Push Up Bars – The Main Advantages Of Push-Up Bars And Top Exercises

The push-up is one of the basic exercises in weight training and is undoubtedly one of the most effective fitness exercises of all. Push-ups strengthen your chest muscles and various other parts of the upper body. To get the most out of this exercise, it is worth using push-up handles (also known as push-up bars). These not only intensify the effects of the movement, but also make a significant contribution to joint-friendly training.

In this article, you will learn everything you need to know about push-up bars and push-ups in general. We'll give you tips on how to perform the exercise and explain the benefits of push-up grips. We also want to introduce you to some effective variations that can be performed with this practical training equipment.

Push-ups - an effective exercise even without push-up grips

The great advantage of push-ups is that they can be performed anywhere. The exercise generally requires no equipment, so you have maximum flexibility in your training. It is mainly the chest and arm muscles (triceps) that are used in this movement. The entire shoulder musculature is also used, especially the front section. What many people don't know: As you tense your entire body during push-ups and have to maintain body tension throughout, the torso and gluteal muscles are also used to a degree that should not be underestimated. In a way, push-ups are therefore a full-body workout.

The correct execution

Regardless of whether you use push-up handles or not, you should proceed as follows when performing push-ups.
Get on your knees and support yourself with your hands. Your hands should be at chest height in the starting position. Next, stretch your legs back and support yourself on your toes. From this position, lower your body downwards. Inhale and as soon as your nose almost touches the floor, push yourself up again. Exhale as you do so.

Pay attention to the following aspects when performing the exercise:

• Your body forms a straight line, i.e. a hollow back should be avoided, as should stretching your buttocks into the air. Ideally, you should have someone check or correct your posture at the start of your push-up career. A fitness trainer is the right person to talk to.

• Your arms, chest, stomach, back, buttocks and legs are tense the entire time.

• You should perform the individual repetitions in a controlled manner. The aim is not to do as many push-ups as possible, but to perform them as cleanly as possible. With a little practice, you can achieve a high number of repetitions per set all by yourself!

• Never fully extend your arms in the top position to protect your elbow joints and maintain tension in your chest.

Mistakes to avoid

• Many exercisers do not build up enough tension in their body, causing their hips to sag during the exercise and their arms in particular to be unstable. In addition, the buttocks are often pushed upwards.

• If you don't (yet) have enough power in your arms and chest, your wrists are put under a lot of strain. This can result in pain. The ideal solution to this problem is push-up grips. You can find out more about their benefits later in the article.

• Trainers who want to complete as many repetitions as quickly as possible tend not to lower their body completely and therefore not use the full range of motion of the push-ups. This results in ineffective training.

Advantages of push-up handles

Push-up grips for a high level of comfort

First of all: although push-ups can be done anywhere, there are some surfaces that are less suitable than others. A rough surface, for example, can limit the comfort of the exercise and even lead to injuries to the skin on the hands. Also, think about the carpeting in a hotel room: you never know who has been hanging around here and what they have been doing. Push-up grips are THE solution! You can easily take these handy training devices with you wherever you go, making training as hygienic and comfortable as possible.

Gentle on the wrists

The strong bending of the wrists and the associated strain on the tendons and ligaments during push-up training can quickly lead to joint pain. Push-up grips are the ideal solution here too. They ensure an ergonomic position of the wrists during training.

Note: An alternative is push-up training on clenched fists. If you've done push-ups like this before, you'll know that it's not very comfortable either.

For a more effective workout

Another major advantage of push-up grips is the extended range of motion during the exercise. This is because you can lower your upper body significantly lower than without the equipment. With push-up grips you can make every single push-up more intense and effective by putting more strain on the various muscles.

Note: Due to the increased training effectiveness, you will initially be able to do fewer push-ups than without push-up handles.

So that you don't lose grip

Last but not least, push-up grips give you a better grip on the floor, especially on tiles, parquet and laminate. Sweaty hands are all too likely to slip on such materials, which can result in a messy movement. Push-up bars, on the other hand, have a non-slip underside and therefore help you to concentrate fully on your workout.

Various exercises with push-up bars

Below, we present some push-up variations that are great to do with the bars. Please note that this is only a small selection. With this practical training gadget, you can vary and intensify your push-ups in a variety of ways.

Normal push-ups

With normal push-ups, the push-up handles are about shoulder-width apart. This variation mainly works the chest, triceps and shoulders. You can perform the exercise either with a neutral grip (both push-up handles parallel to each other) or with an overhand grip (push-up handles in a line).

