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Which pull-up bar should I choose?

5.4.2018

Translation: machine translated

If, like me, you like doing pull-ups at home, you'll know that you can't just install any bar anywhere. During my last two moves, I was never able to take the pull-up bar I had from one flat to another. And putting them up was always a challenge. So for me, moving house always means changing systems. In this article, I present the different systems and tell you where to use which bar.

Roughly speaking, there are three categories of pull-up bars for the home. Those with a fixed mounting, those that hold by pressure/hanging and those that are integrated into a weight station. All have their advantages, but also their disadvantages. I'll tell you a bit more below.

Fixed installation

For a fixed installation, the pull-up bar is screwed to the wall or ceiling. The downside: you can only use the pull-up bar where it is mounted. If, for example, you want to train in another room because you have guests, that's not possible. Added to this is the fact that the pull-up bar cannot be mounted on just any wall. For example, it shouldn't be fixed to a brick wall, as the whole thing can quickly come off, even if you use chemical dowels. As a general rule, nothing weighing more than 30 kg should be hung on a brick wall. Ceilings are more suitable for installation, as they are generally made of concrete. If you live in a rented flat, it's best to ask the landlord's permission before drilling into the ceiling. You could otherwise risk piercing the underfloor heating system of the upstairs neighbours.

Drive options

If you decide to mount the pull-up bar permanently on the wall, you should, wherever possible, do so above a door frame. This gives you plenty of legroom. The distance to the wall is certainly sufficient for most pull-up bars, but you are limited in the exercises.
For example, do you want to do front raises? Then you're going to need more room for your legs and upper body. There are pull-up bars made for this that are a little further away from the wall. If your ceiling is very high, you may even have enough room to do muscle-ups (but this probably won't be possible in most flats/houses). If you're mounting the bar to the ceiling, you'll need to place it some distance from the wall so as not to limit the number of exercises that can be done. However, you should really give muscle-ups a miss with this type of bar.

If the model consists of just one bar, you can do pull-ups and chin-ups by holding the bar with your hands more or less apart. But you then don't have the option of doing neutral grip pull-ups. This type of grip should not be overlooked for a balanced workout. From a certain distance between the hands, it is preferable for the bar to be curved, so that the wrists remain straight.

Which pull-up bar should I choose?

Fixed installation

Drive options

Ceiling and wall mounting

Wall mounting

Tightening and hanging

Drive options

Close

Hanging

Weight stations (without weights)

Which one to choose

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