Pull-up is an intense upper body workout. It helps to strengthen your shoulder, arms and back muscles. But, it’s not as easy as the name sounds! In fact, it’s extremely tough and takes weeks to master. If you are hitting the gym on a regular basis, you can certainly manage to do some pull-ups and strengthen your core. But, a home pull-up bar is a perfect fit for those fitness enthusiasts who can’t find time to make it to the gym. A pull-up bar is like a complete package-you don’t have to invest too much of your money and neither you need enough space, yet you get the best results. It’s versatile and the design is simple, even the installing process is pretty easy too!
Here, in this overview, we’ll be discussing everything you need to know about pull-up bars and give a short review of top 10 products.
Construction
Galvanized steel is the main construction material for pull-up/chin-up bars and the grips are made out of foam or rubber. In general, they come with the option of being secured to a ceiling, doorframe or wall. Even you can install some of the products without picking up a drill. Depending on the designs, the pull-up bars are of different kinds. Some are extremely portable while some can easily handle larger body weights.
Factors to Consider
You must consider a few factors when buying the best pull up bar for home. These are-
- Make sure it will be able to hold your weight
- It must fit wherever you want to install it-like doorframe or wall
- It is better to choose a pull-up bar with a variety of grips
- Height adjustment facility should be a must-have requirement
Best Pull Up Bar Categories
Now, let’s talk about a few of the pull up bar categories available in the market-
Doorway Pull-Up Bars
This is the most common and the cheapest category. It’s simple in design, portable, suits almost every door frame and easy to install. Just attach them in between your door frame and remove to shift whenever necessary.These door exercise bars will force you to do controlled pull-ups with precaution. Even smaller persons can take benefit from it and it can be installed in your home gym too. The type is also known as the ‘over the door pull-up bar’.
Wall Mounted Pull-Up Bars
These hanging pull-up bars are great performers. Other than stability and safety, it provides you with a full range of motion. People often think that it’s not possible to move their legs freely on wall mounted pull-up bars. But, with the back facing against the wall setup, you can do an L-position and move your legs freely. A wall mounted pull-up bar can endure a lot of force and gives you the flexibility to try out different moves. It’s heavy, easy to setup and provides more strength with slated grips. Manually choice of height makes it easier for people of different heights to use it comfortably.
Portable Pull-Up Bars
Portable pull-up bars are foldable and travel-friendly. They are extendable and you need to press them against the doorframe while working out. It’s cheap, pretty simple and doesn’t come with any slated grips. The only negative side is that it has limited capacity, so it has to be installed on a sturdy door frame.
Free Standing Pull-Up Bars
This is a perfect option for the beginners. If you are looking for a cheaper category without the hassle of installation, then this would be an ideal choice for you. It allows you to practice a variety of moves and you can swing more freely. For those who are eying a long-term benefit, should definitely buy a freestanding bar. You will have your bodyweight exercises within the fullest capacity. Even you’ll get the facility to perform exercises like dips or sit-ups too!
Our Top 10 Picks
We have enlisted some of the very best pull up bars for home. Have a look down below-
1. Garren Fitness Maximiza Pull Up Bar
If you are opting for a fantastic body with great upper body strength and toned muscles, then The Maximiza pull-up will be a suitable option for you. Chin-ups, kipping pull-ups, tarzan pull-ups, dips, sit-ups- you can try everything with this versatile pull up bar for home. The most interesting fact about this exercise equipment is that you won’t need too much space in your house to perform highly effective bodyweight exercises. The chrome steel construction gave it a rigid structure and made it much more stable. You don’t have to worry about the safety issues too, multiple screws in the door mounting made it much safer for usage. You can also adjust the height of the mountings according to the variety of your exercise, it is always recommended to use heavy duty mountings before performing pull-ups or chin-ups.
Pros
Cons
- It’s a heavy-duty steel made doorway pull-up bar
- Perfectly strengthens your upper body, especially the back, arms, abs and shoulder muscles.
