Pull Up Bar?

[cholo]

I have very little upper body strength and this seems to be causing me some issues.

Some injuries that i have suffered appear to be because i have a weak core and lower back issues, which again i think are probably caused by weak muscles (as well as bad posture)

I therefore want to try and fix this by strengthening my upper body somewhat. I am not looking to go huge, and i don't think there is any point me trying to anyway, as i am naturally skinny and run a few times a week. Just want to be a bit more toned/stronger.

I have started doing a body weight routine at home (as well as weight machines at the gym)

My routine usually involves squats/crunches/plank/sit ups and lunges. This is good, but i don't think i am covering all of the muscle group.

I was thinking of getting some sort of pull up bar. I have seen some on ebay for about £10 that attach to the door, but not sure if they will be any good. Will i need something a bit more substantial?

Go give you an idea of my lack of strength, when i started i was struggling to do 3 push ups - i am now up to about 8!

[soad]

Have a look on Amazon? Customer reviews tend to make it easier.

[HappyMidget]

We have one of these as they are a lot more secure than the usual pressure fit style https://www.amazon.co.uk/Doorway-Exercise-Portable...

[The Ferret]

I used to have one of these for the exact same reason

https://www.powerhouse-fitness.co.uk/marcy-md2100-...

It's a bit more expensive than the door option, but has the benefit of offering a few more exercises as well. It does take up a bit of room too.

[cholo]

The Ferret said:

I used to have one of these for the exact same reason

https://www.powerhouse-fitness.co.uk/marcy-md2100-...

It's a bit more expensive than the door option, but has the benefit of offering a few more exercises as well. It does take up a bit of room too.

Thanks - that looks like it could be quite useful.

How do people find the height of the door ones?

I am 6'2" and am thinking it might be a bit low..

[The Ferret]

cholo said:

Thanks - that looks like it could be quite useful.

How do people find the height of the door ones?

I am 6'2" and am thinking it might be a bit low..

you get the same problem with the power station I posted, you need them in a garage really, somewhere with open roof space to allow you to use the full range of motion for the exercise.

The ones that hang off the door mean your starting point is a lot lower, assuming there is a bit of space between the top of your door and ceiling that would allow you to get enough height in your exercise. However, starting at a lower point means your legs are touching the floor at the start, so you almost need to lift them at the knee while doing the exercise to make sure your not touching the floor. All this ever did for me was aggravate my back, so for that reason (and also because I'm OCD about my decorating) I've never bothered with one.

[anonymous-user]

A weak lower back and core may be exacerbated by increasing your upper body strength alone as you may then more easily 'overpower' them.

I spent far too many years playing rugby and without training would probably have been a similar shape/build to my dad, and at 17/18 I was c 70-75kg. I added c 20-25kg of muscle to that and played around 100-105kg from c 23-35. Whilst I did get a number of lower joint injuries and broken bones, I never had any back injuries and I played in the front row for a few of those years.

One of reasons for this was doing quite a lot of whole body lift exercises, especially deadlift, squats, cleans, clean & jerk , as well as bench, chin/press etc

If you can find a decent place to train you how to lift properly then it will most likely have a big positive impact. You have to learn proper technique though, as done badly...ouch..!!!

[soad]

Imho, pull up bars best work outdoors. Gym equipment aside.

[oddman]

The Ferret said:

I used to have one of these for the exact same reason

https://www.powerhouse-fitness.co.uk/marcy-md2100-...

It's a bit more expensive than the door option, but has the benefit of offering a few more exercises as well. It does take up a bit of room too.

This looks a good piece of kit - I've use powerhouse fitness for other kit and they have delivered on value and reliability

You might want to try some resistance bands to assist in body weight exercises

[V8covin]

I have 1 that looks identical to this but cost a lot more.Ideal for all upper body parts
https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2...

[Hoofy]

You want this: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Powerbar-assembly-Folds-D...

I have used mine regularly since I bought the original one when it was first mentioned on PH. The handle is higher than those cheaper ones.

[hyphen]

I don't like the door ones, always a bit cramped and so on, it is a compromise that most can do without.

I also have a powebar as linked below which I got with the intention of taking around when travelling, but depending on hotel door location it mostly doesn't fit, and also may mark the door so ended up gathering dust somewhere until I locate and flog it.

As said, get a powerstation (as they have dips bars), or a pullup bar that screws onto a wall, or an outdoor one and stick in your garden.

If you get a power station, spend a bit more and get a sturdy one. Or just do it right and get a power rack!

Edited by hyphen on Thursday 23 November 10:24

[RobM77]

I have a simple door mounted one from Argos. I went for one with screws - you can always fill, sand and paint the holes if you ever take it down and it's far more secure. It's been in two houses now over ten years and has performed faultlessly. It is important to have the right sort of space above the door though.

I'm just finishing building a gym at home and in there we will have a permanently mounted wall one, which has different grips etc. I haven't mounted it yet, but it looks good.