Top 25 Parallette Exercises and Workouts

There are so many Parallette exercises you can add to you Calisthenics Workout, it’s hard to figure out where to start. The Parallettes are an essential, versatile tool that makes Calisthenics even more enjoyable. From groundwork to inverted stuff: a pair of stable, quality Parallettes will never let you down. To show just how versatile and needed these things are, I’ve collected the 25 best Parallettes exercises ranging from beginner to expert level. As always, I’ve included links to more in-depth tutorials about specific Parallettes exercises where relevant.

Need a short and sweet overview? Watch my YouTube Video about the Top Parallettes Exercises

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Before You Begin Your Parallettes Exercises

As with every ambition, good preparation is half the work. Before you start with your Parallettes exercises you should do a good Calisthenics warmup that properly activates your muscles, prepares your joints and helps prevent injury. 

You should also keep in mind that these are Parallettes and not Dip Bars. Although they appear similar and there is some overlap, Parallettes are meant for nearly horizontal body positions, while Dip Bars are meant for suspended positions where your body is no longer touching the floor. Make sure you get the most effective tool for the job, that way you get the most out of your Calisthenics Home Equipment.

25 Parallettes Exercises for Beginners & More

Let’s delve straight in to my 25 favorite Parallettes exercises for both beginners, intermediate practitioners and Calisthenics experts.

#1 Straight Bar Push-Up

The king of Parallettes exercises is the Straight Bar Push-Up. This simple, effective and efficient Calisthenics exercise is one of the first you’ll learn. You will keep going back to Push-Ups throughout your Calisthenics journey. The Push-Up has many variations, both easier and more difficult than the standard, perfect form. Push-Ups workout your entire back and your shoulders, primarily. With grip variations other muscle groups, mainly in the arms, are targeted to a greater or lesser extent as well. 

How to do this Parallettes exercise:

1. Place the Parallettes perpendicular to your body and against each other, presenting you with a straight bar from left to right.
2. Get into a Straight Arm Plank position (Push-Up Position) with your arms straight and your body straight. Your hands should be slightly wider than shoulder width apart and holding the Parallettes.
3. Descend by bending your elbows and allowing your body to come straight down until your chest is right between the Parallettes.
4. Ascend by pushing your body back up to the original Straight Arm Plank position.

You can make a deeper descend using Parallettes than when you do them on the floor, making it more effective for working those pectorals.

#2 Incline Push-Up

Incline Push-Ups are easier than regular Push-Ups (#1) and also a great way to gradually get into regular Push-Ups. With Incline Push-Ups, your feet are at a (considerably) lower point of elevation than your hands. Parallettes are typically already quite low to the ground, but that little bit of incline might be just what you need to get going. The hammer grip the Parallettes allow is also easier on your wrists. You can also use a wall or a staircase to do Incline Push-Ups and work your way down gradually. Eventually, you’ll meet the ground and that’s where the Parallettes can help you out with those final few inches. 

How to do this Parallettes exercise:

1. Choose the High Parallettes for this exercise to increase the angle of the incline. You can also place your Parallettes on something sturdy, like a staircase, bench or concrete pedestal.
2. Perform the Straight Bar Push-Up (#1)

#3 Decline push-up

Seeking a harder Push-Up with more focus on your shoulders? The Decline Push-Up is an excellent Parallettes exercise that pushes the boundaries of ordinary Push-Ups (#1). With Decline Push-Ups, your feet are at a higher point of elevation than your hands. As you tilt more forward, more of your body weight pushes down on your shoulders and arms. This makes the Decline Push-Up a lot harder, as well as focusing more on your shoulders.

How to do this Parallettes exercise:

1. Choose the High Parallettes for this exercise to increase the angle of the decline. 
2. Place the Parallettes like with the Straight Bar Push-Up except at the feet. Rest the top of your ankles on the bars.
3. Perform a regular Push-Up on the floor or on Low Parallettes.

#4 Close Grip Push-Up or Narrow Push-Up

Close Grip Push-Ups are great for your triceps. The closer you put your hands together, the farther the triceps must extend for a full descend and pushing back up will flex them much harder than with normal Push-Ups. Once you’ve mastered the Push-Up (#1), this is typically the first advanced Push-Up variation you’ll practice for. Practicing is easy. Move your Parallettes an inch closer together every time you do this exercise. Most Parallettes have feet that extend sideways a little. Work towards having them touch to master the Close Grip Push-Up.

How to do this Parallettes exercise:

1. Place the Low Parallettes together in front of you, where their feet touch and parallel with your body.
2. Perform a regular Push-Up.

#5 Iguana Push-Up

Iguana Push-Ups are not only fun to do, they’re also a solid method of practicing balance and hand balancing. You first need to master the Close Grip Push-Up (#4) for this as it is the basis of the Iguana Push-Up.

