What Is The Best Pullup Bar For A Home Gym?
Pull-ups are are one of the best can get exercises you can do, but with so many different types and styles of pull-up bar available to the home gym user it can be difficult to choose the right one. That’s why I decided to put together a list of the best pull-up bars you can get for your home gym.
There are many pullup bar designs for a home gym to cater to every need. Some of the best models that we have found include the following:
- OneTwoFit Wall-Mounted Pullup Bar
- Iron Gym Total Upper Body Workout Bar
- Promountings I-Beam Chin Up Bar
- Sportsroyals Power Tower Dip Station Pullup Bar
These days you can buy good gym workout equipment for use at home whenever you have the time and the energy. The great thing about home gym equipment is that it is so versatile! A single piece of equipment can be used in various ways to target different areas of your body. In this article, we will discuss the best pullup bars for your home gym and explore the many ways that you can incorporate this single piece of equipment into your daily workout.
Why Is A Pullup Bar Useful In A Home Gym?
A pullup bar is an essential piece of gym equipment offering many benefits to the beginner and the more advanced user. Pullup exercises are the most effective for strengthening back muscles, the lats, biceps, forearms, upper back, shoulders, and your core.
Pullups can be challenging to your body, and it may take some time for your body to adjust to lifting your own body weight, but the benefits are worth it! Combining pullups with other upper body exercises like bicep curls and pushups will easily have you feeling and looking great.
As a beginner, pull-ups can be pretty hard. Most people won’t even be able to do one standard or wide grip pullup to begin with.
Don’t worry though there is a process to this! The best way to start is to simply hang from the pull-up bar for about 30 seconds each day for a week. Your grip will strengthen and your back, arms and shoulders will start to get used to supporting your body weight.
After a week, move on to using pull-up assistant bands. These are awesome as they help you to do a full, properly formed pull-up from top to bottom. If you get an adjustable assistant band then you can reduce the resistance over time until you can do a full unassisted pull-up.
The pull-up assistant bands below should help you to get started. These are very similar to what I used when starting out (they no longer sell the ones I have):
Once you become more advanced, you can challenge your muscles by adding a weight belt around your waist or legs or attempting one-handed pull-ups.
My favourite weight belt is the following one from Hawk Fitness:
Try Out Some Of These Pullup Bar Exercises:
To get you started, try these great pullup exercises. Some are easy enough, while others can be a bit more strenuous – challenge yourself and see how many reps you can do in a set!
The basic pullup – start from a dead hang and pull yourself up so that your chest touches the bar
Burpee pullups – start with a push up while on the ground followed immediately by a pullup
Hanging knee raises – start from a dead hang, tuck your knees up toward your chest, then slowly lower back down.
L-sits – hang from the bar and raise your legs parallel to the ground and hold as long as you can
* For hanging knee raises and L-sits, I’d recommend getting some Ab slings for your pull-up bar as it makes it much easier to start with. My recommendation for the best Ab Sling is the following one from Moose
The 4 Best Pullup Bars For A Home Gym
There are various types of pullup bars, each designed to suit the space that you have and your lifestyle. The equipment you buy could be a permanent fixture in your home or a breakdown and pack away item, or it could even be freestanding!
These are our favorite pullup bars:
1. OneTwoFit Wall-Mounted Pullup Bar
Made from heavy-duty steel, this pullup bar can support up to 440 pounds (200 kg). It’s easiest to install onto a solid wall, but with some additional hardware it is possible to install on dry wall/ stud walls (see user comments on Amazon for how to do this. Basically you need to mount it on 1/2 inch plywood using lag bolts into the studs on the wall).
This multi-functional allows you to hang it on the upper hooks to use as a pullup bar and then flip it over and hang it on the lower hooks for use as a dip station. This saves you space and the expense of buying more equipment!
