Hello Everyone

Today’s blog will be dealing with a few upperbody plyometric exercises that can help increase your speed and power in your hand strikes. They can also be used to increase the power and speed in other sports that require a great amount of energy used by the upperbody.

Exercises One: A standard Plyometric Push Up. Basically you start in the standard push up position. Lower yourself down into the low position of the push up and then explode up pushing your hands off the floor and landing back in the higher position of the push up. You can do this push up as many times as you like until your form starts to go down hill. Only practice with good form.

Exercises Two: Clapping Push Ups. Basically you are going to do the same thing as exercises one except you are going to clap your hands together while in the air. Make sure you land properly to avoid injury. And as above, only practice with good form. If your form goes down hill, stop the exercise.

Exercises Three: Double Clapping Push Ups. Same thing as the above exercise except you do a double clap while in the air.

Exercises Four: Behind The Back Clapping Push Up. This is the same as a Standard Clapping Push Up however your class is done behind your back. You have to have really fast hands for this. I do not recommend this one unless you can do double and triple clapping push ups.

Exercise Five: Behind the Back and in Front Clapping Push Up. Okay this is an extremely hard one to do. You need to be so bloody fast. I can do it but not too many at a time. You basically push off and clap behind your bac, clap in front of your chest and land in the standard push up position. It is an excellent challenge for anyone you who has mastered the above push ups.

Exercises Six: Plyometric Crossover Push Ups. You will need a small wooden or steal box, a medicine ball, or a kettlebell for this exercise. Start by getting into a position position with one hand on the object you have chosen to use. Now do a push up and crossover to the other side of the object with the other hand now resting on top. There is two ways you can do the crossover. You can merely put the hand that was on the ground on the medicine ball and take other hand off and put it on the ground or you can do a quick switch in the air.

Exercise Seven: You will need to objects for this one. For example, I will use two kettlebells. Basically you have your two kettlebells just over shoulder with apart. You will do a standard push up between them. When coming up, explode off the ground and land your hands on top of the kettlebells. Now do another push up and when coming up, explode off the kettlebells and land on the ground in the push up position.

Plyometric exercises are not meant to be a high rep workout. You might only do 3 or 4 sets of 5 to 6 reps per exercises giving yourself lots of rest between sets and exercises. Once a week is good, maybe two times a week depending on how you structure your workout plans.

Hope you enjoyed today’s blog. Catcha later.

Master Jonathan Field

Cobourg Tae Kwon Do