How to do this Parallettes exercise:

1. Place 1 Parallette dead center in front of you, bisecting your body through the middle but at a normal Push-Up distance.
2. Grab the Parallette with both hands, one directly above the other (mimiming how an iguana walks over a branch). Raise one leg diagonally up behind you.
3. Perform your Close Grip Push-Ups. Repeat the set reversing the order of your hands and which leg you raise.

#6 Wide Grip Push-Up

Wide Grip Push-Ups work on the shoulders, back and upper arms just like regular Push-Ups. However, they put more focus on the outer chest as these muscles get stretched farther than they do with a regular Push-Up. It is a good idea to mix both Close Grip Push-Ups (#4) with Wide Grip Push-Ups to get maximum versatility from your Push-Up routine. Like with Close Grip Push-Ups, you can practice for Wide Grip Push-Ups by gradually widening the distance between the Parallettes. 

How to do this Parallettes exercise:

1. Place the Low Parallettes farther apart that shoulder width, up to where your elbows need to make a 90-degree bend to hold them both correctly.
2. Perform a regular Push-Up.

#7 Archer Push-Up

Making the Push-Up even more dynamic is a good way to target all the smaller muscles in your chest, core and arms. The Archer Push-Up is such a dynamic exercise where you incorporate a lean in your Wide Grip Push-Up (#6). This movement, mimicking that of an archer drawing a bow, activates your muscles in ways that a simple straight and up straight down movement won’t. It targets the muscles in your arms and back more than your chest since this movement tends to keep your chest muscles very compact (at least those on the side doing all the work). You’re also putting much more pressure on one arm alternatingly, making this a very advanced Push-Up variation. 

How to do this Parallettes exercise:

1. Place the Low Parallettes farther apart than shoulder width, up to where your elbows need to make a 90-degree bend to hold them both correctly. 
2. From the Straight Arm Plank (Push-Up position), lean towards the right, bending that elbow like you do with a regular Push-Up. Straighten the left arm while keeping your left hand on its Parallette. You may loosen your grip on the left hand to avoid it lifting the Parallette from the floor.
3. Push back up and come back to the center Straight Arm Plank position.
4. Repeat on the other side.

The Archer Push-Up is an important step towards the One-Arm Push-Up.

#8 Bench Dips

Bench Dips are a great starting point for mastering the Dip and is a great Parallettes exercise to begin with. They strengthen the triceps and back muscles, building the strength for more advanced exercises. These muscles are also important for other techniques like the Push-Up and the Pull-Up meaning that Dips have a lot of overlap with other push and pull techniques. Parallettes tend to be lower in height than Dip Bars, limiting their use (usually) to just Bench Dips and not full Dips. 

How to do this Parallettes exercise:

1. Use your High Parallettes for this exercise. Sit on the floor between the Parallettes just not touching your arms and standing parallel to your body.
2. Lift yourself up on the Parallettes, keeping your feet on the floor and your legs held straight. Only your hands and arms keep you suspended on the Parallettes.
3. Descend by bending your elbows until your behind comes just below the top bars of the Parallettes. Push back up.

#9 L-Sit

L-Sits workout the abdominal muscles, the shoulders, glutes and upper legs to a great degree. The technique is more about endurance than explosive power as it is a Calisthenics Static Technique. You can learn the L-Sit by first doing easier variations like the Tuck L-Sit (#10) or by starting with Bench Dips (#8) to work up the required arm strength to stay aloft.

How to do this Parallettes exercise:

1. Use your High Parallettes for this exercise. Sit on the floor between the Parallettes just not touching your arms and standing parallel to your body. Your legs are straight and pointing forward.
2. Lift yourself up on the Parallettes, keeping your legs and feet straight and off the floor. Hold that position for 10 seconds or longer.

#10 Tuck L-Sit

If the regular L-Sit (#9) is still a little bit too hard but you’ve already mastered the Bench Dip (#8), you can bridge the gap with Tuck L-Sits. Tuck L-Sits allow you to further increase the strength and endurance of your arms and shoulders. The Tuck L-Sit is less straining on your legs and abdomen. Those can wait until you can (quite literally) shoulder the weight of your body. You can gradually straighten out your legs further with every workout session until you’ve achieved the full L-Sit.

 How to do this Parallettes exercise:

1. Use your High Parallettes for this exercise. Sit on the floor between the Parallettes just not touching your arms and standing parallel to your body. Your knees are bent to 45 degrees.
2. Lift yourself up on the Parallettes, keeping your legs bent but your feet off the floor. Hold that position for 10 seconds or longer. 

#11 Tuck V-Sit

The Tuck V-Sit starts the same way as the Tuck L-Sit. Instead of keeping your legs bent at 45-degrees with your torso, you bend them further so that your torso and legs create a V-shape. You can leave your lower legs unengaged.

