how to do pull ups without buying a pull up bar?

[ruthless29]

I watch the P90X training videos where you can do your workouts at home instead of paying for a gym membership. Theres a guy in the video that does pull ups with this thing attached to the ceiling. Whats it called and where would I find one? My rooms pretty tiny and we're not allowed to put pull ups bars outside the room door.

thanks.

[canabiz]

How about if you have a big tree in the garden and you can try it on a big branch ?

I used to do this all the time at my old place. Works like a charm for me

:)

[dell]

Ya or a playground jungle gym, soccer posts, railing, etc..

[UrbanPoet]

yeh... you gotta make some compramises... sometimes i do pull ups on that lil ledge above my door.
My basement also has some fierce metal beams.

[ruthless29]

I just went out and bought the Dual Resistance Tubing thing from PTFitness.

looks something like this:

http://ec3.images-amazon.com/images/P/B000F4H734.01._AA280_SCLZZZZZZZ_V55669756_.jpg

the sales person said it works out the same group of muscles as doing a pull up. is that true?

[el_diablo007]

I just went out and bought the Dual Resistance Tubing thing from PTFitness.

looks something like this:

http://ec3.images-amazon.com/images/P/B000F4H734.01._AA280_SCLZZZZZZZ_V55669756_.jpg

the sales person said it works out the same group of muscles as doing a pull up. is that true?

If you strung it over a bar or surface and lifted yourself up, yeah. I can't see it working the same muscle groups any other way. How are you using it to mimic a pull up?

[ruthless29]

crap... i dont really know... i took the woman's word for it. she seemed to know what she was saying. she said it still works out the deltoids and trapezius the same way the pull up bar does. If this is not true, lemme know, I'll go and return it.

It was on special for $15 but do I need it if I already have weights?

[poedua]

crap... i dont really know... i took the woman's word for it. she seemed to know what she was saying. she said it still works out the deltoids and trapezius the same way the pull up bar does. If this is not true, lemme know, I'll go and return it.

It was on special for $15 but do I need it if I already have weights?

If you are planning to get weights of any sort - be it barbell or dumbbell - you can forgo chin-ups and use any of the following exercises ( from an earlier post of mine ) at home to target your back muscles.

For Dumbells: ( if you can find a used Swiss - Ball it would add some difficulty )

These are for the UPPER BACK and you can do these using Dumbbells, so you can easily do them at home ...but a bench helps ( most descriptions of these exercises should be easily had on Google ) .......

- Prone reverse fly ( laying face down on your bench )

- Prone reverse fly ( laying face down on a Swiss - Ball )

- Seated Reverse Fly ( sitting on the end of your bench )

- Bent Over Row

- One - Arm Row ( hand and knee on bench )

- Pullover ( on bench )

- Pullover ( on Swiss Ball )

Barbell :

- Bent-over Row ( as above )

- Pullover ( as above )

- T-Bar Row - only put one plate on a barbell, and put the other end of the bar without the plate on the floor tucked against the corner of a wall with some weight on top of it ( where 2 walls meet )...... straddle the with your feet on either side of the bar and face away from the wall holding the end without the plate....., rest the bar end with the plate on a rolled up towel that you will grips at both ends ( the towel is carrying the weight of the bar, you are holding the 2 ends of the towel as you straddle the bar ) - this simulates what you'd see as a T- bar station at most gyms )


And as i mentioned above, if you can afford it and are committed to working out at home...picking up a used Swiss-ball ( it can add intensity to your workout ) and bench ( along with weights ) is money well spent.

[taichiubg]

That resistance tubing will not work as well as a pullup. Go to the jungle gym! When i went to spain they have these jungle gyms outdoors made for the locals to work out (pretty cool). These guys working out were HUGE, ripped! traditional pushups and situps really work.

