Upper Body Plyometrics
Upper body plyometrics are so crucial to your performance as an athlete!
You may already be performing lower body plyometrics, but have not yet incorporated upper body plyometrics into your workout routine.
But upper body plyometrics can help you gain the edge over your competitors.
Here are thirteen upper body plyometrics exercises to incorporate into your workouts for better athletic performance. These exercises progress from easy to hard so you can start with simple drills and progress over time.
- Chest Pass
- Medicine Ball Slam
- Kneeling Medicine Ball Slam
- Overhead Throw
- Backwards Throw
- Forward Throw with Step
- Rotational Slam
- Plyometric Incline Push up
- Plyometric Floor Push up
- Plyometric Clapping Push up
- Plyometric Depth Push up
- Handstand Hop
- Handstand Snap Down
Before trying any of these exercises, make sure you have good upper body strength. According to the Hospital for Special Surgery, you should be able to bench press about 1x or 1.5x your bodyweight before beginning upper body plyometrics.
Let’s discuss each of these upper body plyometrics exercises in more detail.
Chest Pass
This beginner exercise helps you throw more explosively.
To perform this exercise, stand in front of a wall with a light medicine ball at chest height and elbows at 45 degrees. Throw the ball against the wall using your chest, shoulder and tricep muscles. Catch the ball and immediately throw it back into the wall.
Medicine Ball Slam
Hold a medicine ball at chest height. Extend the ball overhead using shoulders, elbows and wrists and slam it into the floor while bending at hips and knees. Extend hips, knees and ankles at the top to repeat.
This beginner drill helps you improve core and upper body power.
Kneeling Medicine Ball Slam
Get into a kneeling position and hold a medicine ball at chest height. Extend the ball overhead and slam it into the floor while bending at the hips. Repeat for 5-10 reps. Like the regular medicine ball slam, this drill helps you to build core and upper body power. However, unlike the regular medicine ball slam, it takes the lower body out of the equation.
Overhead Throw
Use a light medicine ball. Hold it at shoulder height and extend through shoulders, elbows and wrists to throw the ball overhead. Catch it and immediately throw it back overhead. This drill helps you generate power overhead.
Backwards Throw
Hold a light medicine ball at shoulder height and extend shoulders, elbows and wrists to throw it behind you as far as possible. This medium intensity drill builds overhead power.
Forward Throw with Step
Hold a medicine ball at shoulder height. Throw it forward as far as you can while stepping forward. This drill builds throwing power.
Rotational Slam
Begin in a half kneeling position, facing sideways, about 1-2 feet from a wall. Hold a light medicine ball at chest height. Throw the ball into the wall by rotating your torso. Catch it and immediately throw it back to the wall. Complete this drill for 5 to 6 reps before switching sides.
Plyometric Incline Push up
Start in an incline position at a bench or hip high surface. Perform a push up and explode through upper body so hands leave the bench. Land softly and resume the next push up. This drill helps you build the power and strength for a floor plyometric push up.
Plyometric Floor Push up
Perform an explosive push up. Hands should leave the floor. Land softly and go immediately into the next push up. This exercise helps build explosive chest and shoulder strength.
Plyometric Clapping Push up
Perform an explosive push up. Hands should leave the floor and clap. Land softly and go into the next push up right away. This drill builds even more explosive upper body strength than the regular plyometric push up.
Plyometric Depth Push up
Set up one riser on each side of you, about 1-2 inches wider than shoulder width. Perform an explosive push up between the risers, and land with hands on risers. Then immediately perform another push up and land with hands on the floor. This drill builds great reactive strength.
Handstand Hop
This drill is great for gymnasts and overhead athletes who need to be able to generate huge power through the shoulders.
Kick up into a push up. Then push through shoulders to lift off the ground and land into a handstand about 1-2 feet in front of your original handstand.
Handstand Snap Down
This drill builds amazing upper body power.
Perform a handstand and block through shoulders to snap down into a standing position. Rebound out of the position and land with bent knees.
Final Thoughts
You can use the upper body plyometrics exercises in this article to gain crazy upper body power. Let me know what you think of these moves in the comment section below.
