# Plyo Push Up (Version 2) - Canonical: https://fitwill.app/exercise/11717/plyo-push-up-version-2/ - Media ID: 11717 - Primary muscle: Chest - Body part: Chest - Equipment: Weighted - Video: https://fitwill.app/videos/11717/plyo-push-up-version-2.mp4 ## Description The Plyo Push Up (Version 2) is an explosive upper-body push variation performed with your hands elevated on flat weight plates. Instead of pressing at a normal tempo, you lower your chest toward the floor and then drive up hard enough that your palms leave the plates, landing back on them under control. The plates add a small amount of height and a clearly defined landing target, which makes the explosive intent of the rep more obvious and gives you consistent hand placement from set to set. This movement sits between a standard push-up and more advanced plyometric work like clap push-ups or drop push-ups. It trains the chest, triceps, and front shoulders to produce force quickly rather than slowly, and it also challenges your core to hold a rigid plank position through the impact of each landing. The stabilizing work around the shoulders and wrists is significant, because every landing demands that you absorb force with good joint alignment. Athletes in striking sports, sprinters, and anyone training upper-body power benefit most from this exercise. It is also a practical stepping stone: if you can perform 15-20 clean regular push-ups but cannot yet manage a clap push-up, using plates as a target and a slight elevation lets you practice the explosive press with a shorter range and a precise landing zone. Setup matters more here than in a regular push-up. The plates need to sit flat and stable on a non-slip surface, spaced directly under your hands at roughly shoulder-width. If a plate rocks or slides when you land, the rep becomes a wrist injury risk, so test the setup before your first explosive rep. Your body should form one straight line from head to heels before you begin, with feet set about hip-width apart for balance. To execute well, lower under control until your chest is close to the floor, then transition immediately into a maximal press. The key is intent: push as if you are trying to launch your upper body upward, exhaling sharply as you drive. Keep your elbows at about 45 degrees to your torso rather than flaring straight out. Land with soft elbows, absorb the impact by allowing a small dip, and either reset briefly or flow into the next rep depending on your training goal. Because this is a high-impact movement, quality beats quantity. Stop the set the moment your landings become heavy or your hips start to sag, as a sloppy landing reinforces poor mechanics and stresses the elbows and wrists. Two to four sets of 3-6 sharp reps, placed early in a session when you are fresh, is a sensible way to use it. ## Instructions 1. Place two flat weight plates on the floor about shoulder-width apart, checking that they sit flat and cannot rock when you press on them. 2. Grip the plates with your palms centered on top, fingers spread, and walk your feet back until your body forms a straight line from head to heels with feet roughly hip-width apart. 3. Brace your core and squeeze your glutes so your hips do not sag or pike before you start the rep. 4. Inhale as you bend your elbows and lower your chest toward the floor, keeping elbows around 45 degrees from your torso. 5. At the bottom, reverse direction instantly and press explosively, exhaling sharply as you drive your palms off the plates. 6. Keep your wrists firm during flight and aim to land your palms back on the centers of the plates, not on the edges. 7. Absorb the landing with slightly bent elbows and a small controlled dip, letting your shoulders and core handle the impact. 8. Either reset your plank for a moment and perform the next rep, or flow straight into the next descent if your landings stay crisp. 9. Stop the set as soon as you cannot land quietly and centered on the plates, and step off rather than collapsing out of a rep. ## Tips & Tricks - If a plate slides on a smooth floor, put it on a rubber mat or use bumper plates, since a plate shooting out from under your hand mid-landing is the main injury risk in this setup. - Common mistake: sagging hips on the landing because the core disengages on impact. Film one set from the side and check that your head-to-heel line survives every landing. - If your hands drift off the plate centers when landing, narrow your stance slightly and slow the descent, since drifting hands usually come from an uneven press rather than poor aim. - Do not chase height at the expense of elbow position; flared elbows plus a hard landing is the fastest way to irritate the elbows in this exercise. - Treat the lowering phase as a loaded spring, not a rest: control it for about one second and transition without pausing at the bottom to keep the stretch reflex working for you. - If your wrists complain on impact, warm them up with slow push-ups first and check that your fingers are spread and gripping the plate edges slightly rather than lying flat. - Low-rep, high-quality sets build power here; grinding out reps to fatigue turns the exercise into sloppy, heavy landings with little explosive benefit. - Progress by moving to thinner plates or the bare floor once every landing is quiet and centered, rather than by adding more plates under your hands. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### What muscles does the Plyo Push Up (Version 2) work? The chest is the primary mover, with strong contributions from the triceps and front shoulders during the explosive press. Your core and the stabilizers around the shoulders and wrists work to hold the plank and absorb each landing. ### Why are the hands placed on weight plates in this version? The plates give your hands a defined landing target and a small amount of elevation, which shortens the range slightly and keeps hand placement consistent between reps. They also slightly reduce wrist extension compared with pressing flat on the floor. ### Is the Plyo Push Up (Version 2) suitable for beginners? Not usually as a starting point. You should be able to perform at least 15 solid push-ups with a stable plank before adding explosive reps, since every landing forces your shoulders, wrists, and core to absorb real impact. ### How is this different from a regular plyo push-up on the floor? The plate setup gives you a target to land on and slightly elevates the hands, which makes the flight phase and hand placement easier to judge. It is a useful intermediate step before clap push-ups or drop push-ups on the bare floor. ### How many reps should I do? Keep sets in the 3-6 rep range and prioritize crisp, quiet landings over volume. If your hands start missing the plate centers or your hips sag, end the set even if you have reps left. ### What is the most common mistake in this exercise? Letting the elbows flare wide and landing with locked arms. Land with soft elbows around 45 degrees to your torso so the impact is absorbed by muscle rather than dumped into the elbow and wrist joints. ### Can I substitute this if I don't have weight plates? Yes. Any two flat, stable, low objects of equal height work, such as low step platforms or two stacked mats. The important thing is that the surface cannot slide or tip when your hands land on it. ### Should I pause at the bottom before pressing explosively? Avoid it for power development. Lower under control and reverse immediately, because a long pause kills the stretch reflex that makes plyometric push-ups effective. ### Are there any safety concerns with the Plyo Push Up (Version 2)? The main risks are a plate sliding out under your hand and landing with poor alignment, so secure your setup and stop when form breaks down. If you have a current wrist, elbow, or shoulder issue, get clearance from a qualified professional before doing high-impact pressing.