[root9]

my buddy has the P90X videos, and I'll say, he looks great,, its been doin it for 3 months and eating with the diet that comes with set,,,, now the guy has abs even when hes not flexing

as for the bar that you see in the videos,,, my friend made his by buying gas lines from Home Depot,,, you dont need to get the thick 1inch,, the 1/2 inch will do,, then when you get home,, fine a stud in the ceiling and screw it in using about 4 screws per side and it will hold your weight,,, i weigh 280 and it holds me up

I'm looking for a chin up and dip machine and will be starting the videos soon

let me know how your doin if you get the set

[BeaverLiquor]

you can get bars that screw into your doorway for $15-20.

[mizz_tracy]

theres also that thing "as seen on tv" thats sold at walmart that is a chinip/pullup/dips/pushup thing that doesnt need to be screwed to anything.. and just sits on top of the little door ledge.. so you can take it down after every workout.. i think its about $35 or so..

[moyboy]

theres also that thing "as seen on tv" thats sold at walmart that is a chinip/pullup/dips/pushup thing that doesnt need to be screwed to anything.. and just sits on top of the little door ledge.. so you can take it down after every workout.. i think its about $35 or so..

Power Gym!!!

[cannon_fodder]

Does anyone know where you can purchase (cheaply) one of those "power towers"? They allow for pullups, dips, presses, etc. Examples are Weider 200 Power Tower, Ironman 3-Station Power Tower, etc.

[bobbings]

just how effective is the chin up exercise? how many can one do on average? setting up a bar in your house might cause holes in the wall or it might even be unsafe as it might not be secured safely. there's gotta be other exercise methods to compensate for the chin up exercise.

[Izzoshady]

Most people cannot even do one. That being said if you are consistent with exercise and nutrition you should be able to get out anywhere from 5 - 20 with no problems

Above 20 is pretty good in terms of what the average guy can do

[d0fuz]

Chin up and pull up are very effective back exercise, infact it should be as important as "bench" or squat etc. I have a bar, hand screwed onto my door frame and it works like a charm. I've tried loading the bar at 230 lbs and it didn't show any weakness.

[billdozer]

Hi there,

Anybody know if this is any good?

http://www.pullupbar.com/

no screws, just friction between the door frame/trim and the rubber ends and capable of supporting up to 375lbs (i think).

Jim Lion...

[miken3]

i have the power gym and it works great. Its easy to use and easy to setup. I've recommended this to many of my friends and now they've bought one. You can do pull ups, push ups, sit ups, dips.

you can find it at most wal marts for 39.97.

[bobbings]

Hi there,

Anybody know if this is any good?

http://www.pullupbar.com/

no screws, just friction between the door frame/trim and the rubber ends and capable of supporting up to 375lbs (i think).

Jim Lion...

i wouldn't get something like that for my house, suppose that it's not strong enough and the wood breaks. go to the parks and use their bars or buy a playground and stick it in your backyard lol, i've seen people make their own playgrounds out of wood and they can do chin ups off it as well as their kids can play on it too.

[cannon_fodder]

Even though the images at Walmart show someone doing dips with the unit on the ground, it looks like you could mount the unit lower in the frame and do dips with all of your body weight.

With that work or does it really need to affix something at the top of the door frame?

[canadiantofu]

I used to lay under a fold out card table and do pull ups from there. It's not going to be your full body weight, but still effective.

Rather than a card table... you can try it with a desk. lay down head first under a desk or table. grab the edge of the table top and pull.

[sannin]

i have the power gym and it works great. Its easy to use and easy to setup. I've recommended this to many of my friends and now they've bought one. You can do pull ups, push ups, sit ups, dips.

you can find it at most wal marts for 39.97.

I was also curious about that device. My only concern is that the the door frame creaks when I try to hang from the ledge (just to test it). Since the coverings are made from dry wall, i'm not sure if wall will be able to support the device.

I also agree that chin-ups/pull-ups is a very good test for your fitness because it incorporates your whole back and arms to pull you up!

[cannon_fodder]

I went to Walmart and bought the power gym.

After it came crashing down and smashed into the opposing wall during my first attempt to put my entire weight on it, I've come up with a different spot.

I think my door trim is a little too narrow. Besides the fact that the screws in the horizontal bar are not even recessed (meaning that they will 'dig' into the trim), it looks like the power gym is better for door frames where the trim is at least 3/4" deep.