- The grips are extra-long, extra comfortable and non-slippery. It minimizes fatigue or any pain in your hand
- Adjustable to standard doorways between 26-39 inches
- Provides great support and safety
- Multiple functional pull-up bar. Can be used in different locations
- Available with 1 set of medium-duty and 2 sets of heavy-duty door mounts
- The maximum weight carrying capacity is up to 300 pounds
- Can’t work without alternative bracket sets and screws
2. Ultimate Body Press XL Doorway Pull Up Bar with Elevated Bar & Adjustable Width
Now, this ultimate doorway pull up has almost all important features, you name it- wide diameter, exceptional hardware, foam padding, abs bar couplers and what not! It offers extraordinary ways of stable workouts with a lot of variety. Here you’ll get three adjustable grip positions to suit your metabolic home workout needs. Also, the device is available with an elevated bar, especially for the tall users. Optional accessories like ab straps and suspension trainers also come with the package. It uses the thickest steel and the best of the hardware to support your strenuous exercises.
Pros
Cons
- A great option for expanded exercises
- Bring effective body results with pull ups, chin-ups, dips and sit-ups
- The maximum weight range is up to 300 pounds
- A universal fit for residential doorways 24-36” in width with the molding up to 3.5” wide
- High-density grips
- Provides an incredible range of motion
- Fast assembling process
- Quality construction support
- Crossbars are locked 90 degree to the upright
- Options to quickly switch between doorway and floor exercises
- Finest shipping services
- Amazon service backs the customer purchase
- 100% satisfaction guaranteed
- Covers USA customer service
- Not a perfect fit for shorter people
3. Stud Bar: Ceiling Mountable Pull Up Bar, Small
The stud Bar is a simple and sturdy ceiling/wall mounted pull-up bar. It is made of triangular gussets and welded gauge steel to provide extra strength. The pull-up bar comes with 48-inch length and a 1 ¼ inch diameter for a wider grip. It has 600 pound weight carrying capacity. The installation process is pretty easy and it shouldn’t take more than 30 minutes. For those who want to practice kipping pull-ups or butterfly pull-ups, the stud bar would be an ideal option for them. It is even suitable for heavy people or those who want to do weighted pull-ups.
Pros
Cons
- Grade 8 mounting hardware is installed
- The hammer-tone powder coated finish made the surface perfect for a good grip. There will be fewer chances of any slippage while doing high-rep pull-up workouts
- The size of the diameter of the bar is accurate
- You can try almost every type of pull up with this stud bar
- Available in three sizes to accommodate different ceiling categories
- There is an option for installing assistant lifts such as assistant bands or ab straps
- Comes with a lifetime warranty
- You will need additional tools to install
- The total package may come in different boxes at different times
4. Ultimate Body Press Ceiling Mount Pull Up Bar for 8' Ceilings
The Ultimate Body Press Pull Up bar is designated for 8’ ceilings with space for 14 inch square tube risers. The product comes with a full range of universally fitted overhead mountings. It is a contrasting black bar with a hammer-tone and white power coated finish. This straight bar is 1.25 inches in diameter and fairly comfortable to use. Undoubtedly, the ultimate body press is one of the best pull up bar for home that is ready to deliver instant results. Along with all the features, you’ll be provided with the USA tech support and your satisfaction will be guaranteed.
Pros
Cons
- It’s a high performance mounted bar that effectively builds back, arm & chest muscles
- Has a sleek look and a stable design
- Stylish and ultra-strong
- The maximum weight carrying capacity is up to 300 pounds
- Fits to almost every ceiling and doorways
- Comes with a robust frame and foamed grips
- Available with anchors for other accessories like gymnastic rings, pull-up bands and ab straps
- Options to switch between doorway and floor exercises
- Covers USA customer service
- Assembling and hardware instructions are included
- Mounting is a bit difficult
- Requires extra tools for installation
5. Ikonfitness Pull Up Bar - USA Original Patent, USA Designed, USA Shipped, USA Warranty
Product Description
Ikonfitness pull-up bar is one of the easiest ways of transforming your entire body without even subscribing to any gym. This is one of the best pull up bars for home available in the market right now. An all-in-one home exercise equipment that’ll target every muscle fiber in your body and make the core look very strong. The well-made structure is rigid enough to carry a decent amount of weights. Why not give it a try. we assure, you won’t be disappointed.
Pros
Cons
- It’s a readymade pull up bar. No need screws and no need to assemble. You are saved from the hassle of installation.
