12 Best Push Up Bar Workouts (For All Levels)

What Muscles Do Push Up Bar Exercises Target?

Push-up bars enhance the motion range of your push-up, and the science behind the consequent result is quite simple: improving your motion range in any exercise builds your muscles and makes you stronger faster. 

A push-up is one of the most beneficial and simplest exercises to perform to gain muscle and strength. Exercises using a push-up bar use your body weight as resistance and work your core and upper body simultaneously.  

In a typical push-up bars workout, these muscles are targeted: 

The best thing about the push-up bar exercises is that it will be hard for your body and you to get used to them. There are various push-up bars exercise variations that target every muscle differently.  

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1. Push-Ups 

The most renowned exercise for push-up bars is doing a push-up. The most significant benefit of doing it on the parallettes is going deeper than traditional push-ups and getting a much higher muscle stimulus.  

The increased muscle stimulus in line adds to greater strength and muscle building.

Another great thing about doing push-up exercises with a push-up bar is that you will be able to adjust your hands' position to perform narrow or wide push-ups.

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2. Pike Push-Ups 

The pike push-ups can also be performed without using a push-up bar. However, once again, you benefit from an extensive motion range. Just keep the legs stretched to execute your pike push-up exercise correctly.  

While doing a pike push-up, the closer you keep your feet near your hands, the more effective and difficult your exercise regime will be. However, the most important thing to note is to keep the legs extended.

3. L-Sit 

Among all the exercises to do with push-up bars, the L-sit is among the most basic in calisthenics, and that is why it carries great importance if you want to move on to advanced skills like the front lever.

This exercise employs the use of muscles all over your body since it requires high body tension.

While doing the L-sit exercise using push-up bars, extend your arms completely and protract the shoulder to ensure that you have the perfect form instantly.  

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4. Tucked Planche

Among the advanced calisthenics push-up bar exercises list is the tucked planche. This exercise bears a resemblance to the frog stand. However, there is one key difference: you do not place your knees on your elbows.

This makes the tucked planche much more challenging as there's greater stress on your wrists. The push-ups then counteract it and make your wrists feel more comfortable.  

While doing the tucked planche push-up bar exercise, one thing to remember is to push out your shoulders. This will ensure that you have the perfect form. Also, note that your arms must be extended fully.

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5. Handstand Push Ups 

Handstand push-ups are among the more advanced exercises to do with push-up bars, and therefore they must not be done until you can perform around ten or more regular push-ups easily.

The easiest way to perform handstand push-ups is by placing the bars a couple of inches from the wall, equivalent to one another.  

Then put your hands on the bars and kick all the way up so that your legs hit the wall. Next, slowly lower yourself down as far as you can.

While doing this push-up bar exercise, you can also place an abdominal mat on the ground to cushion your head if you can lower that far.  

6. Frog Stand 

There are various exercises to do with push-up bars, which become a basis for numerous others, and such is the case for the frog stand.

It is a precursor for various exercise skills, including the handstand and tucked planche. Ideally, you can improve your body tension and develop a feel for multiple advanced skills.  

To do a frog stand, you must grab push-up bar grips and then support yourself via your knees on elbows. Initially, this exercise might feel unfamiliar and awkward for you since it requires some form of balance.

However, with time you can work towards complete extension of your arms. Use the elbows less and less to support the knees until there is no longer a need to rest them.  

7. Handstand 

For various athletes, doing a handstand on a parallette is much more comfortable since you have better control and traction and can easily push yourself back in case of losing your balance.

The combination of balance and strength needs a lot of time, patience, and practice to learn.  

The best way to train for a handstand workout via push-up bars is on the wall or with a partner first since you will often lose your balance.

You will benefit from a much safer training when you do it with a partner. Furthermore, it will also help you learn the right roll-off from a handstand if you are ever training alone.  

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8. Hollow Back Handstand 

One of the push-up bar exercises involving a handstand is the hollow back handstand. It requires great mobility.

If we talk about strength, the difference between a normal handstand and a hollow back handstand is not much; however, the balance is different since your body's center of gravity shifts.

Start with a normal handstand and then perform two movements simultaneously: 

Bend the legs furthest over the head and push your shoulders in the opposite direction. If you only do it with your legs bent over, you will lose your balance quickly.

Work on your stretch a lot and learn a good bridge optimally; doing so will make hollow back handstands easier for you.  

9. One Arm Handstand 

The one-arm handstand is one of the most difficult in calisthenics. To do a one-arm handstand, you need a highly developed balance, and without constant training, it will be next to impossible to master the one-arm handstand.

The foundation is a secure and clean grip in a handstand, so try to grip the bars a bit tighter while doing this push-up bar exercise so you can quickly shift your weight to one side. 

Among the push-up bars exercise variations, the weight shifts are pretty popular when doing the one-arm handstand.  

10. Full Planche 

In the calisthenics community and especially in exercises using push-up bars, the full planche is considered a 'dream skill.'

The development from a simple straddle planche to an all-out full planchet is quite profound and needs a lot of training and dedication.

However, the most beneficial thing about full planche is not being discouraged by slow progress. For certain athletes, mastering the full planchet may take years, whereas, for others, it only takes a few months.  

You can also use resistance bands to form a better feel of the full planche and turn your workout quite exciting.

Simultaneously, you will also improve your strength and technique, and it also becomes easier for you to track your progress since you will work with varying strength resistance bands.  

11. Straddle Planche 

In the calisthenics community, most people aim to master the straddle planche. Though this push-up bar exercise takes some strength and time to learn, an essential part of it is arm strength, which includes the forearms and biceps.

This strength is also required for other exercises such as the human flag, front lever, or iron cross.

Straddle planche also needs a strong core and powerful shoulders; that is why an extremely good tucked planche is required to start working on your straddle planche.  

12. One Arm Handstand Flag 

Not all individuals can hold the one-arm handstand flag since it's extremely difficult. This makes the exercise much more attractive to most athletes, as you cannot see it often. 

A mixture of a handstand and human flag is only the start; once you master the push-up, bars exercise variations, it is only a matter of honing the skill and attaining perfection on a single hand.

Mobility is an excellent benefit if you are thinking of mastering the one-arm handstand flag. The balance may be somewhat unusual initially; however, you will soon develop a feeling for it.