I've now put it in the basement hanging from an I beam while touching one of the support joists. Even though it doesn't have support from both sides, it works fine now. I'll probably come up with something else to support the other side (thus mimicing the fact you use a door frame as cantilever leverage).

[Dragon120]

Just came back from Walmart and bought the Power Gym for $39.99 plus tax. Will test it out tonight and will post feedback on it's usability and durability.

[1Tang]

you can just buy a pull up bar from sportchek and just attach it to your door frame

[Dragon120]

Assembled the Power Gym I bought from Walmart last night...not as sturdy as I thought/liked. Tried it to mount between the doors to the bedroom and hallway, neither worked. I live in an apartment, not a house and probably the dimensions were different. I ended up hanging it behind a door and it worked; however, it was too low...I didn't even need to jump to hang on.

Took it apart and will return it to WalMart.

Anyone else installed a pullup bar at an apartment? How does it hold up?

[df329]

Assembled the Power Gym I bought from Walmart last night...not as sturdy as I thought/liked. Tried it to mount between the doors to the bedroom and hallway, neither worked. I live in an apartment, not a house and probably the dimensions were different. I ended up hanging it behind a door and it worked; however, it was too low...I didn't even need to jump to hang on.

Took it apart and will return it to WalMart.

Anyone else installed a pullup bar at an apartment? How does it hold up?

not needing to jump onto it is a good thing... just hold on and bend your knees and do pullups like that

[Dragon120]

not needing to jump onto it is a good thing... just hold on and bend your knees and do pullups like that

It hang all the way down to my shoulders. I hung on and did 25 pull-ups but felt awkward because I've never done it without jumping for it. Did another 20 but wasn't too thrilled about the product. Going to try a chinning bar from CT for $30.

[cun2x]

It hang all the way down to my shoulders. I hung on and did 25 pull-ups but felt awkward because I've never done it without jumping for it. Did another 20 but wasn't too thrilled about the product. Going to try a chinning bar from CT for $30.

Um.. what's CT?

[CouchPotato]

I'm assuming CT is Canadian Tire.


By the way dragon120, how tall are you?

I'm 5'7" and I can just about reach the top of my door trim. Therefore, no chinup bar in the doorway can force me to jump to reach it.

If you want a bar you need to jump to reach, you'll need to hang it from the ceiling (just about impossible in an apt) or get some sort of chin/dip station.

[Dragon120]

I'm assuming CT is Canadian Tire.


By the way dragon120, how tall are you?

I'm 5'7" and I can just about reach the top of my door trim. Therefore, no chinup bar in the doorway can force me to jump to reach it.

If you want a bar you need to jump to reach, you'll need to hang it from the ceiling (just about impossible in an apt) or get some sort of chin/dip station.

Yes, CT is Canadian Tire. I am 5'10 and you are correct, I would not be able to jump onto the chinning bar regardless of what model I buy.

[sannin]

It hang all the way down to my shoulders. I hung on and did 25 pull-ups but felt awkward because I've never done it without jumping for it. Did another 20 but wasn't too thrilled about the product. Going to try a chinning bar from CT for $30.

As long as you keep your body straight when you do the pull up, then you are ok. You do not need to jump, you can start from a dead hang position, where you have your whole body and arms in a straight line and then pull yourself up (your knees could be bending if your feet are touching the floor). Hope that makes sense.

[how]

I just went out and bought the Dual Resistance Tubing thing from PTFitness.

looks something like this:

http://ec3.images-amazon.com/images/P/B000F4H734.01._AA280_SCLZZZZZZZ_V55669756_.jpg

the sales person said it works out the same group of muscles as doing a pull up. is that true?

I think she meant that you can do pull downs and rows with this which imo is the same as pull ups

[heyhey]

Anyone have any idea if the powergym will work with the doorway in my dorm room?

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y43/virozir/IMG_0136.jpg
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y43/virozir/IMG_0135.jpg
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y43/virozir/IMG_0134.jpg
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y43/virozir/IMG_0133.jpg
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y43/virozir/IMG_0132.jpg

[heat]

yeh... you gotta make some compramises... sometimes i do pull ups on that lil ledge above my door.


