Upper body plyometrics are the most neglected category in athletic training. Walk into any gym and you will find athletes jumping, bounding, and performing depth jumps for lower body power. Walk into the same gym and you will find almost nobody performing plyo push-ups, medicine ball throws, or box drop push-ups for upper body power. Yet the upper body produces and transmits force in virtually every sport, and the ability to do so explosively and reactively is just as trainable as lower body power.
The stretch-shortening cycle operates in the upper body exactly as it does in the lower body. The pectoral muscles, triceps, shoulder girdle muscles, and rotator cuff all have the capacity to store elastic energy during rapid loading and return it during explosive contraction. Training this capacity develops the throwing power of a baseball pitcher, the striking power of a boxer, the tackling power of a rugby player, and the serve velocity of a tennis player.
This guide covers the complete upper body plyometric exercise toolkit, organised by movement pattern, with sport-specific applications and a complete programme.
The Upper Body Stretch-Shortening Cycle
The stretch-shortening cycle (SSC) in the upper body operates through the same fundamental mechanism as in the lower body: a rapid eccentric (loading) phase immediately followed by a concentric (explosive) contraction. The elastic energy stored in the tendons and the potentiation of the stretch reflex allow greater force production in less time than a concentric-only contraction.
Upper body SSC applications:
Throwing: The wind-up and cocking phases of a throw pre-stretch the internal rotators of the shoulder (subscapularis and pectoralis major), the elbow flexors, and the wrist flexors. The subsequent throwing motion exploits this pre-stretch through a rapid SSC that contributes significantly to ball velocity.
Striking: The recoil and load phase of a punch, tennis stroke, or hockey swing pre-stretches the relevant pushing and rotating muscles. The strike exploits the stored elastic energy for maximum impact velocity.
Pressing: The catch phase of a barbell clean or the bottom of a push-up involves rapid loading of the chest and triceps. Upper body plyometrics specifically develop the ability to exploit this loading for maximum pressing power.
Force absorption and transmission: In contact sports, the ability to absorb and redirect forces through the upper body (tackling, blocking, grappling) involves the SSC in the shoulder girdle and trunk. Upper body plyometric training develops both the force absorption and redirection capacity.
Push Plyometric Exercises
Beginner Level
Plyo Push-Up
What it develops: Upper body SSC, explosive chest and tricep power, reactive shoulder stability.
How to do it:
- Begin in a standard push-up position, hands slightly wider than shoulder-width
- Lower the chest to the floor with control
- Explosively push upward with maximum force so the hands leave the floor
- Land with the hands and immediately lower into the next rep
- The contact time between landing and the next push should be as brief as possible
- Complete 3 sets of 6 to 8 reps
Key cues:
- The explosive push should feel like trying to launch the upper body upward, not just push up
- Land with slightly bent elbows to absorb the impact through the muscle rather than the joints
- The rhythm should be: lower, explode, land, explode again, not lower, push, pause, lower
Modification for beginners: Perform from the knees until the strength to maintain consistent plyo push-up mechanics is established.
Progression: Add a clap between the hands during the flight phase. Further progress to a double clap. These progressions require greater explosive force to achieve sufficient flight time for the arm action.
Medicine Ball Wall Push
What it develops: Explosive horizontal pushing power in a standing position. Less technically demanding than plyo push-ups, making it an appropriate entry-level upper body plyometric.
How to do it:
- Stand approximately 60 to 80 centimetres from a solid wall
- Hold a medicine ball (3 to 5 kilograms) against the chest with both hands
- Lean slightly toward the wall and let the ball contact the wall
- Allow the ball to compress slightly against the wall (loading phase)
- Immediately push the ball explosively away from the wall
- Catch the rebound and repeat
- Complete 3 sets of 8 to 10 contacts
Key cue: The rebound catch should immediately load the arms for the next push without a pause. The continuous rhythm is what develops the SSC rather than a push-pause-catch-pause sequence.
Intermediate Level
Box Drop Push-Up
What it develops: Upper body fast SSC, reactive chest and tricep power. The upper body equivalent of a depth jump.
How to do it:
- Place two boxes of 20 to 30 centimetres beside each other, hands-width apart
- Start with hands on the boxes in a push-up position
- Remove the hands from the boxes and fall to the floor
- Contact the floor with the hands and immediately perform an explosive push-up
- The contact between landing and push should be as brief as possible
- Push up and return to the starting position on the boxes
- Complete 3 sets of 4 to 5 reps
Key cue: The box height determines the landing force, analogous to box height in depth jumps. Begin with lower boxes (15 to 20 centimetres) and progress to higher boxes as the reactive strength of the chest and triceps develops.
