Push-up bars: basic and beyond
Back straight, head up, hands shoulder-width apart, toes taut, chin to floor -- then push up. You don’t have to do a world record 1,033 push-ups in 23 minutes, as Jack LaLanne did in 1956 -- or 10,507 in a row, the current record set in 1980 by Japan’s Minoru Yoshida -- to know that push-ups are among the most basic, powerful and practical strength exercises. They work the core as they blast chest, shoulder and arm muscles. Although simple push-up bars that raise your hands several inches off the ground have been around for years, preventing wrist hyperextension and allowing deeper dips, a new generation of more sophisticated devices have arrived, claiming to ramp up the safety and challenge of this venerable, formerly body-only exercise.
Roy M. Wallack
Push-up with a twist
BodyRev Perfect Pushup: A handle on a freely rotating platform allows hands to turn through the push-up movement.
Likes: Very comfortable. The rotation feels natural and may be safer for wrist, shoulder and elbow, encouraging more reps. You also can use it without turning the handles. Includes chart of basic exercises.
Dislikes: None.
Price: $39.95. (800) 738-4543; www.perfectpushup.com.
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Push-up on a roll
Akrowheels: Unstable push-up handles that resemble dumbbells and have oversized Rollerblade-like urethane wheels instead of metal plates.
Likes: Very challenging workout. The inherent dynamic movement of a “rolling” push-up requires a forced stabilization that works the core and engages more muscles at different angles than the other devices. Allows a lot of creativity; you can try to keep your hands still through the push-up, twist them, deliberately roll out, and do abdominal-specific “rollout” exercises. DVD included.
Dislikes: Seems a bit dangerous for the first few seconds. May be too strenuous for weak people or exercise beginners.
Price: $49.95. (800) 925-1943; www.akrowheels.com.
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The 10-minute workout
The Strength Builder Ultimate Press-Up Workout System: Eight-position push-up workout regimen that includes a plastic peg board with eight numbered holes and two movable metal handles.
Likes: Turns push-ups from a mere one-minute exercise into a challenging, full-bore 10-minute, three-set workout that leaves you blasted. Placing the handles in the various numbered positions on the board targets different combinations of muscles -- triceps, anterior/posterior deltoids, inner and outer pectorals, as well as forearms and abs. These variations yield balanced muscle development. Includes a wall chart with an easy-to-follow, illustrated workout plan.
Dislikes: You can easily misplace the metal handles if you take them off the board when you store it.
Price: $69.95. (866) 628-9732; www.thestrengthbuilder.com.
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The old standby
Harbinger Padded Handle Push Up Bars: Conventional push-up bars made of neoprene-coated plastic handles with a stable, triangular-shaped base.
Likes: Very comfortable, stable and light (9 ounces each). Good basic wrist-hyperextension protection.
Dislikes: No video or chart to show push-up variations.
Price: $16.99. (800) 729-5954; www.harbingerfitness.com.
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Irvine-based Roy M. Wallack is the author of “Bike for Life: How to Ride to 100.” He has competed in some of the world’s toughest athletic challenges, including the Eco-Challenge, the 750-mile Paris-Brest-Paris ride, and the Badwater Ultramarathon. He can be reached at roywallack@aol.com.