- You just have to hook it up into the doorframe or wherever you want to place it. It also comes with cushioned pads to prevent any damage of your doorframe
- It’s foldable and easy to store
- Features robust construction
- There will be no problem for tall people to practice pull up. This product is particularly made for wider door-frames.
- The maximum weight limit is 440 pounds
- Available with durable and soft foam grip
- Made with quality materials
- Suitable for all types of pull-ups
- 100% satisfaction guaranteed
- Not a perfect fit for shorter people
6. ECOTRIC 50” Heavy Duty Wall Mounted Chin Pull Up Bar Gym Workout Fitness Home Mount Fitness 500lbs With One Year Warranty
The Ecotric heavy duty is a wall mounted chin-up bar that can easily carry up to 500 pounds of weight. You have both the choices of set it vertically or horizontally. The width is 53 inches with the supplied bar. The package comes with 2 brackets and 1 long bar & the height is adjustable. Its heavy construction ensures the sturdiness and stability of the product. Make sure to check the model number before confirming your purchase.
Pros
Cons
- Mounting hardware is included
- It is adjustable based on your ceiling height. Also, you can adjust the equipment according to the height of the user
- Full measurement- Bar length-32 inches, Bar diameter-50 inches (Gauge Steel- 1”x2”11 & the material 1.25”), Bracket depth-31 inches
- 100% safety guaranteed
- Smooth & robust grip
- Fast & secured shipping guaranteed
- You will need additional tools to install
- Mounting is a bit difficult
7. Joist Mount Pull Up Bar & Product Bundles by Ultimate Body Press
Joist Mount Pull Up Bar is renowned for its rapid strength development expertise. It mainly focuses on building distinct muscle groups. The top-rated pull-up bar can easily be mounted to any part of your house with exposed beam. It has an overall 42 inches of width and 14 inches of riser height. It features three separated grip positions. The minimum spacing between this parallel grips is 21 inches. Its top quality construction and flexibility will provide everything you need in order to build a perfect pull up bar for home. It doesn’t matter if you are a beginner or a pro, the product fits into every structure and serves the best individual needs.
Pros
Cons
- A high-quality & affordable fitness equipment
- It’s a combination of both a pull-up bar and a body weight resistance trainer
- You can enjoy highly metabolic exercise & assisted exercise variations from your home comfort
- Features high-density foam pads for knurled steel grips
- You’ll find anchors for gymnastic rings and ab straps
- For suspension trainer workouts you’ll get enough floor space
- Fast shipping is guaranteed from Amazon Prime
- Excellent customer service & your satisfaction is 100% guaranteed
- Compatible with only thicker beams
8. Ultimate Body Press Wall Mounted Doorway Pull Up Bar
This Ultimate Body Press product is a fairly new wall mounted pull-up bar. For those who are looking to target distinct muscles across back, arms, shoulders & core while focusing on activating metabolism at the same time- this should be an ideal exercising equipment for them. It has sturdy structural mountings with a built-in full range of motion. Fully welded construction and a thick hammer tone grip will provide you with much-needed stability and comfort. The product promises quick results and guarantees total safety.
Pros
Cons
- A promising upgrade to the traditional mounted pull-up bars
- A leading home fitness equipment & a great way of rapidly gaining strength on arms, backs and shoulders
- It’s basically an angled ergonomic bar. Puts less stress even if you are working for a longer time
- Uses minimum doorway openings
- It’s a universally fitted thick contoured bar
- You don’t need to install it
- The mounting plates are about 1.25 inches thick
- Fits 24-30 inch doorway studs
- Comes with additional anchors for optional body weight trainers
- Covers USA tech support
- Provides spaces to perform other exercises
- Not an entry level pull-up bar
9. Titan Fitness Pull Up Bar HD 8′ Ceiling Stud Wall Mounted 46″ Adjustable Height
Product Description
The Titan Fitness Pull-Up Bar is actually a stud-mounted pull-up bar. It can instantly turn your room into a functional gym. Elegance, style & performance-it’s a combination of all these attributes. It will actively help to build a solid body within a limited time. You don’t have to worry about the installation or adjustments, the sidebar has multiple holes for height adjustments. The product is perfect for 8’ ceilings and the center of the band can carry ropes, resistant bands or any assistant lifts. As fitness experts, we highly recommend this product. Why not have a try……..
