Could a Door Pull Up Bar be the Next Addition to Your Home Gym?

A door pull up bar can be a valuable addition to your home gym equipment collection. The no-fuss setup allows you to begin sculpting your upper body and core right away.

There's several different bars available which all let you do a range of top-notch exercises. And the great news is, they're an inexpensive piece of equipment.

You've just gotta make sure that you select the right door in your house or you won't be able to use the bar to its full extent.

"What Is A Door Pull Up Bar Anyway?"

There's several different types of door pull up bar but they all basically let you do the same thing. Pull ups in your doorway...

The Basic Bar

The bar we have at home is the most basic one you can get. We couldn't find our exact model anymore but this one is almost identical. These retail for around $20.

As you can see in the photo, it's basically just a metal bar that fits into your doorframe. The bar sits in brackets which are screwed into the frame itself. Once you have the brackets installed, it's a quick job to insert and remove the bar.

When you twist the bar it lengthens. Don't ask us how, it just does :P

To install the bar you just keep on twisting it. It will keep lengthening and you just pop it into the brackets securely. Once it's up you're ready to start a pull up workout.

The Frame Bar

Other doorway pull up bars normally look like some sort of frame with handles and grips. They tend to be a little more expensive than the basic one, going for around $50.

They have two main advantages. You can do more exercises on them and they don't have to be screwed into your door.

Since we don't have one of these at home, we're not really in a position to give you any in depth information. But you might be able to help us out...

The Best Things About Our Doorway Pull Up Bar

Pull ups can be highly intense exercises. They're first-class when it comes to building muscle in your arms, shoulders and upper back.

There's also a few pull up variations which are valuable for sculpting your abdominals and obliques too. Here's the pull up workout Tom does to keep his upper body and core in good condition.

We compared the power of pull ups to the price of the bar. The decision was a no-brainer...

These door pull up bars are a bargain.

You won't often find equipment with these strengthening benefits for the same price.

And you'll rarely find equipment as user-friendly as this.

You can quickly set up a "workout area", get down to business and then put it away again. It is very mobile, only taking a couple of moments to screw into place, ready for working out.

On the other hand - if you're like Tom - you can just keep the bar up permanently. After a long hard day of work you can pump out a few sets in 5 minutes. It's an excellent way of squeezing in a last little bit of exercise before bed.

It's also a great reminder to stay active.

It's easy to forget to exercise when you're busy. But if you can see the bar sitting there, waiting... you can just jump up and do a quick 10-15 pull ups. Workouts like these add up quickly.

Another neat thing about these bars is that you can fit them at the bottom of your doorway. You can hook your feet onto them while doing stomach crunches. This is one advantage the basic bar has over the frame bar.

The Worst Things About The Door Pull Up Bar

Probably the worst thing about this product is the fact that it's in a doorway. Yes we know that's the point but...

If you don't select the right door then things can be a bit cramped.

To get the most out of your door chin up bar you should select a door which has got a lot of room around it. This allows you to move your arms and legs freely while doing different pull up variations.

We also weren't happy with how slippery the bar was. It's a very shiny, polished chrome bar which is very hard to hold onto after a while.

Someone must have told the manufacturers this though because the new ones have foam hand grips. This would make a huge difference to the number of pull ups that you can do!

"Does This Product Grow As I Do?"

Like we said before, pull up exercises are usually very intense, which means that it will be a long time before you outgrow this piece of equipment. However...

If you stick to your exercise program and do pull ups and chin ups frequently you probably will outgrow it. In which case, you'll either need to buy a weight hanger which you strap around your waist, whilst doing pull ups. Or...

You could wear a backpack with weights in it. It works just as well except you don't have as much flexibility.

Things You Should Check Before Buying A Door Pull Up Bar

• Check whether it will fit into your door. Most basic bars are extendable but we've seen the odd one which has a set length.
• Check how much weight it can support. Most bars will have a maximum weight stated on the product description. Our one supports 300lb (136kg)
• Check that it has some foam grip handles. It can be very slippery without.
• As always, check what sort of warranty it has. Most of them are pretty sturdy but it always pays to be safe.
• Are you okay with having brackets screwed into your door frames? If not then it probably pays to get the frame type which doesn't leave holes in your door.

Have You Got Some Valuable Information About Pull Up Bars?

Experience is the best teacher. If you've ever used a door pull up bar then chances are you have some useful information about it. Is it anything that might benefit others? Share your knowledge below...

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