#12 Single Leg L-Sit

Single Leg L-Sits combines the L-Sit with a Tuck L-Sit. One leg will extend while the other remains bent and tucked to your chest. This tends to put more strain on the glute of the extended leg as there now is an imbalance in your posture. Advanced Calisthenics practitioners can introduce a dynamic element by switching which leg is extended while remaining in the L-Sit position. 

How to do this Parallettes exercise:

1. Perform the L-Sit (#9) but, tuck one leg into a V-Sit position while keeping the other stretched.
2. Hold for 10 seconds or longer and alternate between legs.

#13 V-sit

V-Sits are like L-Sits, but with your legs raised so that your feet are above the height of your head. Some say the V-Sit is harder than the L-Sit since you must lift your legs and hips higher, but I believe it has more to do with flexibility than strength. The only thing that changes in muscle activation is which abdominal muscles take the brunt of the exercise and at some point, you might experience less resistance from the V-Sit than with the L-Sit. However, you need a lot more flexibility and balance to execute and maintain a proper V-Sit.

#14 I-sit

Once you’re comfortable with the V-Sit, the I-Sit “simply” takes your legs up further until they point straight up. This puts even more stress on your arms and requires greater flexibility. If you’re not quite flexible enough, you will also notice a slight rotation of the shoulders to maintain balance. This will require more exertion from your shoulders.

#15 Handstand

The Handstand is of course the signature Parallettes exercise. The design of the Parallettes being wide and low makes them stable and strong. They are the ideal tool for learning and mastering the Handstand and its variations. Not only is the Handstand awesome to look at, but it is also a great exercise for hand balancing in general and to work up the endurance needed for more advanced hand balancing techniques. If you have Parallettes, learning the Handstand is worth it.

How to do this Parallettes exercise:

1. Place the Parallettes like you would for regular Push-ups, parallel with your body. Stand in front of them.
2. Lean forward and take firm hold of the Parallettes, gently push off with your legs while continuing to lean forward so that your hands take over from your feet.
3. Straighten out completely for the Handstand and hold for 10 seconds or longer.

Throwing your head back into your neck alleviates the buildup of blood pressure going to your head, as well giving you a better sense of orientation.

#16 Handstand Push-Up

After you’ve mastered the Handstand, combining the two best Parallettes exercises just makes sense. Just like Close Grip Push-Ups, Handstand Push-Ups put a lot of emphasis on the shoulders and the triceps but with the added difficulty of having to maintain your balance. A great exercise to master and spectacular to behold.

How to do this Parallettes exercise:

1. From the Handstand position (#15),
2. Descend by bending your elbow and allowing your body to lower between your arms. Adjust the pitch of your body backward as needed to maintain a good center of gravity.
3. Push back up.

If you need to adjust your pitch to remain balanced, make sure you methodically reverse the order of when and how fast you pitched your body when pushing back up. Slow is smooth, smooth is fast.

#17 Straddle Press Handstand

The Straddle Press Handstand starts in an L-Sit position, and from there you rotate your body out and press up until you’re in a Handstand. Yes, this is a very advanced hand balancing technique for which you need a lot of strength, endurance and balance.  It is one of the most advanced Handstand exercises that are still done with two hands.

How to do this Parallettes exercise:

1. Start in an L-Sit position.
2. Rotate forward, tucking in your legs to make room for a head roll.
3. Press up and straighten your body as your legs ascend until you are in a Handstand.

#18 Negative Press Handstand

The Negative Press Handstand reverses the process of the Straddle Press Handstand (#17). It really shows that you’ve mastered hand balancing and that you have minute control over every part of your body.

How to do this Parallettes exercise:

1. Get up into a Handstand
2. Rotate backwards while bending your lower body.
3. Rotate while tucking in your legs to make room for the roll until you are in the Tuck L-Sit position and straighten your legs to get into the L-Sit position.

#19 90 Degree Handstand Push-Up

Combining the Push-Up with the Handstand is already a very advanced technique, but you can still take it up a notch. The 90 Degree Handstand Push-Up also incorporates a Planche! How? By rotating your body during the Push-Up to a horizontal, Planche position during the descent. The reverse happens when you push back up. Needless to say, this is a very advanced technique only reserved for the Calisthenics expert and hand balancer. But, the Parallettes are the perfect tool for it.

How to do this Parallettes exercise:

1. Perform the Handstand Push-Up (#16) but,
2. Lean back entirely until you are in the Full Planche Position (#25)
3. Push back up and rotate forward until you are back into the Handstand position.