+1

[Atomic Chip]

I just went out and bought the Dual Resistance Tubing thing from PTFitness. the sales person said it works out the same group of muscles as doing a pull up. is that true?

So ... less than six hours after posting your question, you ran out and bought that thing. Didn't give us much of a chance, did you?

I could answer your original question, and the one quoted above, but it is obvious that youve already made your decision and paid your money, so why bother. This entire thread has been rendered pointless.

[lint]

Anyone have any idea if the powergym will work with the doorway in my dorm room?

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y43/virozir/IMG_0136.jpg
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y43/virozir/IMG_0135.jpg
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y43/virozir/IMG_0134.jpg
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y43/virozir/IMG_0133.jpg
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y43/virozir/IMG_0132.jpg

Won't work. The trim has to be on the same side that opens. Otherwise the bars will be blocked by the opened door. And it needs some clearance on either side of the door as well.

[Mintmaster]

crap... i dont really know... i took the woman's word for it. she seemed to know what she was saying. she said it still works out the deltoids and trapezius the same way the pull up bar does. If this is not true, lemme know, I'll go and return it.LOL what?

Pullups primarily work the lats, with a little help from the biceps and pecs/serratus. They also isometrically help your grip. The delts and traps are almost completely uninvolved.

That thing could still work out your lats and back if you do rowing motions or hang it over a door and pull down.

[gerbil]

i wonder if this is the same as what Will Smith is using on I Am Legend ....

[007craft]

im looking for something ceiling mounted. Doorway is too cumbersome for me and I got a whole unfinished basment I work out in to hang a bar from. any1 got links on how to put up a ceiling mounted bar?

[Nikita]

I just went out and bought the Dual Resistance Tubing thing from PTFitness.

looks something like this:

http://ec3.images-amazon.com/images/P/B000F4H734.01._AA280_SCLZZZZZZZ_V55669756_.jpg

the sales person said it works out the same group of muscles as doing a pull up. is that true?

Looks similar to what's in the video below, but it's used with a bar.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=uEJkiRyvy0w&feature=related

Supposed to take some of your weight off of the lift or something...I dunno, seems redundant to me.

BTW, using a door ledge is really difficult for women, our nails get in the way....and no my nails aren't that long! But that sound of them scraping against the wall makes my grind my teeth....lol.

[007craft]

i was at wal-mart and decided to pick up the power gym and try it (90 day return policy).

First off, the bar itself locks in place with clips instead of screws, giving it a 2-3 degrees of rotation when on it. You dont really notice it when using it however. You have to put the rubber grips on yourself (refer to the grips im holding in pic 3+4) for the inside and its impossible to get them on without putting cooking oil on them like it says in the instructions. Problem is once their on with the oil, they turn a bit, and you do notice it while going up. perhaps the oil will dry and this problem will go away tho.

Now dont be fooled as this seen on tv on any door crap. I tried 4 differently built doors in my house and this thing did not work on a single one. First door, was to small width wise to get a good grip on the out pads. Not only that, but just supporting my weight chipped the wood above the door and made cracking sounds. I weigh only 165lbs too. I then tried a couple upstairs doors, same result. Went to the basement and tried that door. even worse. Wood was 100% going to break had I used all my weight.

Luckaly I noticed the steal T beams in my basement ran along one of the doorways. I was able to hook the bar onto the beam and still use the doorway. It seems to work ok (deffenitly no braking since its metal supporting me and not a crappy wooden door frame.). The height of the door frame (even a little higher since its on the metal) I find is low for me. Im 6' tall. I have to bend my lags a full 90 degrees just not to touch the ground, and even then im just barly off of it (this is with arms fully extended). This makes doing any sort of reps without touching the ground impossible. (refer to pictures below). The height I would like the bar to be is at the beam its hanging from, or possibly a bit higher up. I want to be able to reach the bar with my arms fully extended when standing like they do in the p90x videos, not bent like they are now.


