Full Body Barre Workout: How To Use Parallettes

Parallettes, small parallel bars commonly used in gymnastics and bodyweight training, have become an essential tool in the world of fitness—especially in barre workouts. Their compact size and versatile design allow for a wide variety of exercises, targeting multiple muscle groups at once. In a barre class, parallettes can be a game-changer, offering a fun and challenging way to engage the entire body. Whether you’re looking to build strength, improve stability, or take your flexibility to the next level, parallettes can complement your barre routine beautifully.

In this blog post, we will guide you through how to use parallettes in a full-body barre workout. We’ll cover the benefits, proper technique, and a series of exercises that engage different muscle groups from head to toe. Click here to view Vita Barres parallettes.

What Are Parallettes and Why Use Them?

Parallettes are small, elevated bars that allow you to perform bodyweight exercises in a more dynamic way than traditional floor work. The bars lift your body off the ground, providing the ability to engage different muscle groups with greater control and challenge. While they may resemble a pair of small gymnastics bars, parallettes are designed specifically for bodyweight exercises such as push-ups, dips, and holds.

In the context of a barre workout, parallettes offer several advantages:

• Increased Range of Motion: Parallettes allow you to perform movements with a greater range of motion, especially for exercises like push-ups or planks. This enables you to work muscles more deeply, enhancing muscle activation and engagement.

• Greater Stability and Control: Elevating your hands or feet off the floor can challenge your balance and require more core engagement. This helps to improve stability, a key aspect of barre training.

• Versatility: Parallettes can be used in a variety of ways. They can be incorporated into strength-building exercises, stretches, and stability drills, targeting everything from your arms and chest to your core, legs, and glutes.

• Support for Joint Health: For exercises like push-ups or planks, parallettes reduce the strain on your wrists and elbows. This makes them ideal for people who may experience joint discomfort during floor-based exercises.

Now that we’ve covered what parallettes are and why they’re beneficial, let’s dive into a full-body barre workout using this versatile tool.

Full Body Barre Workout Using Parallettes

1. Parallette Push-ups (Chest and Arms)

One of the most effective ways to engage the upper body is with parallette push-ups. This variation elevates your hands and allows for a deeper push-up, which targets the chest, triceps, and shoulders more effectively.

How to Perform:

• Place your parallettes about shoulder-width apart on the floor.
• Get into a push-up position, placing your hands on the parallettes with your arms fully extended.
• Lower your chest toward the ground, maintaining a straight line from your head to your heels.
• Push back up to the starting position, fully extending your arms at the top.

Benefits:

• Builds upper body strength, particularly in the chest and triceps.
• Improves shoulder mobility and stability.
• Elevating the hands helps to reduce wrist strain, making it easier on the joints.

2. Parallette Dips (Triceps and Shoulders)

Parallette dips are an excellent way to target the triceps and shoulders, two muscle groups that are often used in barre exercises. The elevated position adds a greater range of motion, leading to a more challenging workout.

How to Perform:

• Sit on the floor with your legs extended straight in front of you.
• Place your hands on the parallettes behind you, keeping your fingers pointing forward.
• Slowly lower your body by bending your elbows to a 90-degree angle, ensuring your shoulders are down and away from your ears.
• Press through your palms to lift your body back up to the starting position.

Benefits:

• Focuses on triceps strength and shoulder stability.
• Strengthens the arms, which are essential for supporting your body in various barre positions.
• Improves posture by engaging the shoulders and upper back.

3. Parallette Plank (Core and Stability)

A parallette plank offers an excellent way to target your core muscles while also challenging your stability and balance. By holding the position on the parallettes, you’ll activate your abs, obliques, and lower back muscles more effectively.

How to Perform:

• Start in a push-up position with your hands resting on the parallettes, directly under your shoulders.
• Keep your body in a straight line from your head to your heels.
• Engage your core, ensuring your hips don’t sag or rise. Hold for 30-60 seconds, focusing on your breath and maintaining stability.

Benefits:

• Engages the entire core, including the abdominals, obliques, and lower back.
• Improves posture and stability for other barre movements.
• Builds endurance and strength in the core, which is essential for balance and control in dance.

4. Parallette Leg Lifts (Core and Hip Flexors)

Incorporating leg lifts into your barre workout using the parallettes is a great way to challenge your core and hip flexors. This move also helps to enhance your lower abdominal strength, which is crucial for many barre positions and dance moves.

How to Perform:

• Start by sitting on the floor with your hands gripping the parallettes behind you.
• Lift your legs straight in front of you, keeping them together.
• Engage your core and lift your legs as high as possible while keeping your arms firm on the parallettes for support.
• Lower your legs back down with control.

Benefits:

• Targets the lower abdominal muscles and hip flexors.
• Improves flexibility and control in the legs.
• Helps develop the strength required for movements like leg extensions or kicks in barre and dance.

5. Parallette Bridge (Glutes, Hamstrings, and Core)

The parallette bridge is an excellent exercise for strengthening the glutes, hamstrings, and core. It’s similar to a traditional glute bridge but adds a challenge by using the parallettes for support.

How to Perform:

• Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor.
• Place your hands on the parallettes behind you, ensuring your fingers point forward.
• Press through your feet to lift your hips into a bridge position, squeezing your glutes at the top.
• Lower your hips back down with control.

Benefits:

• Strengthens the glutes, hamstrings, and lower back.
• Improves core stability, which is crucial for maintaining proper alignment in barre movements.
• Adds variety to your lower-body workout routine, providing a more dynamic challenge.

6. Parallette Leg Extensions (Leg and Core Strength)

Leg extensions performed on the parallettes can engage your core, glutes, and hip flexors while improving your balance and coordination.

How to Perform:

• Start seated with your hands on the parallettes for balance.
• Lift one leg up in front of you, keeping it straight and engaging your core to stabilize.
• Hold for a few seconds, then lower the leg back down.
• Repeat with the other leg.

Benefits:

• Strengthens the hip flexors, quads, and core.
• Improves balance and coordination.
• Great for targeting the muscles involved in barre positions like passé and arabesque.

Creating Your Parallette Barre Workout

To create a balanced full-body barre workout using parallettes, you can combine the exercises above into a circuit-style routine. Here’s an example of how to structure your workout:

• Warm-up (5-10 minutes): Light cardio such as jogging in place or dancing to get the body warmed up.
• Parallette Push-ups (10-12 reps): Targeting chest, shoulders, and arms.
• Parallette Dips (10-12 reps): Engaging the triceps and shoulders.
• Parallette Plank (30-60 seconds): Focusing on core stability.
• Parallette Leg Lifts (10-12 reps): Targeting the lower core and hip flexors.
• Parallette Bridge (12-15 reps): Working the glutes and hamstrings.
• Parallette Leg Extensions (10 reps per leg): Engaging the core and hip flexors.

Repeat the circuit 2-3 times for a challenging, full-body workout.

Conclusion

Parallettes are an incredibly versatile tool that can be used to enhance any barre workout. By incorporating parallette exercises, you can engage multiple muscle groups simultaneously, improve stability and flexibility, and add an exciting challenge to your fitness routine. Whether you are looking to build strength in your arms, core, or legs, or simply add variety to your workout, parallettes offer a unique and effective way to target your body from head to toe.

Try incorporating the parallette exercises listed above into your next barre workout and experience the benefits of increased strength, flexibility, and control! Click here to browse other equipment from Vita Barre!