Push Up Handles: Proper Guide, Benefits, And More

Push up is really one of the most famous and commonly done workouts. It has been proven and tested that this exercise is not only beneficial for building up you upper body strength, it is also a great exercise to build your muscles; whether you are targeting chests, triceps or biceps, all the works. Push up is also a great exercise for building your lower back, plus it is said to be a semi-cardio workout too. Today, we are going to talk about push ups workout, with a twist. That is push ups using push up handles.

If you have been to the gym a couple of times, I’m sure you have seen push up handles in all sizes and in all forms. Maybe you recognized them or maybe you’re one of those people who are not really sure what are they for and how to use them. Say no more! Because you have just gone to the right place.

In this article, we will show you the different kinds of push up handles and let you decide for yourself what’s worth the try or what’s not. Guaranteed that we will also teach you the proper push up handles workout and all the other things you would want to know about this exercise. So, get ready to learn more.

Let’s find out why do we use push up handles?

I believe that before we can answer why, you must find out first the “what”. If you’ll know the purpose of push up handles and the essence of trying the workout technique, then you would know a couple of push up handles benefits.

Most of the gym goers agree that push ups are really hard. It’s one of those exercises that are hard to maintain in your routine if you are a bodybuilder, let alone a beginner. It requires certain techniques to be done properly and with care, as it is sometimes a little dangerous, especially if you are heavy or if you don’t have enough developed strength and agility.

Regular push ups are a little bit dangerous because it may cause harm to your wrists and hands if you put too much stress on them while doing the workout. Stress to your wrists may also be caused by too much repetition of the routine. So you would want to be careful and be moderate on the regular push up.

But the game changer is the things we call push up handles. Push up handles are used by a lot of bodybuilder to perform push ups with less pain or free from pain. By using these handles, it is with higher guarantee that you can perform the exercise with lesser risk and with more stretch, and wider range of motion.

Push up handles come in different forms, angles and sizes. We have the bars, the ball bearings or the twists, but we are going to find out more about that in the next part of this article.

5 best push up handles

As many as the fishes in the sea, there is also a lot of push up handles styles from different brands in the market. And most people get too excited to buy and try any of them but they never got to have the chance to know what’s the best kind or the best brand to choose. It is also painfully confusing to watch a wide variety of push up handles. In stores, you can see steel bars, plastics, rubbers, etc. So, we are saving you the time and frustration (and practically the money) that you might spend when you buy the wrong equipment for your push ups routine.

Here’s a list of five of the most comfortable and helpful push up handles over the years.

Gorilla Fitness Push Up Bars

These push up handles is one of the most recommended by bodybuilders. Among many other pros about this set, is that these are all steel, so they can really hold the person into a lot safer level, no matter how heavy the person is and how many reps he does.

The legs of the Gorilla Fitness Push up bars are also packed with rubber so you will find that they don’t slide on the floor, they really grip on the floor firmly. Whether you are on a hardwood tile, cemented flooring, you can comfortably do a wide grip push up stance with this one.

Another advantage of this set is also the fact that the handles don’t bite on your palms like most push up handles tend to do, as your push ups go longer.

Garren Fitness Maximiza Push Up Bars

Our next pick is also a well-known push up handles which is the GF Maximiza Push Up Bars. These guys are really strong, chrome-wheeled push up bars. They have foam grips on them, so they won’t slide on you. And another bonus thing about this set is that they don’t flex like most common plastic push up bar handles do.

Perfect Push Up Elite

Definitely third on our list is the Perfect Push Up Elite. This set is actually rotating push up handles so it turns in and out as you go up and down to allow natural movement. A lot of bodybuilders guarantee this one as the safest and most comfortable among all rotating push up handles.

Perfect Fitness Push Up Stands

Number four on our list is the Perfect Fitness Push up stands. Although they are made of plastic, they don’t slide on the floor because of its semi-triangle or rectangle shape. They are very lightweight because they are plastics but they can firmly hold your body weight. However, some users find it as a downside that it is in a rectangle shape, because it gets uncomfortable after a lot of reps plus it is a little bit pricey than other plastic-made push up handles.

Kegto Push Up Bars

And the last pick is the Kegto Push Up Bars. This set is quite unique because it is fold-able, so it is also more portable. It is good when you are traveling. You can bring them along with you anywhere, so you will never have to break your workout routine even when you’re away.

