The Best Push-Up Bars

Buying Guide

The pandemic shifted workout routines across the country, with more people than ever working out at home. But fitness equipment is not only expensive, it also takes up valuable space in your home.

Fortunately, there are exercises you can do anywhere without a single barbell or resistance machine. You may have even learned these basics in gym class when you were younger. Exercises like push-ups, sit-ups, leg lifts and lunges can help get your body in shape. Whether you choose to do these exercises alone or in addition to equipment-based exercises, there are definite benefits.

If you’re trying to build upper-body strength, push-ups can be just the exercise you need. In fact, performing push-ups can create greater muscle activation than bench presses, possibly because the exercise seems to lend itself to more repetitions than bench presses. With push-ups, your body provides the resistance, helping strengthen your arms and shoulders as you use them to hoist your full weight upward.

But there are tools you can buy to make push-ups more effective. Both affordable and compact in size, push-up bars let you comfortably grip a pair of handles rather than flattening your palms on the floor’s surface. These tools can help protect your wrists since your arms aren’t bent back quite as far as they are if you’re pressing them directly to the floor.

Push-up bars can also lead to a more effective workout, giving you a broader range of motion than you’d get without them. You can lower your upper body farther with push-up bars, which force you to hoist your weight an even greater distance. This strains the arm and shoulder muscles, though, so you may want to start out slowly.

In fact, any push-up exercise can be eased into gradually. Some find that doing pushups with their knees against the floor is a great start. This gives you more leverage and reduces the weight you’re lifting. You can eventually move to full push-ups, doing partial movements and gradually extending your range of motion.

• Push-up bars are made using a variety of materials. The key is to find one that’s lightweight while also being sturdy enough to support you. Polypropylene is lightweight and durable, but industrial-grade steel might be even more resilient. But the quality of materials also comes into play.
• Weight support isn’t the only concern with the material you choose in a push-up bar. If your workout equipment is regularly subjected to moisture or humidity, you’ll need bars that can withstand those rigors without corroding.
• Ergonomics is an important consideration in any equipment you choose for a workout. Look at the design of your push-up bars and consider whether your wrist and hands will be at the right angle to keep you comfortable. You’ll be more resilient if your hands are properly supported during your workout.
• Having push-up bars that slide around during your workout can not only be inconvenient and uncomfortable but also dangerous. You could injure yourself if your push-up bar slides out from under you. Look for one with rubber feet that grip the floor beneath you while you’re working out.
• Your push-up bars likely won’t ship preassembled. This is both to make them more compact and prevent shifting during shipment. Whether you buy them in the store or online, they’ll go through this process of moving from one place to another. Look at how easy your push-up bars will be to assemble once they arrive.
• If you plan to transport your push-up bars to the gym or another location regularly, portability will be a factor. Pay close attention to the weight of any push-up bar set you buy to ensure you can easily tuck them into a bag and take them with you.
• Weight capacity is important. Some lightweight bars might have a limited weight capacity. Look at how much weight your push-up bars can support before you buy.