Forget the gym – use parallettes to upgrade your training and strengthen your core at home

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Andrew Feinberg

White House Correspondent

Let’s get one thing straight: parallettes aren’t just press-up stands. These compact training tools are finally making their way into the mainstream, and they’re more versatile than people give them credit for.

They allow you to replicate parallel bars (like those you might have seen at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games) at home without transforming your living room into a fully-fledged gymnastics studio. Of course, you can’t perform all of the acrobatics you’ve seen on the TV, but this simple set of bars will allow you to perform some fun, fitness-boosting moves.

For example, the core-strengthening “L-sit”, coordination-boosting “shoot-through” and, yes, the “press-up”. But these clever tools put less pressure on your wrists than a standard press-up will and they allow you to achieve a greater range of motion.

If you’re a calisthenics (bodyweight training) veteran, you can also use them for advanced skills, like the planche – a gravity-defying exercise where you support your entire body through your hands, holding your body parallel with the floor. Something to work towards perhaps.

The main pull of parallettes is their ability to add more variety to your at-home training routine. They can’t match the versatility of a set of dumbbells or gymnastic rings, but they do allow you to perform a few new moves and some more challenging variations of strength training staples.

For example, if you want to develop your core you can swap your usual sit-ups for a variation of the “L-sit”, while press-ups can be upgraded by increasing your range of motion (you can sink your chest lower at the bottom of the movement) or lifting your hips to perform a shoulder-strengthening pike press-up.

Or you can use these humble tools for “shoot-throughs” – an exercise which sees you transition between a plank and a reverse plank with your hands on the parallettes. This can be a fun introduction to gymnastic training and positions, as well as a way to develop coordination and core stability.

Many people also prefer parallettes for exercises where you’re supporting your weight through your hands, such as planks, press-ups and mountain climbers. This is because they allow you to maintain a neutral wrist position throughout these exercises, increasing stability and reducing pressure on the joint.

The final perk of parallettes is for dedicated gymnasts and calisthenics athletes. By replicating parallel bars, they allow you to practise advanced skills like handstand holds and the planche, without the need for a whole gym of full-sized gear.

Of the many parallettes on the market, most can be split into two camps: high and low. Knowing which might be better for you is important and will help you to take your training to the next level.

The low sets are, as the name suggests, smaller and lower to the ground. They offer all the benefits listed above, and thanks to their compact design they’re easy to store out of sight when you’re not using them.

High parallettes, on the other hand, aren’t so innocuous. They tend to stand roughly a metre tall (some are adjustable) with wider stands at the bottom to keep them stable, so you’ll need a considerable amount of cupboard space to house them. But this added size does make them more versatile, allowing you to perform muscle-building moves like dips and inverted rows.

Beyond this, the only other difference to look out for is the material the bars are made from. Gymnasts will likely want a slightly pricier wooden pair to better replicate parallel bars, while a plastic set with foam grips may be more affordable, and comfortable for beginners.

If you’re looking for your first set of parallettes, this set from Myprotein is a solid option. They’re affordable, with foam handles for a comfortable grip and removable feet so you can throw them in your gym bag. They’re a great way to get a taste for bodyweight training, then if you fall head over heels for calisthenics (quite literally, with some exercises) you may want to upgrade to a set of high parallettes later down the line.

Read more: The five stretches you should do every day, according to a flexibility expert