The legs of this set is also designed perfectly in a triangle shape so less risk of sliding on the floor and break on the handles. They also have padded handles that won’t slide on you as well. The only downside of this material is that they are made of plastics, so typically they are not as tough as the steel ones.

Rotating Push up handles – Pros and Cons

Now, you may have wondered why most of our choices are not rotating push up handles. We are going to lay down why.

Rotating Push up handles are great in the sense that they have rotational movements so they are perfect for you chests. But they kind of miss out the biceps and triceps on your workout which is the primary essence of push ups, as it gives more attention to your upper chest. Plus, most of the rotating push up handles or twisted push up handles, as others would call them, are more expensive than the regular bars.

Another “pros” for the Rotating Push Up Handles is that they are safer than other push up handles, rotating evenly as they have less risk to slide on the floor. Especially, if you do a wide grip push up stance.

5 Best Chest workouts with Push up handles

Like I said, push ups are great chest workout. Athletes and bodybuilders have treated push ups as a benchmark in the world of fitness. But over the years, different techniques and workout styles have developed, targeting different muscle works and strength development. And so, our job is to not fail you by picking out 5 of the best chest workouts using push up handles and of course, a little guide on how to execute them properly.

Wide Stance Push Ups

The term “stance” actually refers on your feet and shoulders placement. In this push up workout, you simply do the regular push ups with you feet spread a little wider than usual. So gripping onto the push up handles, arms are out to the sides, a little wider than your shoulders. Then you go up and down, 10 to 20 reps.

With your feet distanced with each other, you can easily distribute your body weight evenly and your arms are further from each other as well, so the work is much focused to the chest muscles.

This is also a great exercise for new bodybuilders or athletes, not necessarily beginners, as it is less complicated and achievable.

Diamond Stance push ups

We need to do this exercise with the push up handles formed on diamond or triangle shape (depending on which push up handles you are using). This exercise emphasizes your upper chest as well. So you do the usual push ups workout with your shoulders and arms a little further from your body as your hand position or the handles forms a triangle shape.

Side to side push ups / side by side push ups

Basically, this is just a routine of the standard push ups steps but you kind of hold onto each sides.

So first, you plank yourself out, and once you go down, you go on the middle up, and then you come to one side first and the other side next. You want to do them simultaneously. One technique with this exercise is that you face your handles out instead of facing them in parallel or in to a triangle shape. That way, it would accentuate the V- angle of your front region.

Left or Right leg stance push up

You can do this simultaneously. So you either raise the left leg and foot, first and do the push ups. Then, reversely, you drop the left on the floor and raise the other leg and foot or the right side and do another set of reps. It is simple, but a little bit hard. This exercise is focusing your upper chest, and develops an incredible amount of strength.

Reverse Grip Push up

This will emphasize the side regions of your chest. So, instead of holding the handles on a standard forward position, you hold it reversely. This step would not be necessarily taken anymore if you are using the rotating or twisting push up handles. They are already designed to be twisted.

So, what should be the proper push up handles workout technique?

The answer is, it depends on what you want to target; is it your chests muscles , is it the arms or both. You can try different variations with this exercise. But it depends on your goal and what your strength, endurance and agility can survive.

One error that most people make is that, while doing push up they tend to bring the elbows out. Remember, that you are supposed to bring them in.

Few Tips You Need To Know

• Push up handles workout is not an easy workout routine to maintain. We suggest that you really get a trainer or a coach if you do the push up handles workout. This way, you would free yourself from harm and discomfort caused by erroneous performance. And another thing, coaches or trainers are there to motivate you. They push you through your limits, so you won’t have to listen to the inertia of your body.
• Don’t push yourself too hard. Muscle workout is not a competition, unless you are a competing bodybuilder. 10 to 20 reps are enough to each workout. It is not safe to keep on repeating the steps. Notice when your chest had become so sore already while you do push ups. That’s your body’s cue to stop the motion already.
• Be mindful of your push up handles set. If you notice a crack, then we seriously advice you to stop using them already. It only means, it’s time to buy a new one. Keep in mind that your safety is the utmost priority.

So, these are the things that you need to know about push up handles workout. It is really helpful if you incorporate other push up techniques and style along with your usual workout. It allows your body to experience variations.

Hopefully, this article is somehow helpful to you. And may the best muscles win!