Pros
Cons
- The maximum weight carrying capacity is 500 pounds
- Can be easily mounted to a ceiling or a wall
- Strong grip with powder coated finish
- The sidebar holes can also carry punching bags, carabiners and other accessories
- Product specifications- Sidebar- 46 inches, side mounts-30”x2”x1.25”, diameter- 1.25 inches, depth- 17 inches and side to side length is 50 inches
- 14 gauge steel material is used
- Non-slip paint is used on the bar
- Does not come with any mounting equipment
- You may need help from experts when installing
10. Ultimate Body Press Ceiling Mounted Pull Up Bar
This Ultimate Body Press pull-up bar is ideal for 16”x24” ceiling joists. The most interesting feature of this ultimate pull-up bar is its reversible risers. It’s a patented feature. The dual position risers have the ability to get fitted in any floor when performing any extended exercises with accessories. It’s designed to gain more strength in shortest possible time by targeting specified muscle groups. Parallel grip, angled grip & the wide pullup grip are the three natural grabbing positions. The bar will be hanging 14 inches from the ceiling giving you plenty of spaces to perform other exercises with a full range of motion.
Pros
- A suitable ceiling mounted pull-up bar with 16/24 inch joists
- Features three grip positions with high-density padded grips. There will be 20” neutral spacing in between the grips
- Ergonomically designed to reduce strains
- Durable powder coated finish
- Available with hardware mountings, instructions and template. The mountings are ultra-stable and rigid
- A universally fitted pull-up bar
- Provides anchors for bodyweight resistant trainers
- A 14 inch reversible dual position risers set (patented)
- You’ll get a full range of motion for every exercise
- The installation process is fairly easy
- Covers professional USA tech support
Pull-Up Assistance Lifts
You will find these assistant lifts mostly in the gyms. They are very helpful for the beginners. You can also buy one for your best pull up for home. Let’s have a short discussion on this-
Lat Pull-Down Machine
This machine helps you doing pull ups every day by replicating the exact muscle movements. For harder reps, you’ll have to place your hands wider and isolate your lats more.
Assisted Pull-Up Bands
You’ll find these bands available in the market. Only you have to adjust the length and make sure it is not touching the ground when you are standing on it with your feet. You may have to make it shorter if you want to loop the band around your knees.
Weight Assisted Pull-Up
It’s like doing a pull-up with the help of a weight machine. Only you have to adjust the weight, the more the weight the easier the exercise.
Read more : best pull up bar for apartment
How to Do a Perfect Pull-Up?
- In the beginning, start smoothly but always give your full strength to engage more muscle. Fully straight arms should be the first and the last position. Target to reduce the joint stress at first.
- Leap up and grab the bar. Extend your arms and look up while hanging. Bend your knee if it is touching the ground.
- Then drive your elbows and pull yourself up keeping the shoulders back& the chest up. Engage your core, abs & glutes thoroughly and use all your body muscle while lifting yourself up.
- Hold for a second at the top when your chin is above the bar. Squeeze all your muscles and start to move downward slowly.
- Begin with 5-10 pull-ups. If it seems daunting enough, then try to get used to your body weight just only by hanging from the bar, you don’t have to give a single pull-up, hang in there as long as you can.
- Even you can try different back muscle straightening exercise to increase your pull-up performances
- Changing your grips and hand positions will allow you to gain more benefits from this pull-up exercise. Wide, narrow and hammer are the names of some of the grips.
What Muscles Do Pull Ups Work?
Pull-up is also called the upper body compound pulling exercise. It engages the brachialis and brachioradialis muscles in the arms situated near the elbow. It flexes the shoulder and elbow joints and improves biceps by working biceps brachii. The long head of the triceps also gets involved. The process is more effective with a lazy or an underhand grip.
Pull-ups also use the trapezius (located in the center of the upper back), the levator scapulae, the teres major (situated at the back of the shoulder blade) and the rhomboids (that connects spine and shoulder blade) along with lats muscles (Latissimus Dorsi). These are called shrugging muscles. These lats muscles keep the upper arms close to the body while doing pull ups in order to help the body rising up to the bar. The deltoid muscles also get engaged sometimes. Vertical pulling movements using wide grips will stimulate these muscles to build. Using a neutral grip is also helpful as it places less strain on deltoid joints.
