The Pull Up Bar - often overlooked yet indispensable!

The Pull Up Bar, or Chin Up Bar, also called Chinning Bar
(Resistance Bands also shown here)

Almost every playground in the neighbourhood where I grew up had monkey bars. We could learn to hang, climb, and whether we knew it or not, we would perform classic pull ups even as we played.

Whenever I ask kids today if they play on monkey bars, I'm always surprised to learn how so few of them have any experience with playground equipment.

That's too bad. Basic movement skills such as hanging, climbing, pushing, and pulling is fundamental for developing upper and lower body coordination, strength, balance, and spatial awareness.

The pull up is one of the most underrated and often overlooked exercise.

If you have trouble performing even one chin up, start by hanging for about 10 seconds, two or three times. Even the simple act of hanging will help to build up your strength. With consistent practice, it won't be long before you can complete an entire set of pull ups!

It's a great exercise that's conspicuously lacking from many training programs today. Both men and women should possess the basic strength to lift your own body weight.

And all you need to perform this great exercise is a simple pull up bar.

Some are wall-mounted chin up bars, some are ceiling-mounted chin up bars-- but by far, the most popular kind is the basic doorway pull up bar.

I should probably mention straight away that although I've tried a number of different chinning bars, I don't actually have one-- primarily because I've opted instead for a stand-alone chin up station.

It's definitely pricier, less convenient, and requires the space and ceiling height, but it resolves the two biggest constraints I see with doorway pull up bars...

First, doorways are generally never high enough which means if you're tall with long limbs like me, you may need to bend your knees significantly so your legs don't touch the ground when your arms are fully extended.

Secondly, it's a little troublesome to perform wide grip pull ups. If your doorway is the standard 32 inches, it's actually not so bad but if you have narrow doorways closer to 24 inches you may not be able to perform this variation of pull ups.

That said, these are not significant disadvantages. A good doorway chin up bar will allow you to add this great exercise to your training program which you can perform easily any time you workout from home.

I recommend the Creative Fitness Door Gym Pull Up Bar.

As I've alluded to above, I actually don't own one so I can't really make any strong recommendations either way.

However, based on all the chin up bars I've seen and used, and based upon the comments and experiences of all my clients who use chinning bars-- the Creative Fitness Door Gym seems to elicit the fewest unhappy surprises.

Do pay close attention to door size, moulding, and trim requirements-- regardless of which chinning bar you choose.

If you're not much of a 'handyman' around the house, you'll appreciate that the Creative Fitness Door Gym can be assembled in minutes without tools. It attaches without bolts or fasteners and can quickly be removed for easy travel.

The Fitness Door Gym chinning Bar uses a 'cantilever' design to support up to 300 pounds of body weight. It's a strong, sturdy chin up bar.

If you don't have the space for a stand-alone chin up station or would rather not scout the neighbourhood for playground monkey bars-- then a pull up bar is the ideal, ultimate piece of home fitness equipment for you!

Ready to buy? Visit the Store: Home Fitness Equipment a-Store

(Or, visit here for a direct link to all Pull Up Bar products.)

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