5 Reasons why Calisthenics Athletes use Parallettes

Why are Parallettes the most popular equipment among Calisthenics athletes?

We conducted a community survey to answer this question, receiving input from beginners in the sport all the way to professional calisthenics athletes. We asked both men and women, athletes with 6 months of experience to 10 years, and can now present you the top 5 advantages of parallettes, according to the community.

Additional info: If you’re looking for a review video of our parallettes, check out Daniel Flefil's YouTube video, where he puts the GORNATION parallettes to the test!

Better for your wrists

We found that one of the top reasons athletes enjoy training with parallettes, is due to the ease on the wrists. One of our sponsored international calisthenics athletes Iris Easy claims “My wrist pain disappeared since I switched to Parallettes”. No matter your level, if you’ve ever done pushups, handstands, or more advanced skills such as planche, you’ll know that they’re not exactly “wrist-friendly”. Performing such exercises on the floor forces you to have extended wrists, something that can be avoided with parallettes. Parallettes offer you a neutral wrist position, which can help you avoid pain, provide more confidence and stabilty, and potentially reduce the chances of having to take training breaks.

 

Extended Range of Motion (ROM)

Parallettes give you clearance off the ground, which for many exercises can be of major benefit. If strength gain, progressive overload, or muscle building are your goals, then the additional ROM gained through using parallettes is a game changer. A basic exercise such as the pushup can become significantly more difficult when you are able to get lower to the ground and hyper-extend your joints slightly. At a more advanced level, this can be of paticular good use when performing handstand pushups, as you are able to go much deeper. Consider the massively increased ROM as a form of progressive overload in your training, and taking things to the next level.

Increased Grip, Balance, and Control

Because of the fact that you have something to grasp with your whole hand, this can make a big difference in your training performance. Most exercises tend to feel a lot more stable and controlled when using parallettes, and this can particularly help in balancing. For example, most athletes would generally describe handstands on the parallettes to be easier to perform than on the floor as they can increase your balance. When doing pushups, L-sits, and planche variations to name a few exercises, the control is gerenally far greater than if you were to perform these on the floor. This additional control, in combination with ease on the wrists, can allow you to focus harder on the exercise at hand, and maximize your efforts in every set.

 

Variety of exercises

Athletes of all levels enjoy training with parallettes due to the vast variety of exercises you can do with them. From pushups, to L-sits, to handstands, the options are countless and limited only by one’s imagination. We have an entire blog post on our page, outlining 13 of the best exercises to perform with parallettes. Additionally, due to the clearance or height that parallettes offer you from the ground, certain exercises become more accessible. For example, the L-sit to handstand can become more doable. You can also more easily scale back exercises, such as a tuck planche, which you can perform at an easier level, without having to lift your legs as high off the ground, thanks to the height provided by the parallettes.

  

Versatily and ease of transport

The beauty of parallettes is that they allow you to train anywhere, without needing access to a gym or expensive equipment. With parallettes you have the freedom to train outside and enjoy the sun the warmer months of the year, or train indoors at your own home when its cold, or you just feel like it. Especially with our Active Parallettes, which are our smallest model, you can take them anywhere on the go, and they give you the option to even fit them in a backpack. This way you could even take them on holiday, so you don’t have to miss a session.

  

Here’s a quick guide of the 3 types of GORNATION Parallettes:

• High Parallettes (Max)
• Higher range of motion
• Maximum exercise variety with Bench Dips, Tucked Planche Push Ups etc.
• Long Parallettes (Pro)
• Optimal stability through wide feet & low height
• Wide enough for straight bar exercises
• Small and compact Parallettes (Active)
• Compact & sturdy, perfect for travel

Pro tip! Check out CaliMove's YouTube video, where they go over different types of calisthenics equipment that are worth your money. One of the items mentioned are parallettes, and they feature the GORNATION parallettes in the video - this way you can see them in action! 

 

There you have it! These are the top 5 reasons why calisthenics athletes of all levels love parallettes, according to the community survey that we conducted. If this has inspired you in any capacity to try training with parallettes, then consider getting yourself a pair to experience all the advantages for yourself.

Have another reason why you use the Parallettes? Feel free to share your opinion/feedback below the blog article as a comment!

Discover Parallettes

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