Pull-ups attach and depress the scapular in conjunction with the pectoris minor and the lower trapezius muscle. In order to perform the downward movement of the scapulae, the pectoris minor use levator scapulae and the rhomboid muscle. Also, the pectoralis major assists the lats muscle together with coracobrachialis during the exercise to build chest muscles. The muscles attached to the scapulae which are responsible for extending and stretching out the upper arms are the teres major (situated above latissimus dorsi & attached to humerus), the posterior deltoid muscles and some rotator muscles (infraspinatus, subscapularis & teres minor).
Pull-up is like a combined body exercise. It also involves a few muscles in the abdominal section. The rectus abdominis and hip flexors generate the lifting force while pulling up & prevents the front of the pelvis to move away from the sternum. The erector spinae, the external and internal oblique prevents the drifting of vertebrate on different planes. They also help to reduce side bending, body swinging and twisting. The other transverse abdominis is responsible for maintaining a neutral position.
Only the pelvic floor muscles are used during pull ups from the pelvic section. These muscles actually do the work of holding and stabilizing the pelvis at the time of the exercise.
Pull-ups greatly involve the biceps as it is the main muscle required for pulling yourself up. The biceps work together with lats muscle while lowering the body down. The muscles of the forearms is mainly used for holding the overall body weight, creating an isometric contraction and improving the finger strengths.
Read more : what do pull-ups work
Different Pull-up Grips
Now, let’s check out some of the pull-up grips-
Overhand Grip
This is the most difficult grip to master because the load is placed mostly on the lats. If you keep your grip wider, the lats will get less help from the other muscles.
Neutral Grip
As the name suggests, the neutral grip is like a mediator. It distributes all the workload between your muscles. That is the reason why it is being called the strongest hand position. For beginners, the neutral grip is the ideal position to gain more strength.
Underhand Grip
This is a converter grip. You can turn your pull up into a chin-up with this grip. But, remember to place your hands shoulder-width apart. The chin-up puts more emphasis on the biceps. So, exercising with this grip will definitely make you some more arms than the traditional ones.
Read more : best pull up bar for door frame
Pull Up Bar Exercises
This pull-up game is very exciting. You can mix it up with variations and there is always an option for trying something new. We have tried to accumulate some of the most popular pull up exercises- from the easiest to the toughest in our list. Check them out below-
Traditional Pull-Up
There is no extra trick in this old-school classic pull-up. Grab the bar with an overhand grip and your hands should be spread shoulder hands apart. Hang straight with the hands fully extended. Pull yourself up and squeeze your lats until your chin touches the pull-up bar and then try to lower yourself down slowly without any swinging.
Towel Grip Pull-Up
At first, place two towels over the pull-up bar and fully wrap it up to perform this pull-up. Then, grab the bar and start to pull yourself up slowly with hand-shoulder apart. After that, try to lower yourself down slowly. Towels will give you a great grip and there will be fewer chances of any slippage. This type of pull-up helps to build forearm, upper back and biceps.
Side Pull-Up
Grab the middle of the bar and try to pull yourself up as high as possible. Clear your head off the bar and your shoulders should be touching the alternate reps. Improve this first move by practicing more and more, but remember to touch the bar with your chest every time. Gradually try to get even higher while moving your head to the other side of the bar. Clearing the bar requires more exclusive, stable and a controlled pull, you would learn to manage your body weight while moving quickly.
Walking Pull-Up
It’s like walking while holding a pull-up bar. It’s a combination of both walking and pull-up. How to do? Grab the bar with a standard overhead grip and try to move your legs back and forth while you go up and lower yourself in the same manner. Walking pull-up is not an easy exercise though, to slowly walk yourself up needs great strength. The slower you get, the tougher it becomes. So, try to master walking pull-up with fast walking, then gradually make it slower by keeping a stable leg movement.
Tarzan Pull-Up
It’s another different pull-up category. You need to hold the middle of the bar and keep your hands very close to each other. Then, pull yourself up, after reaching the top, twist your body and switch to the right. Lower yourself down and repeat the process to the left side. This exercise requires great coordination. A strong core will be developed from the swings.
Kipping Pull-Up
It’s pretty similar to the classic pull-up, only you have to swing your legs while doing so. It will generate momentum from the pulling movement and help you building the major back muscles.
