10 Weird Gym Tools, Explained

Photo by: CN Digital Studio

Parallete Bars

If you've seen these in your gym, first, kudos! You're in a true athlete training facility. Second, don't they look like the world's smallest parallel bars? That's part of their heritage (those beefy gymnasts who can work it on the 6-foot-tall real parallel bars had to start somewhere), but they're also clutch for athletes and regular fit folk to use for body-weight exercises.

Go-to move: See saw

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Photo by: CN Digital Studio

Parallete Bars

If you've seen these in your gym, first, kudos! You're in a true athlete training facility. Second, don't they look like the world's smallest parallel bars? That's part of their heritage (those beefy gymnasts who can work it on the 6-foot-tall real parallel bars had to start somewhere), but they're also clutch for athletes and regular fit folk to use for body-weight exercises.

Go-to move: See saw

This souped-up plank will challenge even the hardest of cores. Plus, you'll look hella cool doing it at the gym. 2016 Games, anyone?

Try it: Set the bars parallel and about two feet apart. Start in push-up position, hands gripping center of bars, body in line from shoulders to heels. Shift all your weight to your hands, and tuck your knees in, kicking your feet through the bars and planting your heels on the floor on the opposite side, hips up and legs straight, in a reverse plank. Reverse movement to return to start. Do 3 sets of 10 reps.

What it works: Shoulders, abs, lower back, hips, legs

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