When it comes to a quality exercise that engages multiple muscle groups at once while requiring minimal equipment or set up, you really can’t beat pull ups. Pull ups are a fantastic choice for overall upper body strength, as they engage multiple muscles, including your latissimus dorsi, teres major and minor, and your core muscles. The added bonus is that you can do them pretty much anywhere with minimal equipment – all you need is a pull-up bar.
There are numerous pieces of equipment you can buy to turn any doorway, ceiling joist or bonus space into an excellent pull up station. Most of these pull-up bars can also double as station for performing hanging abdominal exercises or as an anchor point for resistance band exercises.
Some pull-up bars are geared more towards different grips and exercises, and some are just downright simple. For home gyms, the things that matter the most are effectiveness, versatility and ease of use.
Pull-up bars top picks
Here are my top picks for pull-up bars.
Iron Gym total upper body workout bar
This is my top pick, because it checks all the boxes in terms of versatility, effectiveness and ease of use. It fits in most doorways, with a weight capacity of 300 pounds, and it’s sturdy and durable. It is simply a straight bar with rubber handle grips and two grip styles. It’s very easy to assemble. I would definitely say it is effective, as I can do everything I need to on this pull-up bar. The only negatives I could find with this product is that it may leave marks on doorways where it’s installed.
Sportneer pull-up bar
The Sportneer pull-up bar has a unique, but yet again simple design, with one horizontal grip. It’s essentially just a long extendable cylinder that locks into your doorway using a metal rod and a PVC base that can be adjusted based on the size of your doorway. It’s a versatile piece of equipment, and the obvious bonus is that you don’t have to drill or make any holes in the doorway to install it. It feels incredibly secure and sturdy, with a capacity of 440 pounds, and it’s easy to use. The only downside is that it has to sit below the top of a doorframe, potentially making it inconvenient for taller people that want to use it, but nonetheless, it’s a great alternative and great choice.
Power Tower pull-up dip station
Next up, a slightly larger option, but a terrific choice for those who have a larger gym space: the Power Tower pull-up dip station. It’s pretty easy to see what the benefits and drawbacks are to this piece of equipment. First and foremost, you can do a ton with this aside from just pull ups. The dip bar offers many options for other upper body exercises. The design of this piece makes it a great choice for beginners learning to do pull ups, as you could incorporate training bands to assist in learning the movement. It’s hard not to love this pull-up station. The only obvious downside is the amount of space it takes up, about 3.5 by 3.5 feet.
When it comes to pull up bars for home gym’s, what’s best for you really depends on the type of space you have and your unique situation. As long as you can perform the exercise safely and effectively, the options are endless. Either way, this is a great exercise to incorporate into your fitness routine in some capacity.