Prerequisites: Ability to perform 10 standard push-ups with consistent mechanics and 3 sets of 8 clean plyo push-ups.
Medicine Ball Push-Up With Hands on Ball
What it develops: Upper body explosive power with an unstable surface that increases shoulder stability demand.
How to do it:
- Place both hands on a medicine ball in a push-up position
- Lower the chest toward the ball
- Explosively push upward
- Land with the hands on the ball and immediately perform the next rep
- Complete 3 sets of 6 reps
Single-Arm Medicine Ball Push-Up
What it develops: Unilateral explosive pushing power and anti-rotation core stability.
How to do it:
- Perform a push-up with one hand on a medicine ball and one hand flat on the floor
- Explosively push upward
- During the flight phase, roll the ball to the other hand
- Land with the opposite hand on the ball
- Complete 3 sets of 6 reps per side
Advanced Level
Depth Push-Up to Box
What it develops: Maximum upper body fast SSC performance, directly analogous to a depth jump to a higher platform.
How to do it:
- Stand in a push-up position with hands on two low boxes (10 to 15 centimetres)
- Remove the hands and fall to the floor
- Contact the floor and immediately push upward with maximum force
- Aim to push the hands back up onto the boxes
- Catch on the boxes and repeat
- Complete 3 sets of 4 reps
Plyo Push-Up With Weight Plate
What it develops: Loaded upper body SSC performance for advanced athletes.
How to do it:
- Place a weight plate (5 to 10 kilograms) on the upper back
- Perform plyo push-ups with the additional load
- The load should not noticeably change the mechanics
- Complete 3 sets of 5 reps
Medicine Ball Throwing Exercises
Medicine ball exercises are the most versatile and most sport-specific upper body plyometric tools. They can target pushing, pulling, and rotational power in a single exercise and allow precise loading through ball weight selection.
Chest Pass
What it develops: Bilateral horizontal pushing power. The most accessible medicine ball throwing exercise.
How to do it:
- Stand facing a wall or a partner, holding a medicine ball (4 to 6 kilograms) at chest height
- Step forward and explosively drive the ball forward from the chest
- Catch the rebound or receive the return immediately
- Reset and repeat without pausing
- Complete 3 sets of 8 throws
Sport applications: Basketball chest pass mechanics, rugby offensive push mechanics, any horizontal pushing action.
Progression: Perform from a seated position to eliminate leg contribution, isolating upper body power. Further progress to a single-arm chest pass.
Overhead Throw
What it develops: Vertical and forward pushing power through the shoulder girdle, triceps, and upper back.
How to do it:
- Hold a medicine ball (4 to 6 kilograms) overhead with both hands
- Flex backward slightly to pre-stretch the pressing muscles
- Explosively drive the ball forward and upward against a wall or to a partner
- Catch and immediately re-throw
- Complete 3 sets of 8 throws
Sport applications: Volleyball spike mechanics, basketball overhead pass, swimming butterfly pull-through power.
Slam
What it develops: Overhead-to-downward explosive power, engaging the latissimus dorsi and core in a powerful downward acceleration.
How to do it:
- Hold a medicine ball overhead
- Explosively slam the ball into the floor as hard as possible
- Catch the rebound or retrieve the ball
- Complete 3 sets of 8 to 10 slams
Key cue: The slam should involve the entire body: the latissimus dorsi and core drive the ball downward while the arms guide it. Think of it as a full-body downward pull rather than just an arm action.
Sport applications: Combat sports striking mechanics, wrestling takedown initiation, any downward force application.
Rotational Throw
What it develops: Rotational explosive power through the trunk, directly replicating the power generation pattern of most striking, throwing, and swinging sports.
How to do it:
- Stand sideways to a wall approximately 1 metre away
- Hold a medicine ball at the hip furthest from the wall
- Rotate explosively toward the wall, leading with the hips before the shoulders
- Release the ball against the wall with maximum force
- Catch the rebound and reset
- Complete 3 sets of 8 throws per side
Key cue: The rotation should sequence from the hips to the core to the shoulders to the arms, replicating the kinetic chain of throwing and striking. Athletes who initiate the rotation from the arms rather than the hips dramatically reduce the power of the throw.
