Jonathon Heddings
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Pull-up bars are a great way to exercise your upper body and core, using only your body weight. Most bars can also be used for a variety of other exercises like push-ups, sit-ups, and dips.
What to Look for in a Pull-Up Bar?
Pull-up bars are a great tool to build strength, but before you decide on one to purchase, you should consider what your needs are.
- Size: One of the most important things to do before purchasing a pull-up bar is making sure that it’s going to fit where you want to use it. Some doorways are too small or large to support a pull-up bar properly. So, if you have a non-standard door frame, make sure the one you buy is going to fit.
- Grip: There are many different ways to use a pull-up bar to work out different areas of the body. The direction you grip the bar, and the distance between your hands significantly change the workout you’re getting. Pull-up bars with multiple grip areas maximize the muscles you can work out with the equipment.
- Comfort: You’re going to be hanging your entire body from the bars. The contact points should not only be comfortable, but they need to be easy to grip. You don’t want to be slipping off like it’s a carnival game.
The Best for Most People: Perfect Fitness Multi-Gym Pro
The Perfect Fitness Multi-Gym Pro is an excellent product with three different grip positions—narrow, wide, and neutral. On top of the three kinds of pull-ups that you can do with this product, it is designed so that if you place it on the floor of a doorway, it can be used to support sit-ups, dips, and push-ups, giving you a wide variety of options to get your exercise in.
The Multi-Gym Pro fits in most standard doorways ranging from 26 to 33-inches and can be constructed in a couple of different ways. There are multiple holes in the bars at different lengths, so that even if your molding is larger than usual, you can extend the bar down further into the doorframe to make sure that it will fit properly. The flat padding surface distributes the weight of your body more evenly onto your door’s frame, preventing indentation and markings after long term use that other models with round supports might leave. This also allows the ends of the pull-up bar to double as an extra-wide grip without the need for a weaker, secondary bar.
Perfect Fitness Multi-Gym Doorway Pull Up Bar and Portable Gym System, Pro
The Perfect Fitness Multi-Gym Pro lets you perform pull-ups from three different grip locations, can be used on the ground for sit-ups or push-ups, and has flat padding to prevent damage to your doorway or molding.
$44.99 
The Budget Choice: ProSource Multi-Grip Pull Up Bar
The ProSource Multi-Grip Pull-Up Bar has five different sets of padded grips for multiple hand positions. It can also be placed on the floor for more comfortable push-ups and tricep dips. There are three distinct, horizontal grips for standard orientation pull-ups to ensure that there will be a comfortable position for almost anyone—regardless of size and shoulder width. It can also fit in any standard doorframe (22-36-inches ), so it’s perfect for anyone looking to improve their health on a budget.
ProsourceFit Multi-Grip Chin-Up/Pull-Up Bar, Heavy Duty Doorway Trainer for Home Gym (ps-1109-cu), Black
The ProSource Multi-Grip Pull-Up Bar has the most grip locations for its price. This pull-up bar has five different sets of grips that can be used for all sorts of workouts.
$31.30 $34.99 Save 11%
The Premium Pick: Gym1 Power Fitness Package
If you’re looking for versatility in a product, the Gym1 Power Fitness Package will give you all the advantages of a pull-up bar and so much more. This product offers up to six grip locations for doing different pull-ups, and also comes with ab straps that your arms can slip into, giving you more control of your core during exercises.
This product can fit in any standard doorframe (26-36-inches) and uses vice grips instead of leverage to support you–making it the most secure over-the-door pull-up bar on the market. Not only can you do all sorts of swinging and twisting on this bar, but it is also built to support many different attachments. It can hold heavy punching bags, speed bags, yoga straps, gymnastic rings, and much more. Gym1 offers a variety of different products to give you more options and extend this bar’s utility.
Gym1 Power Fitness Package (Pull Up Bar, Pullup Extender, and Ab Straps)
The Gym1 Power Fitness Package is the best way to take full advantage of your doorway. The vice clamps give you the security for a full range of motion and can be used to hang up punching bags, gymnastic rings, yoga straps, and more.
The Best for Tall People: Ultimate Body Press Pull Up Bar
The Ultimate Body Press Pull-Up Bar is another great option that we couldn’t leave out. This product offers six different grip locations, three of which are elevated in front of the bar. The extra height off the ground is great for taller people who hate having to bend their legs to fit into anything made for normal-sized people. It also gives you some extra distance from the door frame, giving you more shoulder room and letting you take full advantage of the extra-wide grips without bumping your arms constantly on everything. It can fit most standard doorways starting at 26-inches and has expanders that let it reach up to 36-inches so that you can install it anywhere.
Ultimate Body Press XL Doorway Pull Up Bar with Elevated Bar & Adjustable Width
The Ultimate Body Press Pull-Up bar allows you to perform your exercises even higher off the ground, letting even taller people workout without needing to keep their legs bent.
$66.49 $76.99 Save 14%
The Most Compact Option: Garren Fitness Maximiza Pull Up Bar
If you’re looking for a more compact pull-up bar that doesn’t take up a ton of space, the Garren Fitness Maximiza Pull-Up Bar is a single-bar option that can still hold up to 300 pounds depending on the mounting used. It fits in doorways ranging from 26 to 39-inches with three different installation options for varying weight-bearing options. The least secure option just uses the friction from being extended into the doorway until it fits tight—this can hold up to 100lbs. The other more secure options require you to screw in two end-mounts on either side of your doorway, and the bar extends into place between the mounts. It comes with two sets of heavy-duty mounts (can hold up to 300lbs) and one medium-duty set (can hold up to 200lbs) meaning that you can install the bar in multiple locations for different kinds of exercises. Depending on your doorway and how it’s installed, it is also one of the few options that can stay in the door all the time, even when the door is shut.
Garren Fitness Maximiza Pull Up Bar - Doorway Pullup Bar/Chin up Bar with 3 Sets of Screw-in Required Door-Mounts (2 Heavy-Duty and 1 Medium-Duty Sets), 26 to 39 Inches Adjustable Width
The Garren Fitness Maximiza Pull-Up Bar is a compact, single-bar option that will let you work out your upper body and core without getting in the way.
