Clap push-ups – an exercise for developing explosive power, useful in martial arts

fitnesstrainer

“Clap push-ups are a plyometric exercise for training the upper body, combining classic push-ups with the addition of clapping your hands in the air during the movement. You develop explosive shoulder girdle strength, reaction speed, agility, and quickness. This exercise requires not only effort, but also coordination of movements for hand claps.”

What muscles are being worked?

Clap push-ups involve several joints at once, so a large number of muscle groups are loaded.

1. Dechest muscles are one of the mainmuscles used in this exercise. They bring the arms to the torso, lifting the body upwards, and perform the clap.
2. Detriceps is responsible for extending the arms at the elbow joint, helping to push the torso up.
3. The anterior deltoid muscle of the shoulder helps in lifting the humerus upward.
4. The rectus abdominis and obliques help stabilize the body during the exercise.
5. Forearm muscles keep the hands and forearms in a stable position, and also take the impact load after the clap.

Technique of performing push-ups with a clap

• Stand in a supine position with straight arms. Position the body so that the neck, back and hips are in line with each other. Do not lift the pelvis up and do not hunch over. Put your feet together.
• Put your hands at shoulder width or wider, distributing the load evenly across the palm. The gaze is directed to the floor, the head should not be tilted.
• Bring the shoulder blades together and lower them down. Fix this position throughout the exercise.
• Take a breath and lower the torso to the floor at the lowest point, bending the arms at the elbows to an angle of 90 degrees. Elbows to the ears do not need to be raised.
• On exhalation, push the body as much as possible upward and make a clap with your hands.
• Then smoothly land on the palms, gently bending the arms at the elbows to cushion the shock load.

Perform two or three approaches for 5-10 times. Rest between approaches – two minutes.

5 important points

Warm up before your workout. During explosive and plyometric exercises, joints, ligaments and tendons are heavily loaded, so the body must be properly warmed up before doing push-ups with a clap. Perform two sets of classic push-ups for 10-15 repetitions at a moderate pace to reduce the risk of injury during the exercise.

Master the technique. It is recommended to start learning the exercise from a wall or a high bench and only then perform it from the floor. Pay attention to palm placement, spine position, gaze direction, breathing, tempo and landing phase. This will increase the effectiveness of the exercise and prevent injuries.

Breathe correctly. Proper breathing makes your workout more effective. High oxygen levels in the blood increase performance and concentration. Exhale at peak effort when pushing up with a pop, and inhale when lowering your body down.

Emphasize quality. It is necessary to perform push-ups with a clap quickly and high. Emphasize quality over quantity. This will help trigger the necessary adaptive processes in the body to develop speed and explosive power.

Make the exercise harder. To progress, you need to make your workouts harder and record your progress in a diary. Use different variables: wide and narrow positioning of the hands, additional weights, reducing the rest time between approaches, changing the position of the legs – above or below the head.

Benefits of clap push-ups

Training of explosive power. In sports, explosive power plays an important role where fast and powerful movement is required. For example, in hockey, wrestling, boxing, throwing and many others. The more power an athlete has, the faster the movement will be, which can provide a significant advantage.

Strength and muscle growth. The exercise increases strength and pumps the muscles of the shoulder girdle. However, if your goal is to increase the size of your triceps and chest muscles, we recommend favoring classic push-ups or bench press.

Muscle and joint strengthening. With proper technique and adequate load, the exercise strengthens joints, ligaments and muscles. This helps protect the shoulder girdle from sports and household injuries.

Useful in combat sports. In boxing, kickboxing, Thai boxing, judo, sambo, wrestling, push-ups with clapping help to improve fighting skills. Increase the speed and strength of punches, throws, defensive actions, as well as reaction.

Overall health. The exercise engages several muscle groups and joints at the same time. This helps strengthen and preserve the muscles around the joints. Strong muscles reduce swelling, stiffness and soreness, and nutrient metabolism and mobility are also improved.

Contra-indicaties

Regular exercise has a positive effect on physical and psychological health, which improves quality of life. Nevertheless, each of us may have limitations that are worth considering when exercising.

Before an intensive exercise, it is recommended to consult a doctor 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 performing push-ups with clap in case of acute pain in shoulder and elbow joints, spine and neck, high body temperature, infectious diseases, exacerbation of chronic diseases.

Push-ups with clapping is an effective exercise for many sports. Especially for fighting sports, where a fast and powerful throw and punch are important. If your goal is to build chest and arm muscles, it is better to perform classic push-ups or various presses, as push-ups with clap are aimed at developing explosive strength and speed. It is important to do a good warm-up before the exercise and make it more difficult in order to constantly progress.