# Push Up 3 Points Hops - Canonical: https://fitwill.app/exercise/7530/push-up-3-points-hops/ - Media ID: 7530 - Primary muscle: Abs - Body part: Core - Equipment: Body Weight - Video: https://fitwill.app/videos/7530/push-up-3-points-hops.mp4 ## Description Push Up 3 Points Hops combine an isometric upper-body hold with a single-leg plyometric challenge. You set up in a solid push-up position, lift one foot off the floor so only your two hands and one foot touch the ground, and then hop repeatedly on that single planted foot while holding your body in a rigid plank line. The three points of contact are what give the exercise its name, and removing one foot is exactly what makes it so demanding. The upper body works statically the entire time. Your chest, shoulders, and triceps hold you up against the floor while your scapular stabilizers keep your shoulder blades from collapsing. Because one foot is gone, your core has to fight rotation and hip drop far harder than in a normal plank, so the deep abdominals and obliques do continuous work. Meanwhile the standing leg handles the hopping, loading the calf, ankle stabilizers, and hip of that side with quick, reactive ground contacts. This is a great choice for athletes and intermediate trainees who already own a solid push-up and a comfortable plank hold. It shows up in conditioning circuits, martial arts and field-sport preparation, and any program where you want to train trunk stability and lower-leg reactivity at the same time without equipment. Because the demand is coordination as much as strength, it also doubles as a balance drill under fatigue. Setup quality decides everything here. Place your hands slightly wider than shoulder width directly under your shoulders, squeeze your glutes, and lift one foot only after your plank line is locked in. If your hips twist or sag the moment the foot leaves the floor, the drill stops training stability and starts training bad habits, so earn the hop before you add it. To execute well, hop in a small, quiet rhythm on the planted foot, keeping the hop low and controlled rather than high and loud. Your torso should look still from the outside; all the motion happens below the knee. Breathe steadily, keep the neck long, and stop the set the moment your hips start to rotate or your lower back begins to arch. Practice on a non-slip surface, keep the working ankle warm, and progress by extending the hop duration before increasing hop height. Swap legs evenly, and treat this as a skill-strength drill rather than a max-effort push-up variation. ## Instructions 1. Set up in a push-up position on the floor with your hands slightly wider than shoulder width, wrists stacked under your shoulders, and your body forming a straight line from head to heels. 2. Squeeze your glutes and brace your abdominals so your lower back is flat before anything moves. 3. Lift one foot a few centimeters off the floor, keeping the raised leg roughly in line with the other leg so your hips stay square to the ground. 4. Shift a small amount of weight onto the ball of the planted foot and settle into a stable three-point position: two hands and one foot. 5. Hop repeatedly on the planted foot with small, quick, quiet jumps, staying on the ball of the foot and keeping the hops low. 6. Keep your shoulders directly over your wrists and your hips level throughout; the torso should not rock or twist as you hop. 7. Continue for the desired time or rep count, breathing steadily through the nose and mouth rather than holding your breath. 8. Lower the raised foot back to the floor with control, reset your plank position, then lift the opposite foot and repeat on the other side. 9. Finish the set before form breaks; step the feet back or lower your knees to exit the position safely. ## Tips & Tricks - If your hips twist toward the hopping side, think about driving the toes of the raised leg down toward an imaginary point behind you; this engages the glute on that side and squares the pelvis. - Quiet hops are good hops. Loud, slapping landings usually mean you are landing flat-footed; stay on the ball of the foot and let the ankle absorb each contact. - Keep the hop height low. High hops shift your weight around on your hands and usually cause the shoulders to drift behind the wrists. - If your wrists ache, spread your fingers, grip the floor slightly, and push the ground away to keep tension in the upper back instead of dumping load into the wrist joints. - Start with the weaker or less coordinated leg first so both sides get equal quality work. - Do not let the head drop between the arms; keep the neck long and your gaze a few inches in front of your hands. - If you cannot hold the plank without the hips sagging, regress to a three-point plank hold without hops before adding the jump. - Count time rather than hops at first, for example 15-20 seconds per side, so speed never outruns control. - Place the exercise early in a workout, while your shoulders and ankles are fresh; doing it deep into fatigue invites sloppy landings. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### What muscles does the Push Up 3 Points Hops work? The core, especially the deep abdominals and obliques, works hardest to stop rotation while one foot is lifted. The chest, shoulders, and triceps hold the plank isometrically, and the calf and ankle stabilizers of the planted leg drive each hop. ### Is the Push Up 3 Points Hops suitable for beginners? It is an intermediate drill. Beginners should first master a solid push-up position hold and a single-foot plank without hopping, then introduce very small, slow hops. ### Should I hop in place or move the planted foot side to side? Start by hopping in place with minimal drift, since this keeps your center of mass over your hands. Once that feels stable, small lateral hops add an anti-rotation challenge. ### Why do my hips rotate during the Push Up 3 Points Hops? Rotation usually means the glute on the raised-leg side is switched off or the hop is too big. Squeeze the lifted leg's glute, keep the leg in line with the other, and shorten the hops until the pelvis stays square. ### How long should I hold each side? Fifteen to thirty seconds per side is a good working range. Stop earlier if your hips sag, your shoulders creep back behind your wrists, or your landings get loud. ### Can I do the Push Up 3 Points Hops if my wrists hurt during planks? Try spreading your fingers and actively pushing the floor away, or use push-up handles to keep the wrists straight. If discomfort persists, choose a forearm plank variation with foot taps instead. ### What can I substitute for this exercise? A three-point plank hold trains the same anti-rotation stability without impact, while mountain climbers or plank foot hops offer similar conditioning with a slightly easier upper-body demand. ### How does this differ from a regular push-up? There is no bending of the elbows here; the arms stay locked and work isometrically while the hop demand shifts the challenge to the core and the single standing leg. It is a stability and reactivity drill, not a pressing exercise. ### Is it safe for my ankles? The hops are low and controlled, but the ankle takes repeated single-leg contacts. Warm up the calf and ankle first, use a non-slip surface, and avoid the drill if you have a recent ankle sprain. ### How should I program the Push Up 3 Points Hops? Use it as a core-finisher or a warm-up stability drill, two to four rounds per side with equal time on each leg. Keep it early enough in the session that your plank line does not collapse.