The push-up is the holy grail of upper body exercises. The standard push-up strengthens the chest muscles, triceps, shoulder muscles, and the core muscles.

Although dropping down to the floor to pump out a few rounds of push-ups can be an easy and effective way to squeeze in a 5 minute workout, mixing it up can jumpstart strength gains.

Enter the plyometric push-up – the best way to increase your upper body power.

The difference between regular push-ups and plyometric push-ups is in the top of the movement: regular push-ups are a controlled up and down movement stopping at the full extension of the arms, and plyometric push-ups are an explosive movement that push the upper body into the air before catching the upper body back into plank position.

Here’s how to complete a plyometric pushup:

Get in plank position with your arms fully extended.

Slowly lower yourself into a push-up, but at the bottom of the movement, engage your chest, core, shoulder, and tricep muscles to powerfully push your upper body into the air, while your feet remain planted on the ground.

If you are advanced, bring your hands together to clap once under your upper body before you land. If you are a beginner, keep your arms shoulder-width apart.

Land in push-up position with soft elbows.

This exercise will train your fast twitch muscles to help your generate more power in your upper body. This exercise is great for sports specific training that includes training for basketball, baseball, tennis, and golf.