Its very hard for my to do pull ups because of the low height. Chin ups are not so hard but I want to be able to do both. Ill try it for a few more weeks before I decide to return it or not. I probably will return it because its too low and I can gain another foot+ if I come up with my own custom solution for hanging something from the ceiling. Its probably a better product for people with super high doorways or shorter folks. Oh btw, do NOT hang this from a beam without the door frame. yes it does work, but if you sway slightly forward a bit it will slide off and you could seriously injure yourself.

http://xs223.xs.to/xs223/08030/img_0080845.jpg
http://xs223.xs.to/xs223/08030/img_0081856.jpg
http://xs223.xs.to/xs223/08030/img_0083875.jpg
http://xs223.xs.to/xs223/08030/img_0084895.jpg
http://xs223.xs.to/xs223/08030/img_0085471.jpg

[sleepyguy]

Yeah, those are pretty good for people cramped for space. If you have a high basement ceiling then a power rack (dips/chins/abs) is definately a better setup. They go for around $120-200. Walmart has some weilder ones for aorund $180 i believe. Not bad. -sg

[mrlooneytoon]

I use the steal beams in my basement. No bar or anything. I just cut up a bunch of sponges and glued them to the top edge of the steel bar. Then I wear my $15 workout gloves, hang on the steel beam with fingers gripping the sponge and do my pullups/chinups.

Also, I pick a spot on the steel beam where there are columns going to the ground since that is the strongest point on the beam. I'm only 170lb but better to be safe than to have your entire house collapse on you when you're on the 9th pullup :lol:

[perplexed_one]

not sure if these have been mentioned (too lazy to go thru every post).

- monkey bars at the local park/playground.
- TTC subway train (might get a few stares tho ;D)
- go to a free gym (i think there is one around albion)
- go ask a friend or acquaintance if they got one at home

[sleepyguy]

kinda tough in the winter time, but during the spring summer I used to go for a run down in the beaches... stop at the chinup section. do 3-4 sets then go for a jog again. great workout and free! :)

not sure if these have been mentioned (too lazy to go thru every post).

- monkey bars at the local park/playground.
- TTC subway train (might get a few stares tho ;D)
- go to a free gym (i think there is one around albion)
- go ask a friend or acquaintance if they got one at home

[brendan1234567]

i just use an old solid steel (straight) curl bar

its about 4-5 feet long, and in the past i have either found a stud on the outside of a doorway, or used the stud at the top of the doorway(s).

i pre-drilled and screwed in some heavy-duty hooks(about 3/8")

that way you can slip the bar in or out of the hooksand store the bar

assuming you are not 7 feet tall, it shouldnt be a safety hazard

[cipra]

I don't know if this has been mentioned before, use resistance bands they work great.

[Azxster]

I made my own, it cost < $25. The J hooks are the weakest link and they are rated for 150 lbs each. It would be better if the eye bolts were longer such that my head is less likely to hit the joists.

http://img403.imageshack.us/img403/5735/barcb5.jpg

Resistance bands are what P90X recommends to substitute a chin/pull up.

[vee_one]

^^^thats pretty sweet, where can you buy that???

[Accurim]

this topic is hella old and I haven't read all the posts.

p90x shows you how to do all exercises with bands, if you watched the video >.>

i saw a few ppl say they have the power gym from wal-mart. I have it too and it works fine on my doorway.
There are also pull up bars/chin up bars that attach to your ceiling, those are the ones you saw in p90x but I believe they are very expensive and probably difficult to set up.
Really you don't need to buy this stuff, you can just grab anything and do pull ups.. i use to walk outside 5 seconds to a tree and do pull ups for 5min then walk back in.

:)

[kookieMonster2k2]

i was at wal-mart and decided to pick up the power gym and try it (90 day return policy).

First off, the bar itself locks in place with clips instead of screws, giving it a 2-3 degrees of rotation when on it. You dont really notice it when using it however. You have to put the rubber grips on yourself (refer to the grips im holding in pic 3+4) for the inside and its impossible to get them on without putting cooking oil on them like it says in the instructions. Problem is once their on with the oil, they turn a bit, and you do notice it while going up. perhaps the oil will dry and this problem will go away tho.

