Plyo Push-up
A beginner compound plyometric exercise that works the chest, needing no equipment.
Starting position
End position
How to Do Plyo Push-up
- Move into a prone position on the floor, supporting your weight on your hands and toes.
- Your arms should be fully extended with the hands around shoulder width. Keep your body straight throughout the movement. This will be your starting position.
- Descend by flexing at the elbow, lowering your chest towards the ground.
- At the bottom, reverse the motion by pushing yourself up through elbow extension as quickly as possible. Attempt to push your upper body up until your hands leave the ground.
- Return to the starting position and repeat the exercise.
- For added difficulty, add claps into the movement while you are air borne.
Muscles Worked
Alternatives to Plyo Push-up
10 movements that train the same primary muscle, closest substitutes first — same kind of training, then variations of the movement itself, then a similar difficulty.
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1
Chest Push (multiple response)
A beginner compound plyometric exercise that works the chest, using a medicine ball.
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2
Chest Push (single response)
A beginner compound plyometric exercise that works the chest, using a medicine ball.
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3
Chest Push from 3 point stance
A beginner compound plyometric exercise that works the chest, using a medicine ball.
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4
Chest Push with Run Release
A beginner compound plyometric exercise that works the chest, using a medicine ball.
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5
Incline Push-Up Depth Jump
A beginner compound plyometric exercise that works the chest.
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6
Drop Push
An intermediate compound plyometric exercise that works the chest.
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7
Heavy Bag Thrust
A beginner compound plyometric exercise that works the chest.
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8
Medicine Ball Chest Pass
A beginner compound plyometric exercise that works the chest, using a medicine ball.
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9
Isometric Chest Squeezes
A beginner compound plyometric exercise that works the chest, needing no equipment.
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10
Decline Push-Up
A beginner compound strength exercise that works the chest.
Frequently Asked Questions
What muscles do plyo push-up work?
Plyo Push-up primarily works the chest. The shoulders and triceps assist as secondary muscles.
What equipment do I need for plyo push-up?
None. Plyo Push-up is a bodyweight movement you can do anywhere you have floor space.
Plyo Push-up: is it suitable for beginners?
Yes. Plyo Push-up is rated beginner. Movements you can learn in a session, with a low skill floor and a forgiving failure mode.
What can I do instead of plyo push-up?
Chest Push (multiple response), Chest Push (single response), Chest Push from 3 point stance train the same primary muscles and are listed with 7 more alternatives above.
Can Fitnit count my plyo push-up reps automatically?
Not automatically yet. Fitnit's AI rep counting covers push-ups, squats, dumbbell curls, crunches and pull-ups today; plyo push-up can be logged manually in the app, and tracked movements are added over time.
Photographs and step-by-step instructions from free-exercise-db, a public-domain exercise dataset. Muscle mapping and alternatives by Fitnit.
Track Your Plyo Push-up with AI
Fitnit automatically tracks push-ups, crunches, squats, pull-ups, and curls with advanced body tracking technology — and you can manually input any other workout too. Start free — Pro is $8.99/month.