Push ups have long been touted as one of best compound exercises of all time. It develops the core muscles of the back, abdomen and pelvis while also strengthening the muscles of the arms and chest. It is a regular component of bodyweight exercise programs done in the home or in the fitness bootcamps all over the country. And lest we forget, it was your high school PE teacher's favorite form of educational torture in school. Fortunately, the benefits offered by a regular push up regimen far outweigh any of the minor inconveniences it poses in the doing.

While pushups may be done the traditional way, that is, without the use of any exercise equipment, portable equipment known as push-up stands are now becoming increasingly popular. Standard push up stands are made of lightweight durable metals featuring circular, non-slip bases.

What are the benefits of using a push up stand compared to doing traditional push ups? There are actually many and they're outlined below.

1. Push up stands elevate the hands, thus giving you a better workout for your chest than a traditional push up. Because these stands position your body even beyond the level of your hands, you are targeting your chest muscles more completely. Aside from giving your chest a full body workout, push up stands also stretch your arm muscles every time you go further down.

2. The circular bases lie flat on the floor and allows for better weight distribution and balance all throughout the exercise. This makes your push up more fluid and more efficient. These circular bases also make the stand more stable, hence injuries related to the stand cracking is completely eliminated.

3. Standard push up stands are built such that they are slightly angled to reduce wrist strains. When you do push ups, most of your body weight is directed towards your wrist, even if ideally, you need to distribute it equally between your hands and the tips of your toes. The slight angle in the construction allows you to do more push ups since it minimizes the strain on your wrists. It allows you to make your workouts more intense.

4. The foam-covered grips of push up stands go a long way in preventing hand strains and blisters, a common side effect of push ups. These foam grips eliminate the constant strain that is put on your hands, allowing you to perform longer, more intense push ups. For the ladies out there, push up stands provide the answer to rough hands callused by a push up routine.

5. Push up stands are very portable pieces of exercise equipment. They are lightweight and do not hold up much space in your traveling bag. Thus, you can bring them with you while you're on the road so you can do your push up routines without fail even if you're miles away from your home or gym. What's more, they're highly affordable too. For about $25, you can enjoy the benefits offered by push up stands in your workout routines.