Train Your Chest with Parallettes - Calisthenics Workout Guide

Introduction

A powerful chest is a cornerstone of upper body strength, and you don't need a gym full of weights to achieve it. Calisthenics, particularly using parallettes, offers a versatile and effective way to build your chest muscles while enhancing your overall upper body control and strength. Whether you're a beginner or advanced athlete, parallettes provide the perfect tool to maximize your chest workouts.

Due to their height you’re improving the range of motion in your exercises and are able to have more stretch in your chest. This results in more muscle growth and strength. Also, their bars help you to keep your wrists in a neutral position to reduce stress while doing your chest workout in calisthenics.

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1. Parallel Bar Push-Ups

Target Muscles: Chest, Triceps, Shoulders

Parallel bar push-ups are a staple calisthenics exercise that increases the range of motion, allowing for deeper chest activation. By elevating your hands on parallettes, you get an intensified stretch and engagement of the chest muscles compared to standard push-ups. You can do these push-ups on lower parallettes while keeping your body in a straight line (like our Premium Parallettes Pro) or you can do these push-ups on higher Parallettes to have even more range of motion but also a more incline position of your body (with our Metal Parallettes or Premium Parallettes Max).

How to Perform:

• Place the parallettes shoulder-width apart on the floor.
• Grip the bars and extend your legs behind you, keeping your body in a straight line from head to heels.
• Lower your chest until it goes below the bars, maintaining control.
• Push back up to the starting position, fully extending your arms.

Tip: Engage your core and maintain proper alignment throughout the movement to avoid strain on your lower back. Stay in a plank during the whole movement.

2. Archer Push-Ups

Target Muscles: Chest, Shoulders, Triceps

Archer push-ups are an advanced variation that allows you to focus on one side of your chest at a time, creating a unilateral exercise that builds strength and stability. They also train the desired straight arm strength needed for calisthenics moves like the handstand or the planche.

How to Perform:

• Start in a push-up position with your hands on the parallettes.
• As you lower your body, shift your weight to one side, extending the opposite arm out to the side.
• Push back up to the starting position, focusing on the engaged arm.
• Repeat the movement on the other side.

Tip: Keep the movement controlled and deliberate to ensure each side of your chest gets equal activation and to prevent any imbalances.

3. (Straight Bar) Incline Push-Ups

Target Muscles: Lower Chest, Shoulders, Triceps

Incline push-ups on a straight bar are perfect for targeting the lower chest while reducing the load on your shoulders. This exercise is great for those looking to develop the lower portion of their chest muscles or in case you know you have a disbalance there. For this a pair of High Parallettes is helpful with a minimum of 30cm / 11 inches in height.

How to Perform:

• Set the parallettes on a stable surface.
• Place your hands on the bars and walk your feet backward to form a straight line from your shoulders to your heels.
• Lower your chest towards the bars by bending your elbows, focusing on the lower chest.
• Push back up to the starting position, keeping your body straight throughout.

Tip: Adjust the height of the parallettes to modify the intensity, with a higher incline being easier and a lower incline more challenging. You can also place your parallettes on a stable, higher surface like a bench.

4. (Straight Bar) Decline Push-Ups

Target Muscles: Upper Chest, Shoulders, Triceps

Decline push-ups on a straight bar focus on the upper chest and add an extra challenge due to the elevated foot position. This exercise helps in building the lower part of your chest, which is often harder to target. Also, your shoulders are focused more in this angle.

How to Perform:

• Place your feet on an elevated surface and your hands on the parallettes.
• Keep your body straight as you lower your chest towards the bars by bending your elbows.
• Push back up to the starting position, ensuring that your core remains engaged to maintain balance.

Tip: The higher your feet are elevated, the more challenging this exercise becomes and the more focus you’ll put on your shoulders and also the upper chest, so adjust the height according to your fitness level.

5. Close Grip Push-Ups

Target Muscles: Chest, Triceps, Shoulders

Close grip push-ups are a fantastic exercise for targeting the inner chest and triceps. By narrowing your hand placement, you increase the demand on your triceps while still engaging your chest effectively. Make sure to have a low pair of parallettes for this exercise to not put your wrist into a weird position during the exercise.

How to Perform:

• Place the parallettes close together, about shoulder-width apart.
• Assume a push-up position with your hands gripping the bars.
• Lower your body, keeping your elbows close to your sides.
• Push back up to the starting position, focusing on contracting your chest and triceps.

Tip: Keep your elbows tucked in to maximize triceps engagement and avoid flaring them out to prevent shoulder strain. The elbows should stay close to the body.

Pro Tip:

In calisthenics, it's all about the freedom and creativity of working out. You can perform these exercises slowly for maximum muscle tension, explosively for power development, or with variations in elevation to target different parts of the chest. For example, elevating your feet will emphasize the upper chest, while lowering your feet will shift focus to the lower chest. Calisthenics encourages thinking in terms of muscle groups rather than isolating single muscles—push strength is a compound movement involving your chest, triceps, and shoulders. However, if you identify a weaker muscle within this group, it's crucial to address it. Strengthening this bottleneck can prevent it from limiting your overall push strength.

You are looking for even more exercises for your calisthenics workout? Make sure to check out our YouTube video with 50 exercises on parallettes:

Conclusion:

Training your chest with parallettes offers a dynamic and effective way to build upper body strength and muscle definition. By incorporating these exercises into your routine, you'll not only develop a powerful chest but also improve your overall stability, control, and functional strength. Remember to focus on form, be consistent with your practice, and take advantage of the versatility that calisthenics offers.

Equip yourself with high-quality parallettes and calisthenics gear to get the most out of your training sessions. Stay dedicated, challenge yourself, and watch as your chest strength and definition reach new heights!