What we like:
- The variety of grips and exercise positions
- Well padded and tear-resistant
- Great stability during use
- Budget-friendly
- Space-saving design
What we don’t like:
- Mounting bolts and studs supplied are for cement walls only
- It can be challenging to install, especially on stud walls
- It is a bit pricey compared to door mounted bars (but well worth the money
This is available online from Amazon.
2. ProsourceFit Multi-Use Doorway Chin-Up/Pull-Up Bar
Holds up to 300lb
• Ideal for ab exercises, sit-ups, push-ups, dips or pull-ups
• Works with all standard door frames (24″L-36″W)
• Easy to assemble
• Designed for durability; Made of premium grade steel
This hook-on design fits any doorway between 24 and 32 inches (60 and 81 cm). The super-lightweight heavy-duty steel frame weighs less than 9 pounds and supports up to 300 pounds (136 kg). This is one of the best designs as it has more grip placements than standard pull up bars.
This is the type I use and it has served me well for several years, due to it’s width it also allows you to hang things like assistant bands, abs slings and gymnastic rings from it.
What we like:
- Various different grip placements
- Comfort foam grips for ergonomic gripping
- It can be used on any standard door frame
- Easy to install and remove – no screws required
- Can also be mounted to the doorframe with the optional, included J brackets.
- Locks securely onto the door frame
- Lightweight and sturdy design
- Ideal accessory for popular workouts like P90X, Insanity, and more.
What we don’t like:
- The padding on the bar that meets the door frame tends to degrade over time.
- The top bar will only work on flat door molding as it is only 75 inches (190 cm) thick
- The part of the bar that sits on the edges of the door frame can cause damage to the door frame. This is easily overcome by wrapping some material around it (towel, old t-shirt etc)
3. AmStaff Fitness Joist Mount Pull Up Bar/Chin Up Bar – Ceiling mounted
If you have the space and are a serious pullup fundi, then invest in this piece of equipment. You will need to attach it to a roof joist as this sturdy steel pullup bar can support up to 500 pounds (226 kg).
What we like:
- Quick and easy installation, comes with all the necessary fixings to attach to wooden joist
- 5″ parallel grips to target wider muscle group
- Three different grip positions – regular grip, close grip, and wide grip
- Rock-solid, the bar is stable while doing pull-ups
What we don’t like:
- You can mount to a single joist/ rafter, but the included lag bolts require a double thickness for durability
- Made from alloy steel and not solid steel
Available from Amazon
4. Sportsroyals Power Tower Dip Station Pullup Bar – Freestanding
This freestanding pullup bar doubles up as a dip station. More expensive than a wall-mounted or doorway model, this model will extend your exercise range by including knee raises, dips, and push-ups, so worth the extra investment. The heavy-duty steel tubing is corrosion resistant and durable, supporting up to 440 pounds (200 kg).
What we like:
- The unique dual-triangular base for extra stability
- Multiple handles in the pullup frame
- Ergonomically designed armrests
- Three pushup angles
- Six adjustable height ranges from 70.07 to 92.7 inches (177 to 235 cm)
- Seven backrest positions adjusted by an easy to use pull knob
- High-density foam padding and durable leather pads
What we don’t like:
- The pullup grips may be a little close together for taller people to spread out their arms
- Assembly instructions are not very clear
Available online from Amazon
Conclusion
Each of these pullup bars offers something unique, from the mobility of the door model to the space-saving, permanent wall and ceiling models, to the freestanding power tower.
The correct equipment for your needs should be determined by your budget, your available space, and of course, what exercises you have chosen to develop your body strength.
As with all resistance training, pullups can increase your overall fitness and body strength, and improve your mental health by reducing anxiety and fatigue, all while challenging your muscles!
A pullup bar is often considered an old-school piece of equipment, but the reason why it is still around is because it works! An incredible, efficient piece of equipment, the pullup bar will help you build ripped muscles in a very short space of time, and as a bonus, will help you to improve your stamina. Enjoy your pullup workout and feel the burn!
