9 Key Exercises with Wooden Parallettes - for Beginners, Intermediates and Pros

Welcome to your ultimate guide to mastering calisthenics exercises using the GORNATION Wooden Parallettes. These versatile tools can elevate your workouts and open a new realm of possibilities. This article will guide you through 9 key exercises, categorized by difficulty level, to help you utilize our Wooden Parallettes to their full potential. We'll also discuss how other essential tools like Wrist Wraps, Chalk, and Resistance Bands can enhance your training experience.

Elevate Your Calisthenics Training with GORNATION Wooden Parallettes

The Wooden Parallettes are your gateway to developing your body weight strength, and progressing through to advanced calisthenics exercises. Their sturdy construction, perfect grip, and ideal height offer the stability and support you need for advanced moves. The major benefit of these, compared to the Parallettes MAX or Parallettes PRO, is that they are much lighter and compact, enabling you to take them on the go much more easily.

Additionally, their ergonomic design ensures a comfortable and firm grip, reducing hand fatigue during intense workouts. The anti-slip bottom provides maximum stability, allowing you to perform a wide variety of exercises confidently and safely. The Wooden Parallettes can be your trusted training partner, that you’ll be able to take with you and train anywhere with.

You can check out our detailed Parallettes Guide to learn more about other Parallettes models, and who they are suited for.

Beginner Exercises

1. Push-ups

Performing push-ups on Wooden Parallettes allows for a deeper range of motion, intensifying the exercise. You can also use Wrist Wraps to provide additional support and comfort during this exercise. Push-ups are a staple exercise for any calisthenics routine, and are a good starting point for building your pushing strength.

2. Frog Stand

The frog stand is as a fundamental platform for various advanced movements, including the tucked planche and handstand. It's a great exercise for enhancing body tension and gaining an understanding of complex skills. To perform the frog stand, secure your grip on the push-up bars and position your knees onto your elbows. The exercise may feel a bit strange initially, due to the balance required.

Pro-tip: Gradually, aim to fully straighten your arms. Lessen the reliance on your elbows for knee support until you're able to execute the pose without needing to rest your knees on them.

3. Planche Lean

The planche lean is the first exercise that you may want to work with, when starting to build up your straight arm strength, to then later move on to more challenging skills. With your arms completely locked out, lean forward to a point that is both challenging, and manageable to hold for at least 10 seconds. You can then repeat this for sets, and progressively overload over time.

Intermediate Exercises

4. L-Sit

The L-sit is a fundamental exercise in calisthenics and serves as a stepping stone for more complex movements. It is a core exercise that helps improve balance and core stability. Performing this exercise on Parallettes can be much more manageable than on the floor, due to both the height off the ground, and the reduced wrist stress.

5. Tuck Planche

With the tuck planche you’re starting to get into the realm of more advanced calisthenics exercises. It is great for developing the straight arm pushing strength that is needed in other skills.

While it looks a bit like the frog stand, it is different in the absence of knee support on the elbows, intensifying the exercise's difficulty and placing additional demand on the wrists.

Performing any planche related exercises on the Parallettes can be more comfortable than on the floor, as it takes a lot of strain on the wrists.

Pro-tip: Protract your shoulders to create a mild arch - this encourages optimal form. Remember to keep your arms completely straight throughout.

6. Handstand

One of the most popular and aesthetic skills in body weight training, the handstand is great to perform on Wooden Parallettes. Once again, you ease off the stress on the wrists, as well as have a solid and ergonomic grip to base your handstand on.

Advanced Exercises

7. V-Sit

Like a more advanced version of the L-Sit, the V-Sit is a very demanding and also aesthetic calisthenics skill. It requires a significant amount of core strength, and flexibility. Training it on Parallettes will make it more manageable and give you some clearance from the ground.

8. Straddle/Full Planche

The planche is an extremely advanced calisthenics skill that requires a tremendous amount of overall strength. Most advanced athletes will prefer to train their planche on Parallettes, so they can reduce unnecessary stress on the wrists and hands, and focus more on the exercise itself.

9. Handstand Push-ups

Handstand push-ups on parallettes can significantly enhance your upper body strength. You may want to try this exercise against a wall for support. And many more! Dive into the world of calisthenics, and discover how the GORNATION Wooden Parallettes can transform your fitness journey. Remember, combining these exercises with other equipment like our Elbow Sleeves and Weight Vest can help you achieve even greater results. Feel free to check out our other equipment for all the tools you need to level up your workouts.

Safety First

While mastering these exercises, always prioritize safety. Sleeves can provide your elbows with much-needed support and protection, reducing the risk of breaks in your training. For exercises that require a firm grip, Chalk and Wrist Wraps can offer extra stability and prevent slips.

Conclusion

Embracing Calisthenics with GORNATION Wooden Parallettes can seriously level up your training, helping you build up your super human strength. Remember, progress takes time. Start with the beginner exercises, gradually move to intermediate, and eventually, you'll master the advanced moves. It's not about being the best; it's about being better than you were yesterday.