aligned in one straight line.

Perform the first half of a traditional Push Up by bending your elbows to lower your entire upper torso down and close to the ground. Do this in a controlled manner while keeping the line of your body straight.

Pause at the bottom of the movement, but now in an explosive motion, push yourself off of the floor, and while suspended in the air quickly clap your hands together before spreading them apart to land on the floor again on your hands. Keep your elbows relaxed to absorb the impact of landing on your palms.

As soon as your hands touch the floor, get ready to lower your chest down again in a pushup motion to prime your muscles for the next strong push off the floor. This counts as one rep.

Plyo Push Up Tips

Again, Plyo Push Ups are not for beginners. Those without the appropriate upper body strength to perform this exercise can injure themselves if attempting to do these without proper practice and conditioning.

Plyo Pushup Video Demonstration

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Joel Runyon

Joel is the founder of IMPOSSIBLE® and MoveWell. In addition to free fitness resources on Impossible Fitness - you can buy performance apparel and supplements on Impossible.co