Now dont be fooled as this seen on tv on any door crap. I tried 4 differently built doors in my house and this thing did not work on a single one. First door, was to small width wise to get a good grip on the out pads. Not only that, but just supporting my weight chipped the wood above the door and made cracking sounds. I weigh only 165lbs too. I then tried a couple upstairs doors, same result. Went to the basement and tried that door. even worse. Wood was 100% going to break had I used all my weight.

Luckaly I noticed the steal T beams in my basement ran along one of the doorways. I was able to hook the bar onto the beam and still use the doorway. It seems to work ok (deffenitly no braking since its metal supporting me and not a crappy wooden door frame.). The height of the door frame (even a little higher since its on the metal) I find is low for me. Im 6' tall. I have to bend my lags a full 90 degrees just not to touch the ground, and even then im just barly off of it (this is with arms fully extended). This makes doing any sort of reps without touching the ground impossible. (refer to pictures below). The height I would like the bar to be is at the beam its hanging from, or possibly a bit higher up. I want to be able to reach the bar with my arms fully extended when standing like they do in the p90x videos, not bent like they are now.


Its very hard for my to do pull ups because of the low height. Chin ups are not so hard but I want to be able to do both. Ill try it for a few more weeks before I decide to return it or not. I probably will return it because its too low and I can gain another foot+ if I come up with my own custom solution for hanging something from the ceiling. Its probably a better product for people with super high doorways or shorter folks. Oh btw, do NOT hang this from a beam without the door frame. yes it does work, but if you sway slightly forward a bit it will slide off and you could seriously injure yourself.

http://xs223.xs.to/xs223/08030/img_0080845.jpg
http://xs223.xs.to/xs223/08030/img_0081856.jpg
http://xs223.xs.to/xs223/08030/img_0083875.jpg
http://xs223.xs.to/xs223/08030/img_0084895.jpg
http://xs223.xs.to/xs223/08030/img_0085471.jpg

I bought this bar and found out that it was meant to HANG over a door instead.
If you tried to put it on the trip, then the sharp corner of the rectangular bar would dig into your wall above the trim.

See the product picture on the box.

As you can see, the U portion is too long and goes in excess of 270 degree circumfrence, thus the bar that 'hooks' on top of the door trim is not flat with the wall and the trim.

You can buy this at the As Seen on TV Showcase shops for $39.99.

http://www.shopatshowcasecanada.com/chinupbar.html

If you look at the one made from other manufacturers and P90x, the bar is not that long and usually does not exceed 270 degrees.

I returned it and since they do not offer cash refunds, received in store credit instead.

Cheers

[lint]

I bought this bar and found out that it was meant to HANG over a door instead.
If you tried to put it on the trip, then the sharp corner of the rectangular bar would dig into your wall above the trim.

See the product picture on the box.

As you can see, the U portion is too long and goes in excess of 270 degree circumfrence, thus the bar that 'hooks' on top of the door trim is not flat with the wall and the trim.

You can buy this at the As Seen on TV Showcase shops for $39.99.

http://www.shopatshowcasecanada.com/chinupbar.html

If you look at the one made from other manufacturers and P90x, the bar is not that long and usually does not exceed 270 degrees.

I returned it and since they do not offer cash refunds, received in store credit instead.

Cheers

I swapped the top bar with a wooden dowel from home depot and put some racket grip on it. Works like a charm now. No slipping and no damage.

[Mintmaster]

how does this thing not fall down when you put your weight on it?Physics. Even if there's slippage, with the way it's set up, your body weight pulls the top part towards the wall. Of course, if you have a very rounded doorframe, then all bets are off...

