Why is the pull-up bar so important for anybody weight athlete and why is it an essential part in any home gym. With the following article, I would like to give you a bit of insight on this subject. We will go into what the most common pull up bars are, why a pull a bar is important and where to find alternatives if you have no space or budget to get a pull-up bar for your home gym.
The pull-up bar
The fact that you are on this website inclines that you probably already know what a pull-up bar is. Basically, any straight bar that is strong enough to support your weight will Sufi as a pull-up bar. The most common ones used at home are the ones that are supported by the door frame, either within the door frame or on the door frame.
A pull up is done by grabbing the bar with the palms facing forward and pulling your body up. This movement mainly focuses on the lats. There is more than one variation of this movement. The most known one is the chin up where you pull up your body with the palms facing towards you. This movement focuses more on the bicep muscles compared to the pull-up. A more advanced move is the muscle up. A muscle up is where you completely pull up the body which allows you to get in the straight bar dip position.
Why is a pull-up bar important?
The pull-up bar is one of the few things that really allow you to focus your back muscles without using any weights or gym machines. If you are not able to perform a single pull up. Start by doing Australian pull-ups this movement is done by using a low hanging bar (around hip height) and pull up your chest towards the bar while the feet support part of your body weight.
Once you can do around 8 to 12 repetitions with good form you should be able to do a single pull up. If this is not the case but the Australian pull up becomes to easy to really grow your strength start using resistance bands. The resistance bands will allow making a certain movement easier by taking away a bit of the body weight. The stronger the resistance band the easier the move will be. I will create a post about this soon so be sure to follow.
As a calisthenics athlete, the pull-up bar will also allow you to increase your strength at a level where you will be able to do advanced movements like the front or the back lever. I would highly recommend to not perform these on your basic pull up bar that is supported by the door frame. Because the movement is more dynamic the basic pull up bar might not be strong or suitable enough to allow for these kinds of movements.
Most common pull up bar for anyone working out at home
When it comes to pull-up bars for at home use there are usually two different ones that come along. Either one that is supported by the door frame or supported within the door frame. Or bars that are attached to the wall or ceiling, usually using screws.
The ones used on the door frame have certain pros and cons compared to the ones attached to either the wall or the ceiling. The ones mentioned first are usually cheaper. Next to that, they can be detached more easily which allows you to put them away and out of sight. A downside of these kinds of pull up bars is that they usually don’t allow for more advanced movements and only allow you to do the basic pull up movement.
Another downside is not all doors allow for these to be used, for instance, at my own apartment, there are glass windows right above the door, yes all of them, unfortunately. Therefore the risk of using them and breaking the window above is not worth it. Also, when they are supported by the door frame most of them don’t allow you to fully extend your body. This will be a downside since you won’t be able to fully focus on technique.
The ones mentioned second usually come at a bit of a higher price but will be a better investment over time. The material is more durable and you won’t risk any damage to your door frame. The downside is that you won’t be able to store them away so you’ll have to find a way to attach them where you are okay with it, for instance, the garage. Cheaper versions will not allow a lot of room to do the actual harder movements. Compared with a cheaper version of the wall mounted pull up bar I would definitely go for the ones mentioned before if you have the right door frame. This will allow for a lot more movement space.
The best pull up bar for your home gym
For me, the wall mounted version of the pull-up bar is the best investment you can make. It is at a bit of a higher segment of the pull-up bars out there. It’s one that is further away from the wall leaving you enough space to perform all movements with full range of motion!
An example is the Titan fitness bar which can be attached to any flat wall surface. Personally, I tried similar ones in the gym and they allow enough room to train your advanced movements. If you have the budget and space for a bar like this invest in it. It will be well worth the money over time. It will be more durable and will allow more training routines to perform.
Alternatives
- Find a bar park. A lot of cities actually have bar parks free to use! A website I like to use especially when I travel and I want to continue my training is calisthenics-parks from there you can search by using the map or typing an actual city or country. Very easy to use and it doesn’t need any additional explanation. On these kinds of parks, you’ll usually find all the basics you need to do your body weight exercises.
- Find a playground. Most cities out there have playgrounds around. Often they have monkey bars or something similar. These bars will allow you to do pull-ups or any other exercise you perform on a bar. Just make sure you don’t bother the actual kids playing there. People usually don’t really appreciate it when a big monkey like you uses the monkey bars while their kids are playing there. Be sure to go evenings or early mornings when the playgrounds are deserted.
- Find a tree. If neither of the options mentioned before is an option to you be sure to find a tree with a branch. A branch allows you to hang and perform your training routines. Just be safe not all branches are strong enough to hold your weight. You don’t want to end up injuring yourself and set yourself back in your progress.
To finish it all up
If you are in the beginning stages of using your own body weight to increase strength and aesthetics. Be sure to buy a pull-up bar at home use or try finding an alternative around your home as mentioned in the paragraphs above. The pull-up bar is more or less the only thing that will allow increasing your back muscle strength! A nice aesthetic bonus is, you’ll get defined lats in no time!
