Do Push Up Boards Work? (Or Is Waste of Money?)
Last Updated June 28, 2023
There are some tools that are really helpful and even necessary when it comes to bodyweight training, while others are a complete waste of money.
😊 Talking about the waste of money, let us introduce to you the push-up board and today we’re discussing “do push up boards work?”
➡ This tool promises many benefits over regular push-ups but actually delivers nearly none of them.
What Does Push Up Board Claims?
9 in 1 Push Up Board in India
- Durability – 4.1
- Easy to use – 3.9
- Suction power – 3.6
- Comfort – 3.0
Let’s take a look at the advertisement and show you the so-called benefits.
➡️ According to this product, push-ups with bare hands can injure your wrists.
The actions are not standard (whatever this means) and you can’t target different muscles.
👉 When we take a look at those benefits we wonder why you actually need that push-up board when you can literally do the same with any normal parallettes or push-up handles.
🔥 Parallettes have the same benefit when it comes to the wrist position, they require less space and even better you can not only use the same positions as with the push-up board you can even adjust it way more freely and precisely.
The grip itself also doesn’t magically improve your form when it comes to the full range of motion, body tension and body alignment.
(❌ You can cheat on your push-ups, no matter if you use the board parallettes or just the ground.)
Does Push Up Board Help With Wrist Position?
Before we get to the main selling point of the board, let us share some final thoughts and suggestions when it comes to the wrist position.
✔️ Parallettes and push-up handles are great if you have wrist problems or previous or current injuries.
If you want to do exercises or combinations that require more space between your wrist and the ground or if you work with really hard exercises that put your wrist under immense pressure. 😊
👉 On the other hand, push-up handles don't allow your wrists to get stronger and stable in an extended position.
Doing push-ups on the ground with your bare hands is a task every healthy wrist should be able to do.
It allows you to build strong tendons and joints and prepares your wrists for upcoming tasks like handstands and other moves.
Of course, this doesn’t mean that you have to do it like that right from the beginning.☹️
You can use push-up handles while building up wrist flexibility and stability at the same time.
Also, Read our other blogs:
1. 9 Cheap Calisthenics Equipment For Home
2. Is calisthenics better than gym?
3. 7 Best Callisthenics Equipment in India
Do Push Up Boards Work?
➡️ Alright, let’s get to the main selling point and the biggest hoax of this tool targeted muscle training depending on the grip.
According to the ad you can target your triceps, your chest, your shoulders or your back with these different grips.
(Besides, the manual itself doesn’t give you any further guidance.)
✔️ For our test we use the grips that make the most sense even if some of them don’t make any sense at all. 🔥
TRICEPS TRAINING
Two of those 🟢 green-marked grips can actually emphasize the triceps more than other muscles.
The close neutral grip can work if you know that you have to push more from your elbow.
The overhand grip can also work if you know that you have to do a sphinx push-up-like motion.
But the manual doesn’t tell you so if you are not well informed you are not really able to train this muscle on purpose if you do it like this.
You won’t hit your triceps that effectively and you stress your wrists and shoulders a lot.❌
CHEST TRAINING
➡️ Alright let’s move on to the chest and of course, the board suggests to mostly use wide grips from all the suggested grips.
There is only one that makes some kind of sense in terms of chest training and joint alignment and even this can be questioned.
Studies show that narrow or normal grip push-ups have a higher pectoralis activity than the wide grip.😊 The other 🔵 blue-marked grips offer no real benefit for your chest and can even harm your shoulder in the short or long term.
Especially the wide overhand grip is pretty dangerous because it leads to an internally rotated shoulder without flared elbows to train safely.
➡️ We strongly suggest to avoid this position if you want to do push-ups with a wider hand placement.
SHOULDER TRAINING
The next muscle is the shoulder and none of the shown grips offers any additional benefit for these muscles. Targeting your shoulder has very little to do with the grip.
The only thing that would make a little difference is the shoulder rotation. 🔴
If you aim for an outward rotated shoulder you turn away a part of the middle delt and emphasize the front part a bit more.
But none of these grips shows that position.
Besides that there are only two ways to increase your shoulder activity when you do push-ups.
- Do an overhand push movement like a handstand or pike push-ups.
- Lean forward so that your shoulder travels in front of your wrists.
The more you shift your weight in front of your wrists the bigger the lever for your shoulder.
BACK TRAINING
✔️ Alright let’s move on to the last grip variation which should work your back similar to the shoulders. 🟡
None of the shown grips has any additional benefits for your back muscles when it comes to regular push-ups.
You can work your back only to a certain extent. Of course, you need your erector spinae as well as other back muscles to stabilize your body, but in the push-up, they work more as support muscles instead of primal movers.
So if you think you can target your back muscles like the lats by only changing the grip you will simply waste your time.
What’s The Conclusion?
✔️ The push-up board not only offers no benefits over normal push-ups or other tools it also spreads misinformation and suggests potentially harmful joint positions.
We suggest 🛒 buying parallettes, push-up handles or Gymnastic rings.
All of these tools can do the same and offer other additional benefits like individual grip variations without fixed positions.
Description | Parallettes are ideal for home and outdoor workout. They are lightweight and easy to carry when you travel or go. | This is an effective gym tool for exercise and provides safety to users while doing push-ups at home and gym. | Perfect your pull-ups, muscle-ups, dips, levers, iron cross and core exercises without a gym |
👉 If you are looking for the most comfortable shoulder position we suggest buying Gymnastic rings or push-up handles that allow you to rotate your arms freely.
🛒 Gymnastic Rings are really good because you can move them completely free in any direction. But of course, you need some basic strength and coordination to be able to do push-ups on them.
FAQs on Push-Up Boards!
Q1: Do push up boards work?
A: By using a push-up board, you can achieve better form, increase muscle engagement, and potentially improve your overall push-up performance.
Q2: What material is a push-up board?
A: Push-up boards are typically made from durable materials that can withstand the pressure and weight during workouts. The most common materials used for push-up boards include hard plastic, high-density foam, and sometimes wood.
Q3: What size is a push-up board?
A: Push-up boards come in various sizes, but the dimensions typically depend on the specific brand or model. While there is no standard size for push-up boards, they are generally designed to accommodate different hand positions and body sizes.
Also, Read Our Other Trending Blogs!
1. Are push up boards any good? (Harsh Reality!)
2. Does hangboarding increase grip strength? (Research-based)
3. How to Build a Home Gym in India
4. What Does A Massage Gun Do? (Science Explained!)
Hope you liked this blog – “Do Push Up Boards Work?”. 🔥
Thanks for reading.
