Do Clapping Push Ups Give You Punching Power?

The image of fit men doing one-arm and other extreme variations of a pushup is nearly as iconic to boxing as gloves and a heavy bag. Clap pushups may be even more so, since they're within the ability of more beginning boxers. These pushups can develop some, but not all, of the muscles you need to deliver powerful punches.

Clap Pushup Basics

A clap pushup works much like a regular pushup until you reach the top of your arm extension. At this point you press hard on the ground to push yourself up in the air long enough to clap your hands, then catch yourself as you fall down. Clap pushups work the same muscles as a regular pushup, although they shift the kind of work some of those muscles receive.

Punching Power

Your arms and back are the primary body areas you use when delivering a powerful punch. Punches against a solid target will also involve your pecs, shoulders and core muscles to absorb the impact and stabilize your joints against the impact. However, punching power also requires timing, accuracy and correct physiological form.

Muscles Worked

A clap pushup, according to workout resource website MyFit.ca, works out the pectoralis muscles in the chest, the triceps in your upper arms and the anterior deltoid at the point where your arm joins your shoulder. These are some, but not all, of the muscles you engage when delivering a punch. This means clap pushups can contribute to your punching power by strengthening the muscles involved.

Explosive Power

Clap pushups are a plyometric exercise in that they involve explosive force, which you use to pushi yourself away from the ground. This develops a different kind of strength than regular pushups, which focus on smooth strength and endurance. This explosive power can mean delivering faster punches. Because force equals mass times acceleration, according to Newton's Second Law of Motion, this part of a clap pushup can mean even more powerful punches.

Bottom Line

Clap pushups directly involve some of the muscles involved in punching power, and use explosive force that equates to punching with greater force. However, it doesn't work out all of the muscles involved in punching, nor does it train the physiological and and tactical aspects of throwing a punch. For developing punching power, you're better off using clap pushups as part of a program of drills and exercises than just clap pushups on their own.