Looking for those indestructible Gravity Fitness Parallettes? All steel construction and that familiar Gravity Fitness quality, what more could you wish for from your Parallettes? Well, ladies and gentlemen, we got ‘em! And we’re excited to test all three of Gravity Fitness Parallettes 3.0 to bring you, our results. Gravity Fitness not only has their own name to live up to, they’re up against stiff opposition from the Gornation Premium Parallettes and, we shouldn’t forget that marvel of German engineering which are the Pullup & Dip Parallettes. Can our British contenders match their German counterparts, or is their 2021 Men’s Health Magazine recommendation a farce? We aim to find out in this Gravity Fitness Parallettes review.
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About Gravity Fitness
Gravity Fitness is a world-renowned producer and seller of Calisthenics equipment based in the United Kingdom. To give you a sense of their quality, they basically hold a monopoly on Weighted Vests. Not because there aren’t any producers of Weighted Vests, but because theirs are simply the best and still affordable. Their other products are also well-liked and reasonably priced.
Our Expectations for the Gravity Fitness Parallettes
We love Gravity Fitness products, in particular the aforementioned Weighted Vest, and we love working with Parallettes. They’re also a competitor to absolute behemoths like Gornation and Pullup and Dip. Obviously, our expectations are enormous. It will take an enormous effort to go beyond what the other top-line Parallettes have done and find a niche which justifies buying Gravity Fitness Parallettes over the others. We’ll be subjecting the Gravity Fitness Parallettes to the same exercises as our previous reviews of other high-grade Parallettes:
- Handstand Push-Ups
- Push-ups
- Diamond push-ups on 1 Parallette
- L-sit and dips
- Pike push-ups
- Frog stands
- Tucked planches
Gravity Fitness Parallettes 3.0 are of an all-steel design with explosive Calisthenics in mind. We’ll be particularly interested in doing the more demanding exercises which put a lot of weight and forward momentum on the Parallettes. This means going a little lighter on the regular Push-Ups and conserving our energy for things like Diamond Push-Ups on 1 Parallettes and explosive Handstand Push-Ups.
Gravity Fitness Medium Pro Parallettes 3.0
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- 45cm long (19.68 inch)
- 30cm wide (9.84 inch)
- 30cm high (3.9 inch)
- Weight capacity: 127kg (280 lbs)
- Price: $67.22
Strong and “meaty” is what we’d call our first impression when we lifted the Gravity Fitness Medium Pro Parallettes from the package. That only got better since ours came disassembled. Once we put them together (with a spanner), we knew that these Parallettes would stand rock-solid where we placed them. Later during our review, the word “confidence” was dropped and that’s what we decided we’d settle on. You feel immediately confident in these Parallettes to perform.
We immediately liked the thick rubber caps on each end of the base, a new 3.0 addition. They provide ample grip with the floor and are certainly a cut above what for instance Pullup & Dip has. Together with the wide base, they provided a sturdy platform to perform our exercises on. During those exercises the Gravity Fitness Parallettes remained where they were, not even moving when we gripped them first and then got into position to do Push-Ups (e.g., putting a lot of lateral force them).
The powder-coated handles felt good. They provided enough of a rough surface to get the job done, yet didn’t become uncomfortable or abrasive to hold. Full disclosure here, we used liquid chalk to maintain a solid grip on them. You can’t expect the same qualities from steel as you would from wooden handles.
We performed all the exercises on our list including L-Sits and Planches and with 30cm height, you can also do something akin to a proper dip, although we much preferred the XL Pro for that. The Gravity Fitness Parallettes Medium Pro performed very well in all regards, giving us the workout we were looking for. The Diamond Push-Ups on only 1 Parallette puts twice the weight on it as usual. Due to their tubular steel design, however, we felt no sagging or bending at all. The same was true while doing Handstand Push-Ups. No bend, no sag, but we didn’t expect any to begin with.
We don’t recommend you take these apart frequently. Just assemble them and keep them as-is. The Medium Pro should be compact enough to take with you in a large sports bag. They are also a perfect addition to your Home Gym equipment and are probably the go to choice for most Calisthenics practitioners looking for a jack of all trades.
Gravity Fitness XL Pro Parallettes 3.0
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- 60cm long (19.68 inch)
- 45cm wide (9.84 inch)
- 80cm high (3.9 inch)
- Weight capacity: 127kg (280 lbs)
- Price: $79.46
When we unboxed the Gravity Fitness Parallettes XL Pro, we had a similar experience as with the Medium Pro Parallettes. The construction felt solid right away and you immediately feel confident that these Parallettes will stand up to the task. They’re called Parallettes, but the Gravity Fitness XL Pro are really more like Dip Bars. They’re low enough to do all the exercises traditionally associated with Parallettes, but you can also do most if not all dipping exercises normally reserved for the dipping bar.
Despite their increased height, the XL Pro Parallettes remained standing firm and sturdy during all our exercises. Being taller, we were particularly keen to do L-Sits and Planche flows. This worked out great for us and we can see the Gravity Fitness XL Pro Parallettes function as a core asset to your Planche equipment. We also did Leg Raises and these too did not make the XL Pro’s feel unstable or shifting.
