Summarize:

Strap on a weighted vest or place a light weight plate in a secure position on your lower back and perform 1-5 clapping push ups this way. Increasing the resistance of the push up forces you to press through the movement harder and faster, which translates to major increases in strength. Keep the number of reps in each set relatively low; because the clapping push up is an explosive plyometric exercise requiring short, intense bursts of strength, your force output and work capacity will drop off rather quickly, eventually putting you at risk of exhaustion or injury. Regular push ups target the chest, shoulders and, to a lesser degree, the triceps. Shift emphasis to the triceps by placing the hands closer together under the body in the starting planche position, touching the forefinger and thumbs of both hands together to loosely form a “diamond.” Proceed to push up in the same manner, making sure to keep the elbows from flaring straight out. Diamond clapping push ups will add strength and mass to your triceps, which will in turn strengthen the upper portion of the push up.  Balance will play more of a role in the clapping diamond push up. Because the hands are in a much more narrow stance beneath the body, you will have to actively work to maintain balance as you descend, push and catch. Having the hands so close together in the starting position can make it hard to get a good clap. Some people prefer to bring the hands around and clap behind the back, instead, but this is a very advanced variant of the diamond clapping push up. Find an object 8”-12” in height and rest the feet on top of it before performing clapping push ups. As the angle of the body is raised, leverage is taken away from the pectorals, which forces the muscles of the shoulder to compensate. The frontal deltoids will get a very intense workout. Elevate the feet as high as you like. Theoretically, there’s no limit to how high you can raise the angle of your body, as long as you stay in alignment and the shoulders are strong enough to bear and manipulate your weight. At a vertical limit, the exercise basically becomes a clapping handstand push up. For the ultimate test of clapping push up strength, continue training the exercise until you can clap twice consecutively in a single push up. To do this, you’ll need to be able to achieve an impressive amount of height and hang-time from the push, which means having extremely well-developed pushing power. If you can clap more than 3 or 4 times after one push up, you may be in world record contention! Don't cheat; make each clap distinct.
Add resistance. Try clapping push ups from a diamond position. Elevate your feet. Clap more than once.