[daaave]

anyone know where to buy the power trainer pro version of this pull-up bar? its the one that looks exactly like the p90x one. i didnt see it at walmart.


like this one (http://cgi.ebay.ca/Power-Trainer-Gym-Pro-Pull-Up-Bar-Door-Mount-BONUS-DVD_W0QQitemZ250254918127QQihZ015QQcategoryZ44081Q QcmdZViewItem)

[BlackRanger3d]

I made my own, it cost < $25. The J hooks are the weakest link and they are rated for 150 lbs each. It would be better if the eye bolts were longer such that my head is less likely to hit the joists.

http://img403.imageshack.us/img403/5735/barcb5.jpg

Resistance bands are what P90X recommends to substitute a chin/pull up.

We have a winner. Looks swweet.

[kleptodathief]

nice chin bars! i don't think i've done these in YEARS... how many reps is good to do? 30 reps till failure? i don't think girls can even do 1 chinup? :cheesygri

[hibachi13]

i figure id post in this tread as well since no one is looking in the p90x thread...

Im looking for a chin up bar (the one they use in p90x program)

treadmillfactory.ca has all the equipment
the chin-up bar sells for $40 (http://www.treadmillfactory.ca/index.php?goto=content&page=chin_up_bar_canada)


how does this price/brand compare with other fitness stores?
they also got the resistance bands for $15 is that a good price?

thanks

[sannin]

nice chin bars! i don't think i've done these in YEARS... how many reps is good to do? 30 reps till failure? i don't think girls can even do 1 chinup? :cheesygri

over 20 is quite good.

If you don't think girls can do chin-ups -> www.crossfit.com :lol:

[newbie_07]

sorry to revive an old thread.

I was wondering if anyone knew if it's possibel to mount the power trainer pro in an unfinished basement that doesn't have any door frames which it can be placed on. Somehow put it into the beams?

If not, I'd appreciate if anyone knows where you can buy a ceiling mountable pullup bar

thanks

[coroner]

sorry to revive an old thread.

I was wondering if anyone knew if it's possibel to mount the power trainer pro in an unfinished basement that doesn't have any door frames which it can be placed on. Somehow put it into the beams?

If not, I'd appreciate if anyone knows where you can buy a ceiling mountable pullup bar

thanks

same here. thanks!

[brendanhm]

over 20 is quite good.

If you don't think girls can do chin-ups -> www.crossfit.com :lol:

Hate to bump an old topic..butttt firstly there's a HUGE difference between the kipping pullups you see on Crossfit and the good old dead mans hang pullups. Although I am addicted to crossfit, I hate kipping pullups, its kinda like if you see someone at the gym doing their bench press really fast, where if they did it slowly they wouldn't be able to handle it. Alot of crossfit moves use momentum to lift the weight, although the explosiveness of the workouts is what I enjoy.

Anyways question, anyone know where to buy the steel and piping required to make a free standing pullup bar...checked out the homedepot website and couldnt find anything long enough.

[discostupid]

Bumping an old topic is not a bad thing, people shouldn't apologize about it. Better than having to read 20 threads when you do a search.

I've been looking into getting a chin up bar.

There are two that have commercials now and then. One is the Perfect Pullup, the other is the Iron Gym. Iron Gym is similar to Power Gym/Door Gym. Perfect Pullup has a different kind of thing where it has brackets to hold the bar. Some reviewers say it's not super sturdy.

In my country we had these bars that you can "screw" like a vice between the doorframe. Usually they had some kind of softish plastic so the frame doesnt get damaged. Unfortunately in Canada almost all doorframes are wood as opposed to metal so it's not as useful an option. Also I have not seen such kind of pullup bars being sold here.

[smolek]

Hey guys I picked up the PowerGym unit today at Sears and I ran into a problem installing it. The one stud I have above the door frame where I will mount it is located right in the middle of the frame, so should I just use one bracket to mount it on that stud, or 2 brackets mounted off the stud?

[Super_Coo]

i was at wal-mart and decided to pick up the power gym and try it (90 day return policy).

First off, the bar itself locks in place with clips instead of screws, giving it a 2-3 degrees of rotation when on it. You dont really notice it when using it however. You have to put the rubber grips on yourself (refer to the grips im holding in pic 3+4) for the inside and its impossible to get them on without putting cooking oil on them like it says in the instructions. Problem is once their on with the oil, they turn a bit, and you do notice it while going up. perhaps the oil will dry and this problem will go away tho.