The coating was perfect and didn’t show any nicks or faults on these Parallettes either. The only thing we found was that the brand sticker had come loose during transit. We reapplied it with some TLC and that’s that. Like with the Medium Pro Parallettes, once assembled they are best left that way. This of course makes them harder to take with you to a gym or on your travels.
Gravity Fitness Small Pro Parallettes 3.0
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- 70cm long (19.68 inch)
- 30cm wide (9.84 inch)
- 15cm high (3.9 inch)
- Weight capacity: 127kg (280 lbs)
- Price: $74.08
With a wider base and a lower center of gravity, the Gravity Fitness Parallettes Small Pro begged us to do handstands. Assembly was identical to the Medium and XL versions and they come with the same, upgraded rubber caps. Compared to the other two, which already felt solid, the Small Pro Parallettes stand like bolted down to the ground. They appeared to us as the perfect, high-impact, high-intensity Parallettes.
Fit and finish was identical to the other two Parallettes, so we got right into doing handstands and Handstand Push-Ups. This is where the Gravity Fitness shines, as a real workhorse capable of taking any punishment thrown at it. Even with a little bit of a runup before committing to the handstand, the Gravity Fitness Parallettes didn’t budge. It felt like they were handles, bolted down to the ground. That really boosted our confidence and similarly, doing Handstand Push-Ups was no problem.
They are less interesting for doing dips seeing as their length even prohibits their use on the step of a stairs. However, they double as Push-Up Bars, being low to the ground and giving you that option to use a hammer-grip instead of placing your hands or knuckles on the ground.
General thoughts about the Gravity Fitness Parallettes
Solid, durable, indestructible. If you’re ever afraid about equipment breaking, these steel Parallettes are your solution. Nothing will break these unless your definition of Push-Ups involves a plasma cutter. The stated maximum weight capacity is a little white lie to avoid liability. Tubular steel of that gauge can tolerate so much more and you could probably use them as a carjack to lift up a pickup. With the material involved and the shapes used, this is pretty much the toughest, sturdiest set of Parallettes you can buy.
We liked the simplicity of them for what it can do. But that simplicity also means you lose out on some of the finer points of engineering. Even powder coated steel doesn’t have the same feel as high-quality wooden handles. To maximize tensile strength, the tubular steel is kept round whereas other high-quality Parallettes choose a more ergonomically fitting oval shape. A dab of chalk goes a long way, though.
You’ll need a spanner to assemble them and once assembled, we don’t advice you take them apart ever again. The Gravity Fitness come with lifetime guarantee and if stored properly and kept as they are (assembled), you will never come to rely on that guarantee.
Conclusions and Final Thoughts
Sturdy, high-quality and durable, the Gravity Fitness Parallettes are the ideal choice for explosive Calisthenics, learning the Planche and as affordable, dependable companions throughout your Calisthenics career. Gravity Fitness certainly takes a spot in the higher echelons of Calisthenics equipment and they prove it yet again with their Pro Parallettes 3.0. Are they the most comfortable to use? No, but it’s a give or take. They’ll be comfortable for long enough for you to do your thing. In the meanwhile, that extra security you get from an all-steel construction puts these Parallettes in their own double niche:
- An affordable, decent, durable workhorse for someone who won’t necessarily be able to take the best care of them (either at home or professionally in the gym).
- To bear the weight of heavyweights looking to do explosive Calisthenics.
Whether used standalone or as part of your Home Gym Equipment, the Gravity Fitness Parallettes will not disappoint. The opposite, in fact.
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Wooden Parallettes vs. Steel Parallettes
There is an ongoing debate of the merits of Steel Parallettes opposed to Wooden Parallettes. Tubular steel has the advantage of far higher tensile strength than wood. As with everything, however, it comes down to execution. Wooden handles can be more than strong enough to handle the weight if they are of high-quality, properly shaped, properly treated and properly maintained. Steel Parallettes are easier to construct; the tubes can be molded and these Parallettes tend to consist of one type of material only. Wooden Parallettes are usually part wood (the handles) and part steel (the base). There’s more to go wrong there.
This means that Steel Parallettes can be cheaper than Wooden Parallettes while giving your similar quality control and results. All things being equal, steel is the stronger material but steel will never give you the same grip feeling as wood.
Frequently Asked Questions About Gravity Fitness
The current version are the Gravity Fitness Parallettes 3.0. They come with upgraded rubber caps for increased stability and anti-slip retention. These are the best Parallettes Gravity Fitness has to offer and coincidentally the only Parallettes they sell after having retired the previous 2.0 line.
Gravity Fitness is from the United Kingdom. They sell and ship worldwide however and shipping times are generally short (1-2 days in the UK, 2-4 days in Europe and 4-7 days beyond that). You can also change your currency from Pounds to Euro or Dollar (US, CAD and AUS) on the top-right corner of their website. No exchange costs are applied.
Depending on what you want to do there are several options. Getting the Gravity Fitness Medium Pro 3.0 is always a solid choice. They are workhorse, all-round Parallettes which allow you to do all your Calisthenics involving Parallettes. For more movement and doubling as a dip bar, the Gravity Fitness XL Pro is a good a fit. Finally, the Gravity Fitness Small Pro are the ideal Push-Up Bars and provide unmatched stability for doing handstands and Handstand Push-Ups.