Sport applications: Baseball and softball throwing and hitting, golf swing, tennis groundstrokes and serve, cricket batting and bowling, martial arts striking.
Progression variations:
Rotational throw from kneeling: Removes the leg drive component, forcing the rotation to come entirely from the trunk and arms.
Single-leg rotational throw: Perform the throw while standing on one leg, developing the balance and single-leg stability required during throwing and striking in sport.
Seated rotational throw: Seated on the floor with legs extended, perform the rotation and throw. Completely isolates the trunk and arm contribution.
Underhand Toss (Scoop Throw)
What it develops: Explosive upward-and-forward power from a loaded position, replicating the power generation of Olympic lifting, loaded jump mechanics, and upward striking movements.
How to do it:
- Hold a medicine ball at thigh height with both hands
- Flex the hips and knees slightly to pre-load
- Explosively extend the hips and drive the ball upward and forward
- Release the ball at shoulder height or above
- Complete 3 sets of 8 throws
Sport applications: Weightlifting clean and snatch extension mechanics, any explosive upward movement pattern.
Side Throw (Lateral Pass)
What it develops: Lateral explosive power through the shoulder and trunk, relevant to sports with lateral pushing and passing demands.
How to do it:
- Stand sideways to a partner or wall
- Hold the ball at the hip nearest the partner or wall
- Explosively push the ball laterally to the partner or wall
- Catch the return or rebound from the same side
- Complete 3 sets of 8 throws per side
Pulling and Shoulder Plyometric Exercises
Upper body pulling muscles (latissimus dorsi, rhomboids, posterior shoulder) are less commonly trained plyometrically than pushing muscles but are equally important for athletes who throw, row, or engage in contact sports.
Medicine Ball Drop and Catch From Hang
What it develops: Reactive shoulder and scapular stability during loading, relevant to sports involving rapid deceleration of the arm.
How to do it:
- Hold a light medicine ball (2 to 3 kilograms) at arms’ length in front
- Release the ball and allow it to drop
- Catch it before it reaches knee height
- The catch involves rapid eccentric loading of the shoulder and scapular muscles
- Complete 3 sets of 8 drops per arm
Band Pull Apart Throw
What it develops: Posterior shoulder and scapular retractor explosive power.
How to do it:
- Hold a resistance band at shoulder width with both hands, arms extended
- Explosively pull the band apart to maximum width
- Allow the hands to rebound toward each other
- Immediately pull apart again without pausing
- Complete 3 sets of 15 reps
Rope Slams
What it develops: Full posterior chain and shoulder explosive endurance through continuous rapid arm movements.
How to do it:
- Hold the ends of a battle rope in each hand
- Perform rapid alternating or simultaneous slamming movements
- The rope should form large waves with each slam
- Complete 3 sets of 20 to 30 seconds
Sport-Specific Upper Body Plyometric Applications
Baseball and softball pitchers:
Priority: Rotational explosive power, shoulder internal rotation speed, deceleration capacity
Primary exercises: Rotational throw (heavier ball, 4 to 6kg), single-arm rotational throw, band pull apart throw, overhead throw
Programme note: Pitchers need the deceleration training of band pull aparts and scapular stability work alongside the acceleration-focused throwing exercises
Tennis players:
Priority: Rotational power for groundstrokes, overhead power for serve, reactive shoulder stability for volleys
Primary exercises: Rotational throw (emphasise the forehand and backhand patterns), overhead throw for serve mechanics, medicine ball wall push for volley reactivity
Swimmers:
Priority: Pulling power through the catch and pull phases, shoulder stability during the recovery
Primary exercises: Medicine ball slam (latissimus pull pattern), overhead throw, band pull apart throw, rope slams for shoulder endurance
Boxers and martial artists:
Priority: Explosive striking power in multiple directions, rapid punch combinations (reactive upper body SSC)
Primary exercises: Rotational throw (cross pattern), chest pass (jab pattern), medicine ball drop and catch, continuous plyo push-up for combination punching endurance
Rugby and American football linemen:
Priority: Explosive bilateral push power, rapid hand placement in blocking
Primary exercises: Chest pass with heavy ball (6 to 8kg), box drop push-up, medicine ball wall push
