What are parallettes? Parallettes are essentially a pair of bars used to simulate the muck larger parallel bars used in gymnastics. Parallettes are also a great piece of equipment that can be made easily and very inexpensively. Parallettes can be used for a variety of bodyweight exercises that are perfect for strengthening the upper body and core and will help develop better balance. They are similar to pushup bars but generally a little bit longer.
You can, of course, purchase parallettes, but they can easily be made with some PVC pipe and a tiny bit of time.
To start, you will need the following items from the local hardware store (I purchased mine at Home Depot).
- About 6 feet of PVC pipe about 1 to 1 1/2 inches in diameter. I used 1 1/2 for mine and the size is perfect for my grip.
- 4 x PVC T joints
- 4 x PVC pipe caps
- 4 x PVC 90 degree joints
- PVC glue (please use in a well ventilated area as this stuff is really smelly)
Instructions for one parallette:
- Cut a section of PVC about 14 to 16 inches
- Glue a 90 degree joint to each end of the section
- Cut two sections of PVC about 4 to 6 inches
- Glue one small section to each of the 90 degree joints
- Glue a T joint onto each of the ends
- Cut 4 4 inch sections of PVC
- Glue one 4 inch section to both sides of each T joint
- Glue on caps at each end of the 4 inch section
That’s it! Here’s a diagram of the sections of the parallette
Parallettes build diagram
And here is one of my parallettes:
One Comment, Comment or Ping
Nice post! I made a similar pair of parallettes myself. So much better and cheaper than buying them.
January 30th, 2010
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