# Wall Push Up To Back Clap - Canonical: https://fitwill.app/exercise/9934/wall-push-up-to-back-clap/ - Media ID: 9934 - Primary muscle: Chest - Body part: Chest - Equipment: Body Weight - Video: https://fitwill.app/videos/9934/wall-push-up-to-back-clap.mp4 ## Description The Wall Push Up To Back Clap is a fast-twitch variation of the standard wall push up. You set up facing a wall with your hands planted at chest height, lower yourself in slowly, then drive off the wall hard enough that your hands leave the surface, clapping them together behind your lower back before landing back on the wall to catch the next rep. It takes the most beginner-friendly push up variation and adds a reactive, explosive element to it. This movement is a great entry point into plyometric upper body training. Because the wall version removes most of your body weight from the equation, it lets you practice producing force quickly without the wrist, elbow, and shoulder stress of a floor clap push up. It suits beginners who want to build explosive push strength, older trainees working on upper body power in a safe range, and anyone rehabbing back toward floor-based plyo push ups after a layoff. The main work comes from the chest, with the triceps and front delts extending the arms and the muscles around the shoulder blades stabilizing every contact and catch. Your core stays engaged the whole time to keep the body in one straight line from head to heels as you lean in and rebound. The clap behind the back demands a brief, coordinated flight phase, which is where the speed and power stimulus comes from. Setup matters more than it looks. Your distance from the wall decides the difficulty: stand close and the push is easy and slow, stand farther out with a steeper lean and the movement gets genuinely challenging. Hands should be at chest height, roughly shoulder width, with fingers spread and pointing up. If your feet are too far back, you will fly forward onto your toes or lose contact with the wall; too close, and you will never generate enough drive for the clap. To execute it well, control the lowering phase so your chest, not your face, approaches the wall. Then push explosively, let the arms extend fully, and clap behind your back while the body is still moving as one unit. Land with soft elbows and immediately flow into the next rep or reset your stance. Aim for crisp, quiet catches rather than slapping the wall hard. A few practical points: keep your heels down or near the floor and avoid rising onto your toes as you push, because that shifts the work away from the upper body. If you cannot complete the back clap cleanly, drop the height of your hands, move closer to the wall, or practice a simple hand release from the wall first. Stop the set as soon as your catches get sloppy, since landing with locked elbows or a collapsed torso is where form and shoulder comfort tend to break down. ## Instructions 1. Stand facing a wall at arm's length plus a little extra, feet about hip width apart. 2. Place both palms flat on the wall at chest height, slightly wider than shoulder width, fingers pointing up. 3. Lean in from the ankles so your body forms a straight line from head to heels, and brace your abs to keep your hips from sagging. 4. Bend your elbows and lower your chest toward the wall under control, keeping your elbows around 45 degrees to your torso rather than flared straight out. 5. Pause briefly at the closest point, then push through your palms explosively so your hands leave the wall. 6. As you drift back from the wall, bring your hands behind your lower back and clap them together quickly. 7. Swing your hands forward and catch the wall with soft elbows, absorbing the contact instead of locking your arms. 8. Exhale on the explosive push and inhale as you lower into the next rep. 9. Complete your reps, or step a foot back and reset your lean whenever your position drifts or your catches get sloppy. ## Tips & Tricks - If your heels lift off the floor when you push, you are leaning too steeply. Step your feet closer to the wall until your whole foot stays planted. - A common mistake is lowering slowly and then pushing gently, which makes the clap impossible. The lowering can be controlled, but the press itself has to be fast and committed. - Clap low, near your lower back or hips, not behind your shoulders. Reaching too high behind you forces your chest to drop and often leads to a face-first catch. - Catch the wall with slightly bent elbows. Stiff-armed catches send shock straight into the wrists and shoulders and are the most common reason this drill feels jarring. - Keep your neck in line with your spine and look at the wall just above your hands, not down at your feet, so your body stays in one straight line. - If you cannot manage the back clap yet, start with a plain hand release: push off, let the hands float back a few inches, and catch. Add the clap once the timing feels natural. - Quality beats quantity here. End the set when your reps slow down or your hands slap the wall loudly, because tired catches teach sloppy landing mechanics. - Warm up your wrists with a few slow wall push ups first. The explosive contact loads the wrists more than a standard wall push up does. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### What muscles does the Wall Push Up To Back Clap work? The chest does most of the pressing, supported by the triceps and front delts. The core and the muscles around the shoulder blades stabilize your body through the lean, the flight phase, and the catch. ### Is the Wall Push Up To Back Clap suitable for complete beginners? Yes, as long as you stand close enough to the wall that you can control the push. Beginners can start without the clap, progress to a small hand release, and add the back clap once the timing feels comfortable. ### How far from the wall should I stand? Start at roughly arm's length with hands at chest height. The farther your feet are from the wall, the steeper the lean and the harder the push, so adjust until you can complete the clap with a controlled catch. ### Why can't I get my hands to clap behind my back? Usually you are not pushing explosively enough, or you are standing too far from the wall so your body drifts too far back. Push hard through the palms and step your feet slightly closer to shorten the distance your hands must travel. ### How is this different from a regular Wall Push Up? A regular wall push up keeps the hands on the wall for every rep. This version adds an explosive drive off the wall and a clap behind the back, turning a strength exercise into a light upper body power drill. ### What should I do if my wrists hurt during this exercise? Catch the wall with soft elbows instead of locked arms, spread your fingers wide, and make sure your hands land flat rather than fingers-first. A few slow warm up reps before the clapping sets also help. ### Can this exercise replace clap push ups on the floor? It is a useful stepping stone, not a full replacement. The wall version removes most of your body weight, so once you can perform crisp claps for solid sets, floor clap push ups are the natural progression. ### How many reps should I do? Keep the sets short and explosive, around 5 to 10 clean reps per set. Stop when the pushes slow down or the catches get loud and stiff, because the power benefit comes from speed, not exhaustion. ### How should I breathe during the Wall Push Up To Back Clap? Inhale as you lower toward the wall and exhale sharply as you push off. The exhale naturally supports the explosive press and helps keep your core braced through the flight phase.