Explosive push-ups: what it is, exercise technique, what muscles work

fitness trainer

“The exercise is aimed at shaping speed and strength qualities and developing the muscles of the upper body. Explosive push-ups refer to plyometric exercises, which includes various jumping and throwing movements.”

The athlete develops the ability to produce fast and strong actions, which improves explosive power, reaction time, acceleration, speed of movement execution and agility.

Table of Contents

What muscles are being worked?

Several muscle groups are worked during explosive push-ups.

Pectoral muscles. They are the main muscles in performing this exercise.
Triceps muscles of the shoulder. Triceps is responsible for extending the arms at the elbow.
Deltoid muscle of the shoulder. It is an auxiliary muscle and is involved in lifting the shoulder up.
Abdominal muscles. The rectus and oblique muscles help stabilize the body during the exercise.
Forearm muscles. This group helps hold the hand and forearm in a stable position.

Why do explosive push-ups?

Power. Explosive push-ups train the ability to perform a physical load in a short period of time. The more power an athlete has, the faster they can perform the movement or overcome resistance, which can provide an advantage.

Strength and muscle volume. Regular performance of the exercise helps to increase the volume of the muscles of the upper body, as it involves several large muscle groups at once. Overall physical strength levels are also increased.

Reduced risk of injury. The exercise helps to build strong pectoral muscles, anterior delts and triceps. This allows you to evenly distribute the load between the joints and muscles. Also, strong muscles help protect the musculoskeletal system from sports and household injuries. For example, in falls or collisions with another person.

Strength endurance. When you perform explosive push-ups for a high number of repetitions, you develop strength endurance. This is how you train your body’s ability to withstand an intense load over a long period of time. However, to do this, you need to perform at least 15-25 repetitions in one approach.

Joint Health. Regular exercise helps to preserve the muscles around worn out joints, reduce their swelling, stiffness and soreness. Exercise also helps replenish cartilage lubrication in the joint, improve nutrient metabolism and increase mobility.

General physical fitness. Exercise engages multiple joints and muscle groups and effectively develops strength, speed and agility.

Who is suitable for explosive push-ups?

Explosive push-ups are designed for trained people with different levels of fitness. The exercise is useful for sports where explosive force must be applied: boxing, wrestling, hockey, tennis, martial arts, weightlifting and track and field.

Beginners are recommended to master the technique of performing classic push-ups from the floor for 10-15 repetitions in two or three approaches, and then try themselves in explosive push-ups.

Basic level. For athletes with little experience, this exercise can be a challenge, as it requires a lot of explosive power. It is recommended to perform explosive push-ups in short amplitude, using a bench, wall or crossfit bench as an arm support.

Advanced athletes. For experienced athletes, the exercise can be an effective supplement to increase strength and speed of impact, improve results in bench press, army press and other pressing or pushing movements.

Technique of performing explosive push-ups

Take a lying down position on straight arms. Keep the body torso straight. The gaze is directed to the floor. Neck, back and hips are on the same line. The spine is straight, there is no need to hunch over. Put your feet together.
Straight arms at shoulder width or wider. Distribute the load on the entire surface of the palms and fingers.
Bring the shoulder blades together and lower them down. Fix this position throughout the exercise.
As we inhale, we lower to an angle of 90 degrees in the elbow joints.
On exhalation, push off the floor with a powerful movement, straightening the arms at the elbows. It is important to take the palms off the floor.
Then smoothly land.

Perform two or three approaches for 5-10 times. If the load was light, you can use additional weights. Rest between approaches – two to three minutes.

Recommendations for execution

Warm up before training. Before explosive push-ups and any plyometric exercises, it is necessary to conduct a quality warm-up to prepare the muscles and ligaments for intensive work. The muscles will warm up and the ligaments will become more elastic. This will increase the effectiveness of the workout and reduce the risk of injury. As a warm-up, do 5-10 minutes of joint exercises and a couple of approaches of classic push-ups for 10 repetitions.

Learn the technique of execution. Master the correct positioning of the palms, hands, feet, spine and head position. Pay attention to the phases of breathing. These nuances will increase the effectiveness of the exercise and protect from injury.

Breathe correctly. Proper breathing makes the workout more effective. It is important that the delivery of oxygen to the muscles, organs and tissues was continuous and in sufficient quantity. Exhale at peak effort when pushing the torso up, and inhale when lowering the torso down. Avoid holding your breath during the exercise.

Pay attention to quality, not quantity. Your goal is to perform explosive push-ups with quality amplitude at high speed, not to do as many reps as possible. Choose a range of reps at which you won’t lose explosive power.

Use different hand placement. Alternate between wide and narrow arm positions when performing the exercise. This will utilize different muscle segments. With a narrow one, the chest muscles and triceps are more likely to be loaded. When wide, the pectoral and deltoid muscles are actively engaged, while the triceps are less involved.

Exercise carefully if you are overweight. Explosive push-ups can be difficult for people with a large body weight. It is recommended to incorporate the exercise into a workout plan after reducing body weight or start with simple explosive push-ups.

Common mistakes

High elbow position. Performing the exercise with elbows above the shoulder joint is a common mistake. It is recommended that you choose a position of the elbows below the shoulder line or press them against the body. This helps to reduce stress on the joints and prevent possible injuries.

Cheating. Sometimes athletes deviate from technique to perform more reps than they are capable of. For example, they engage their back, leg, and gluteal muscles when pushing themselves up. This causes the target muscles to receive less load.

Short amplitude. Performing an exercise in a small amplitude of movement is one of the common mistakes. For example, an incomplete push-up to the bottom point, a small height of the push from the floor.

Contraindications

Moderate and regular training has a positive effect on the physical and psychological state of a person, but each person may have individual contraindications.

It is recommended to consult a doctor before an intense workout to determine if there are any limitations and contraindications. Especially if you have:

heart and cardiovascular diseases;
spinal diseases, joint problems;
pregnancy;
obesity;
diabetes mellitus;
neurological disorders.

Limit the performance of explosive push-ups and other strength exercises in acute pain in the shoulder and elbow joints, spine and neck, elevated body temperature, infectious diseases, exacerbation of chronic diseases.

Types of explosive push-ups

Horizontal push-ups with a push. One of the simplest variants of explosive push-ups. The exercise is performed at the wall. It is necessary to push off from the wall during the push-up so that the arms straighten, and the palms come off the surface.

Push-ups from the knees. A lighter version of explosive push-ups, which is suitable for athletes with little training experience. The exercise is performed in a kneeling position from the floor. During the push-up from the bottom position, push the body so that you straighten your back.

Push-ups by pulling the body off the floor. The exercise is performed in a lying down position on straight arms. Push off the floor with maximum force so that your arms and legs come off the surface.

Push-ups with clapping. The exercise is performed lying down on straight arms. Push off from the floor with maximum force and make a clap in the air. Then smoothly land on your palms, slightly bending your arms at the elbows to soften the blow.

Push-ups “superman”. The exercise is performed lying down on straight arms. Push off with maximum force from the floor, straightening two arms forward, and feet off the floor.