Toes above The Bar
‘Toes above the bar’ is not for the beginners. This core exercise is very tough. Initially, you’ll have to be hanging from the bar while keeping the legs straight, then slowly bring your legs up to touch the bar. Slowly lower it down and repeat.
Negative Pull-Up
The Negative pull-up is all about eccentric movement. It’s a brand new way of biceps developing. In order to perform a negative pull-up, you must stand on a chair/bench and hold the bar in an up position as if you are doing a pull up. Then start lowering yourself as slow as possible until your arms are fully extended. The Negative pull-up is pretty tough, it builds your strength and fatigues your muscles.
Chin-Up
Chin up is one of the most popular and classic categories of pull-ups. This is an effective biceps building exercise. Firstly, grab the bar with a narrow grip and place your palms in front of your face. While pulling yourself upward you’ll feel the movement of your biceps. This is an excellent anterior deltoid exercise.
Knee Twister
Knee twister pull-up engages the entire core from abs to obliques. It forces the muscles to hold you up while you position yourself. Draw your knees close to your chest before performing a knee twister. Twist your knees to the right and then to the left before lowering it again at the beginning position.
Leg Raises
Knee/leg raises are helpful for your abs, forearm sand back muscles. It’s not a pull-up actually. Begin with hanging from the bar with your legs down after reaching the top, then raise your legs and keep them parallel to the ground, lower it slowly after, continue to do so for as many times as you can.
Pull-Up with the Weight On
You will be pulling an extra weight along with your body weight to perform this pull-up. Secure a weight plate or something heavy with your body or place it between your legs before performing. The additional weight will help your muscles to grow stronger and bigger.
Climber from the Top
This is something really hardcore and tough. Just like a regular pull-up you have to pull yourself up first. Shift to the right and then to the left, complete a semi-circle and slowly lower yourself down. It requires great strength to perform under controlled sideways and downwards movement. Don‘t hesitate to try it out if you want to have strong arm, back and shoulder muscles.
Reverse Shrugs
Reverse shrugs will burn your trap muscles, it’s a great isolation movement too. Grip the bar and place your palms facing towards you, try to keep the arms as straight as possible. Then push the shoulder blades away from your ears and push them downwards only by moving the shoulders. That will be it.
Read more : pull up bar benefits
How to Build a Pull-Up Bar?
You can easily build a pull-up bar for yourself. You’ll only need the shopping list and a few detailed instructions-
Shopping List
You’ll need 1 piece of wood (2x6x8), 8 wood lag screws, 3 black pipes, 4 galvanized flanges, 4 galvanized 90 degree elbows, 1 drill bit set and 8 lag screws.
How to Install
- Installing it on ground level is much easier
- Be sure of the placement first. It has to be square
- First, thread an 18 inch galvanized steel pipe into one end of a galvanized elbow. Repeat the same process for the other pipe
- Place and tighten two 48 inch galvanized steel pipes into the other end of the newly made galvanized elbows
- Thread two flanges into the other ends of the two 18 inch galvanized steel pipes
- Make sure the bar is square by flipping it over and resting it on the floor. If it is not, you may have to lose or tight the elbows using a pipe wrench.
- Mark the support beam position and pre-drill the lag screw holes.
- After that place the bar and mark 4 holes for the flanges. Attach the bar with the wood lag with 8 lag screws using a socket wrench
- Use the rest of the lag screws to attach the wood to the ceiling by following the same process.
Where to Buy Pull-Up Bar?
pull up bar for home is a popular gym equipment. You can easily find it in the sports market. A very few very online stores are also offering good quality pull-up bars for your utter convenience. Among numerous options, we will highly recommend amazon.com because when service and quality matters, no one can beat them.
Read more : perfect fitness pull up bar
Potential Risks
Pull-up is not only an upper body exercise. It requires the effort of your whole muscles too. So, there is a big chance that accidents may occur while giving your full. You have to be always very careful while exercising on a mounted pull-up bar. adjust your grips if necessary. Some users also complained that the mounted pull-up bars are damaging their wall or door frames. If required, take suggestions from the doctor before performing a few selective pull-ups. So, it is very important to properly install and secure the best pull up bar for home on the door or the wall frame.