Clap Push-Up

A clap push-up is an explosive version of the standard push-up. You press your body off the floor fast enough to clap your hands together before landing and lowering yourself again. It trains upper-body power, plus strength and stability through your chest, shoulders, triceps, and core.

Start in a high plank. Place your hands directly under your shoulders with fingers pointing forward and arms straight. Keep your feet together or slightly apart. Squeeze your glutes and brace your midsection so your body forms one straight line from head to heels.

Lower yourself to the floor with control, just like a regular push-up. At the bottom, push hard through both hands and explode upward so your torso and hands leave the ground. Clap once in front of your chest, then quickly return your hands under your shoulders and bend your elbows to catch yourself softly. Finish the rep by lowering under control again.

Breathe in as you descend, then brace and exhale sharply as you push off the floor. Keep your core tight so your hips do not sag. If this is too hard, start with plyo push-ups where your hands just leave the ground without a clap, or build strength with standard push-ups. If you want a harder version, clap more than once or push off a low, stable surface so your body travels higher.

Fault: Letting your hips sag or stick out during the push-up. Fix: Brace your abs and glutes before each rep and keep a straight line from your head to your heels.

Fault: Landing with locked elbows or with your hands too far in front of your shoulders. Fix: Catch yourself by bending your elbows and landing with your hands back under your chest, ready for the next rep.

Fault: Only your hands leave the ground while your chest stays low. Fix: Push explosively through your whole body so your torso rises with your hands; go back to standard push-ups until you can get full height.

Fault: Holding your breath through the whole rep. Fix: Inhale on the way down, then breathe out forcefully as you explode up, keeping your core engaged.