Now dont be fooled as this seen on tv on any door crap. I tried 4 differently built doors in my house and this thing did not work on a single one. First door, was to small width wise to get a good grip on the out pads. Not only that, but just supporting my weight chipped the wood above the door and made cracking sounds. I weigh only 165lbs too. I then tried a couple upstairs doors, same result. Went to the basement and tried that door. even worse. Wood was 100% going to break had I used all my weight.

Luckaly I noticed the steal T beams in my basement ran along one of the doorways. I was able to hook the bar onto the beam and still use the doorway. It seems to work ok (deffenitly no braking since its metal supporting me and not a crappy wooden door frame.). The height of the door frame (even a little higher since its on the metal) I find is low for me. Im 6' tall. I have to bend my lags a full 90 degrees just not to touch the ground, and even then im just barly off of it (this is with arms fully extended). This makes doing any sort of reps without touching the ground impossible. (refer to pictures below). The height I would like the bar to be is at the beam its hanging from, or possibly a bit higher up. I want to be able to reach the bar with my arms fully extended when standing like they do in the p90x videos, not bent like they are now.


Its very hard for my to do pull ups because of the low height. Chin ups are not so hard but I want to be able to do both. Ill try it for a few more weeks before I decide to return it or not. I probably will return it because its too low and I can gain another foot+ if I come up with my own custom solution for hanging something from the ceiling. Its probably a better product for people with super high doorways or shorter folks. Oh btw, do NOT hang this from a beam without the door frame. yes it does work, but if you sway slightly forward a bit it will slide off and you could seriously injure yourself.

http://xs223.xs.to/xs223/08030/img_0080845.jpg
http://xs223.xs.to/xs223/08030/img_0081856.jpg
http://xs223.xs.to/xs223/08030/img_0083875.jpg
http://xs223.xs.to/xs223/08030/img_0084895.jpg
http://xs223.xs.to/xs223/08030/img_0085471.jpg

How wide is your door frame? Mine is 36" and I'm finding that most of them only fit up to 32"...

[XxXSnake23XxX]

just how effective is the chin up exercise? how many can one do on average? setting up a bar in your house might cause holes in the wall or it might even be unsafe as it might not be secured safely. there's gotta be other exercise methods to compensate for the chin up exercise.

#1 I didn't use the J clips provited and my chin up bar hasn't fallen off, while was on it. Ive had it on my door for 1 year. therefore no holes

#2 Use bands.... they will be as effective as long as your form is good

[quikkid]

Kinda against the point of this thread, but does anyone know where I could find a rafter mount chin up/ pull up bar?
Think something like this would be good enough?
http://cgi.ebay.ca/Pull-up-bar-Chin-up-bar-Rafter-mounted-P90x_W0QQitemZ260351801703QQcmdZViewItemQQptZExerc ise_Fitness_Strength?hash=item260351801703&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=72%3A1215|66%3A2|65%3A12|39%3A1|240%3A13 18#ebayphotohosting

[dxarmbar06]

Hey, so I bought one of those door jam pullup-bars that you hang over the trim of a doorway. I get to my dorm room, discover that there are industrial doors with zero trim, damn. Is there anyway to get a pullup bar that just hangs over the door itself with some L-brackets or something, I really don't want to have to throw a towel over the door itself to do pullups (that really sucks).

[LetsGoWings]

OP, your contemplating spending lots of money on a POS workout system and u won't even shell out $20 or less to FULLY use P90x?

[marclebert]

I watch the P90X training videos where you can do your workouts at home instead of paying for a gym membership. Theres a guy in the video that does pull ups with this thing attached to the ceiling. Whats it called and where would I find one? My rooms pretty tiny and we're not allowed to put pull ups bars outside the room door.

thanks.

Hi guys, this is my solution- I actually came up with the idea because I needed portable pull-up bars but you can do som much more! Dips, Leg raises, etc. They are called Equalizers- just go to www.lebertequalizer.com and anyone from this forumn can email me and I'll give you a code to use to save $10.00 OFF. Cheers, Marc