Wide push-ups for a broad chest

For wide push-ups, place the push-up handles slightly wider than shoulder-width apart on the floor. The further apart the handles are, the less the arms are involved in the movement and the more the focus is on the chest. As a result, the exercise becomes more difficult as the width increases. In this variation, consciously move your elbows outwards in the downward phase.

Practical tip: To really get your chest muscles burning, start as wide as possible and move more and more inwards as you lose strength instead of ending the exercise for the time being.

Incidentally, you can place the push-up grips for this exercise either parallel to each other or "ina row". The main difference is comfort. Decide for yourself how the exercise is most comfortable. The parallel arrangement also allows you to target the inner fibers of your chest muscles a little more.

Tight push-ups for strong arms

You also have the option of placing the push-up handles as described above for the close push-ups to increase comfort and vary the load. The big difference with this exercise is the distance between the push-up handles, which are very close together. The close hand position puts more strain on the arms than the wide push-ups. To put maximum strain on the triceps, keep your elbows as close to your body as possible.

Reverse grip push-ups

As the name suggests, you don't grip with an overhand grip here, but with an underhand grip, i.e. your fingers point away from your body. This works the triceps and inner chest in particular.

The supreme discipline - one-armed push-ups

With or without push-up grips, one-arm push-ups are a real challenge. They require very good body tension, a strong chest and equally strong triceps.

The starting position is the same as for 'classic' push-ups, with the exception of the legs. These are spread much further apart. This ensures that you don't lose your balance during the exercise.

Lift one hand off the push-up handles and position it so that you can use it quickly if your muscle strength fails or you lose your balance. Now lower your body until your nose almost touches the floor. Breathe in and keep your elbow close to your body. Once you have reached the bottom, push yourself back up to the starting position and exhale. Complete one set and then switch arms.

-Caution: In this exercise, it is even more difficult to maintain tension throughout the body. This is why the first one-arm push-ups will probably be a little wobbly. Consciously build up tension in your abdominal and back muscles to ensure the necessary stability. And if you are confident enough in your execution, you can rest the 'free' arm on your back.

L-sit with push-up handles

In the L-sit, as the name suggests, you assume an L-sit position with the push-up handles, with the angle between your upper body and your legs forming an L-shape. Keep your arms straight and pull your knees up to about the same height as your chest. Stretch your legs out. Remain in this 'L-position' (90-degree angle between the upright upper body and the outstretched legs) for as long as possible.

Tip to simplify the exercise: You can also perform the L-sit alternately with one leg stretched out.

Handstand

The handstand is also possible with push-up grips as long as they provide a sufficiently firm grip and are non-slip. Shift the weight of your upper body forwards (not too far!) and swing your back leg (extended) upwards. Pull the other leg in and stretch both legs upwards. The arms are also stretched.

Important: body tension and strong core muscles are essential for this exercise.

Find out more about our wooden push-up grips now!

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Pike push-ups

Pikepush-ups are push-ups where the focus is on the shoulders and the back is not straight. To perform them, lift your hips so that your body forms an upside-down "V". Your arms and legs should remain as straight as possible. Your head is between your arms. Bend at the elbows and lower your upper body until your head is almost touching the floor.

Push-ups with a resistance band

Push-ups with a resistance band are another ideal exercise with push-up handles where you use the resistance of the band as an additional training effect. Attach a resistance band around your upper back and hold it with both hands on the push-up handles.

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Dips

You can also do "slimmed-down" dips with push-up grips, even if they don't give you the range of motion of a real dip bar. dip bar as a real dip bar. To do this, get into a support position on the push-up handles. The arms are almost fully extended, the legs are stretched out in front and placed on the floor. Your upper body is upright and you are looking straight ahead. The elbows are close to the body.

Downward movement: Controlled bending of the elbows and lowering of the body. As soon as the angle between the upper arms and
forearms is 90 degrees, the downward movement is complete.

Upward movement: Press back to the starting position. Do not fully extend the elbows at the end of the movement

The perfect exercise for beginners - push-ups with feet on the floor

If you have not been using the push-up handles for long or your muscles are not yet very developed, you can simplify the push-ups by performing the exercise with your knees on the floor. This is the beginner's version, so to speak. But don't worry: after just a few days of training, your upper body will be strong enough to master the advanced push-ups.

Video: 15 exercises with push-up handles

Shape your upper body with push-up holds

You now know what the benefits of push-up grips are (training comfort, ergonomics, extended range of motion, better grip) and the many ways in which you can use them. When training, follow our tips on correct execution to maximize the effectiveness of your workout and avoid injuries. We wish you a successful push-up workout!