Push-ups with our without bars?

[Spartacus Maximus]

The push-up is classic body weight exercise used in every type of physical fitness activity or training. It has a wide range of variations, but mostly all of them involve no equipment.

Some use bars placed on the ground for that purpose. Is there any difference or advantage in using push-up bars versus the usual no-equipment variations?

[JR 137]

You can go lower, therefore there's a wider range of motion. I used them in the rehab setting for "scapula push-ups" which are done with the elbows locked, and a push-up being done at the shoulder blades; hard to explain yet easy to demonstrate. The bar/handles made it feel far better to do.

With the bar, people tend to do push-ups with their palms facing their torso rather than palms facing their feet. Think vertical punch rather than traditional.

Then there's the "Perfect push-up" thingy. It spins, allowing the corkscrew motion while pushing up, kind of like punching.

At the end of the day, some people love them, some hate them, just like every other piece of equipment out there. It's all about how it feels to you.

[Nidan Melbourne]

Using equipment vs. no equipment for push ups can vary how you perform them. The push up handles i've seen can make them harder and allow for a greater ROM throughout the whole movement.

Also it can sometimes boil down to a persons health requirements, especially if you have to have your hands/wrists, elbows and shoulders in a particular position.