How to Do Clap Push-Up: Muscles Worked & Proper Form

Muscles Worked in Clap Push-Ups

Primary muscles worked:

• Chest
• Front Deltoid

Secondary muscles worked:

• Triceps

How to Do Clap Push-Ups

1. Begin in a regular push-up position — hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart, body in a straight line from head to heels.
2. Lower yourself towards the ground by bending your elbows until your chest is just above the floor.
3. Push up explosively through your hands, launching your upper body off the ground.
4. While airborne, quickly clap your hands together beneath your chest.
5. Return your hands to the ground, cushioning your landing by bending your elbows slightly, and go straight into the next rep.
6. Repeat for reps.

Commentary

The push-up is a classic bodyweight exercise for the upper body, with the benefit that you don’t need any equipment to perform it. In push-ups, you lift about 70% of your own body weight, but you can increase or decrease that amount by placing your feet or hands, respectively, on an elevation. In kneeling push-ups, you lift about 55% of your body weight.

The clap push-up is a plyometric variation of the standard push-up that emphasizes explosive power. It works the chest, shoulders, and triceps, helping to develop strength, speed, and upper-body coordination.