Rowers:
Priority: Explosive catch and drive phase power, posterior chain integration with arm pull
Primary exercises: Underhand toss for drive mechanics, rope slams, medicine ball slam, band pull apart throw
Golfers:
Priority: Rotational explosive power, club head speed through impact
Primary exercises: Rotational throw (both directions for symmetry), seated rotational throw, single-leg rotational throw for balance during rotation
A Structured Upper Body Plyometric Programme
General athletic programme (8 weeks, 2 sessions per week):
Phase 1 (weeks 1 to 2): Foundation
Session A:
- Plyo push-up: 3 x 6
- Medicine ball chest pass: 3 x 8
- Medicine ball overhead throw: 3 x 8
- Band pull apart throw: 3 x 15
Session B:
- Medicine ball wall push: 3 x 10
- Rotational throw: 3 x 8 per side
- Medicine ball slam: 3 x 10
- Rope slams: 3 x 20 seconds
Phase 2 (weeks 3 to 4): Development
Session A:
- Box drop push-up (20cm): 3 x 5
- Medicine ball chest pass (heavier ball): 3 x 8
- Rotational throw: 4 x 8 per side
- Overhead throw: 3 x 8
Session B:
- Plyo push-up with clap: 3 x 5
- Underhand toss: 3 x 8
- Medicine ball slam: 4 x 10
- Band pull apart throw: 3 x 15
Phase 3 (weeks 5 to 6): Intensification
Session A:
- Box drop push-up (25 to 30cm): 4 x 5
- Single-arm rotational throw: 3 x 8 per side
- Medicine ball chest pass (6 to 8kg): 4 x 8
- Rope slams: 4 x 25 seconds
Session B:
- Plyo push-up: 4 x 8
- Seated rotational throw: 3 x 8 per side
- Overhead throw: 4 x 8
- Medicine ball drop and catch: 3 x 8 per arm
Phase 4 (weeks 7 to 8): Peak
Session A:
- Box drop push-up (maximum height): 4 x 5
- Rotational throw at maximum speed: 4 x 8 per side
- Medicine ball chest pass (maximum speed): 4 x 8
- Rope slams: 4 x 30 seconds
Session B:
- Plyo push-up with double clap: 3 x 5
- Single-leg rotational throw: 3 x 8 per side
- Overhead throw (maximum distance): 4 x 8
- Medicine ball slam (maximum speed): 4 x 10
Frequently Asked Questions
Why are upper body plyometrics neglected compared to lower body?
Several reasons. The lower body plyometric literature (depth jumps, bounding) is more extensive and more familiar to coaches. Lower body power is more obviously sport-relevant in jumping and sprinting sports. And upper body plyometrics require more equipment (medicine balls, boxes for push-up variations) than lower body plyometrics that can be performed with no equipment. Additionally, the force outputs of upper body plyometrics are lower than lower body, making the training effect less dramatic and the exercises less impressive to observe.
How heavy should medicine balls be for plyometric training?
The primary principle is that the ball should be light enough to maintain explosive velocity through the full range of the throw. A ball that is too heavy slows the movement and shifts the training from SSC power to strength endurance. General guidelines: 3 to 4 kilograms for rotational throws emphasising speed, 4 to 6 kilograms for chest passes and overhead throws, 6 to 8 kilograms for slams and heavy bilateral exercises. Heavier is not better; faster and more explosive is the goal.
Can upper body plyometrics replace shoulder strength training?
No. Upper body plyometrics develop the explosive and reactive qualities of the shoulder, but they do not develop the maximum strength or the rotator cuff stability that dedicated strength training provides. The combination of rotator cuff strengthening, scapular stabilisation exercises, and upper body plyometrics produces better outcomes than any single approach alone.
Are upper body plyometrics safe for people with shoulder injuries?
This depends entirely on the nature and severity of the injury. Athletes recovering from rotator cuff repairs, labral surgeries, or significant shoulder instability should not perform upper body plyometrics without clearance from their treating clinician. The reactive loading of plyometric exercises places significant demands on the shoulder stabilisers that must be intact and adequately strong before plyometric loading is introduced.
How do upper body plyometrics fit into a weekly training schedule?
Upper body plyometrics should be performed at the beginning of upper body training sessions, before strength training. Two sessions per week is appropriate for most athletes. They can be combined with lower body plyometric sessions or performed separately depending on the athlete’s overall programme structure. Allow 48 hours between upper body plyometric sessions.