#20 Planche Lean

The Planche Lean is an important step in learning the Full Planche (#23). Despite being a steppingstone, it is also one of the best Parallettes exercises you can do due to its compound nature. The Planche Lean exercises the shoulders, core, wrists, scapula and develops arm strength and endurance. It does so in a very even way, resulting in balanced growth.

 How to do this Parallettes exercise:

1. Place your Parallettes at a 45-degree angle along the axis of your body (so your knuckles face diagonally away). 
2. Get into a Straight Arm Plank (Push-Up Position) but rest on the top of your feet and toes instead.
3.  Lean forward until you feel that your body’s center of gravity rests directly above your hands, fully depressing your scapula in the process.
4. Hold for 10 seconds or longer.

#21 Maltese Lean

The Maltese in Calisthenics is a true testament to your strength, skill and bodily control. Progression towards the full Maltese is reserved for the Calisthenics expert, however, every journey starts with the first step. The Maltese Lean is that first step after you’ve mastered the Push-Up (#1) and at least the Planche Lean (#18). The Maltese Lean exercises all the muscles involved in the Full Maltese, like the shoulders, core, sides, major chest muscles and the full length of your arms. 

How to do this Parallettes exercise:

1. Get in a Straight Arm Plank Position (Push-Up position).
2. Move your hands back to the height of your sides and rotate your hands outward.
3. Hold for 20 seconds.

#22 Tuck Planche

The path the Full Planche is littered with challenges for you to overcome. One of these challenges is the Tuck Planche. But fear not, each challenge also helps you with the next! Where the Planche Lean (#18) was about learning the right posture, the Tuck Planche is about progression. It involves multiple other skills that together prepare you for the Tuck Planche. 

How to do this Parallettes exercise:

1. Place your Parallettes at a 45-degree angle along the axis of your body (so your knuckles face diagonally away).
2. Get into a Straight Arm Plank (Push-Up Position) and lean forward until you feel that your body’s center of gravity rests directly above your hands.
3. Gently lift your feet off the floor by bending your knees and tucking them toward your upper body until your body weight rests right above the placement of your hands.
4. Hold for 10 seconds or longer.

#23 Advanced Tuck Planche

The Advanced Tuck Planche is the next step in your Planche progression. The technique itself is not that different from the Tuck Planche, but the nuances between them are very important. With the Tuck Planche you tucked in your knees to where your body weight rested above your hands. You almost rolled up into a ball. For the Advanced Tuck Planche you tuck your knees in to your lower body or hips only and your body creates a C shape. You will notice that this shifts the center of gravity to the rear. To accommodate this, you must lean forward more.

#24 Straddle Planche

Once you’ve mastered the Straddle Planche, the Full Planche is almost within your grasp. With the Straddle Planche you fully extend your body and legs, but you keep your legs apart. This helps you a little to maintain your balance as you can twist your body and its weight around. It is already very near to a Full Planche.

 How to do this Parallettes exercise:

1. Place your Parallettes at a 45-degree angle along the axis of your body (so your knuckles face diagonally away).
2. Get into a Straight Arm Plank (Push-Up Position) and lean forward until you feel that your body’s center of gravity rests directly above your hands.
3. Gently lift your feet off the floor and spread your legs apart to help maintain balance. Lean forward as needed to keep your balance.
4. Hold for 10 seconds or longer.

The Straddle Planche is also a great exercise to combine with a Push-Up. The opened legs give you the room to adjust your balance through the motion of the Straddle Planche Push-Up, while the workout gives you very similar results to a Full Planche with Push-Ups.

#25 Full Planche

I started with Push-Up as one of the best, if not the best, Parallettes exercises. It’s fitting then that I end this list with the second exercise for which I deem this the perfect tool. Planches are without a doubt one of those exercises for which Parallettes were made and they are the perfect, stable platform to master the Planche on. Your discipline and commitment will determine how long it takes to learn the Planche, but you have the right tools for it already.

How to do this Parallettes exercise:

1. Place your Parallettes at a 45-degree angle along the axis of your body (so your knuckles face diagonally away). 
2. Get into a Straight Arm Plank (Push-Up Position) and lean forward until you feel that your body’s center of gravity rests directly above your hands. 
3. Gently lift your feet off the floor, keeping them tighter together. Lean forward as needed to keep your balance. 
4. Hold for 10 seconds or longer.

Conclusions About the Best Parallettes Exercises

Parallettes exercises range from very easy to very hard. They are an immensely versatile tool in your inventory, and I always recommend getting them as one of your first acquisitions, behind only Door Pull-Up Bars. Together with the breadth of Door Pull-Up Bar exercises, you’re covering almost everything for the upper body. With the above 25 Parallettes exercises you can combine decades worth of Calisthenics workouts. 

Good luck!

Frequently Asked Questions About Parallettes Exercises

A few more frequently asked questions about Parallettes exercises and their benefits.