5 Best Pull up Bars for Home Gyms (Mounted, Door, Standing)

Looking to get in shape, but don’t have access to a gym? You can transform your home into a top-notch fitness center with the right pull-up bar. Pull-ups are a great exercise for building your back and total upper body strength.

While many options are available on the market today, finding the best one for your needs and budget can be overwhelming. In this post, we’ll share our picks of the best pull up bars, mounted pull-up bars, and door pull-up bars available right now so that you can find the perfect one for you!

What to look for when buying a pull-up bar

Grip

Another important feature to look for is the type of grip. A foam or rubber-coated bar can provide a comfortable grip, while one with a textured finish will help maximize traction when performing exercises.

Durability

Make sure the pull-up bar is made of durable materials that won’t break easily. This will ensure your safety and extend the life of the bar.

Variety of grip options

Something to consider could be the different grip angles on the pull-up bar. Some pull-up bars are only straight bars leaving you limited to only a few pull-up variations. While others can provide more variety such as neutral grip options.

Correct Sizing (For door pull-up bars)

First, the bar should fit securely and be properly sized to the opening of your door frame. A too-large or too-small bar won’t provide enough stability and support. Be sure to measure your doorway before purchasing a pull-up bar.

Space Capacity

Is this something you need to be able to put away and store? Or do you have space in your garage to keep it? The options to consider for this would be:

-Door Pull up bars (Easy storage and quick installation/non-permanent)

-Mounted (permanent, typically less space taken since on a wall or ceiling)

-Standing (non-permanent, but takes up much more space typically depending on the type you get)

Price

And as always, pricing. Find something within your budget to make it work so you can get your daily dose of pull-ups.

Best Door Pull up bars

The beauty of door pull-up bars is the easy installation and storage. These types of pull-up bars are installed by hooking them onto a doorframe and can be easily removed. The main downside of these types of pull-up bars is the stability. Now don’t get me wrong, door frame pull-up bars provide great stability, but not as much as a mounted pull-up bar.

This bar attaches easily to most standard doorways without the need for brackets or screws, making installation quick and easy. It features a foam padded grip that provides a firm but comfortable hold and ensures your safety when performing exercises. The AmazeFan Pull-Up Bar is made from heavy-duty steel and is advertised to have a 400-pound weight capacity (Keep in mind this is the strength of the bar itself and not your door frame strength). As far as the variety of grip variations, it has the standard shoulder width grip, close grip, and wide grip with its new “ergonomic” angle for better contraction. The main downside is there is no neutral grip variation and smaller contact points with the doorframe compared to most doorway pull-up bars. Overall still a great choice with solid stability and nice build quality.

As always, we like to include a budget-friendly option. The Iron Gym pull-up bar has everything you could want in a pull-up bar. Variety of grip options, padded grips, easy installation, easy storage, and an affordable price. The downside of a budget-friendly pull-up bar like this would be the potential damage it can do to your door frame and or wall. Also, the build quality of this may not be what you want in a pull-up bar, but other than that, not a bad choice for someone looking to get their daily dose of pull-ups or chin-ups. This pull-up bar can also be used as a bench dip to get a good workout in for your triceps. Overall a great bang for your buck type of basic pull-up bar option to have.

Best Mounted pull up bars

Mounted pull-up bars are great for providing a sturdy hold and stable pull-up bar. They take up little space but are also the only permanent bars on the list. Find a nice space in your garage or workout space to mount these on the wall or ceiling depending on the type of bar you go with.

The XMark pull-up bar is a great wall-mounted bar that provides stability and variety. It has 8 contact points with the wall for mounting and multiple grip options. It’s a little over 4 feet long so not too much space is taken when installing this pull-up bar. The bar weighs roughly 50 lbs making it heavy-duty and sturdy for up to 500 lbs. Overall a great pull-up bar for higher stability and heavy build quality.

The Yes4All pull-up bars are great for mounted pull-up bars in your garage. They are made of heavy-duty steel that can hold up to 300 lbs. As mentioned these are wall-mounted bars so they will be permanent bars that you could keep on your garage wall. The grip variation for this pull-up bar varies depending on the model you decide to get. If you only want a simple straight bar then they do have a cheaper option for that, otherwise, the multi-grip option has everything you would want; standard Grip, wide grip, close grip, various neutral grips as well as angled grips as well. The Yes4All bars DO NOT come padded but do have a knuckle grip. Overall a great sturdy constructed bar for garage builds and has a variety of choices to suit what you’re looking for.

Best Freestanding Pull up bars

Freestanding pull-up bars offer great stability and don’t require installation on your wall. The main downside is that they do take up much more space than the other 2 pull-up bars. Being that they take up more space, they use more material and often cost more than other pull-up bars. But if you have the money and space for them, they’re a great option for getting in your pull-ups.

This standing pull-up bar features 4 grip positions as well as grips for dips, grips for push-ups, and a backrest and armrest for ab exercises. It also has an adjustable height of up to 92.7 inches (7.7 feet). The power tower is durable for up to 440 lbs and comes with a triangle-shaped base to ensure stability while working out. This pull-up bar is a great option for multi-function use while still providing what you need to do pull-ups. Overall a great piece of equipment for the price and versatility.

Tip for getting your first pull up

Getting your first pull-up can be difficult, but not impossible. Some things you can do to get your first pull could be:

Start with a lower progression

Using a TRX band, you can perform suspended rows as an easier variation.

Use a Resistance band

Using a resistance band can help alleviate pulling your full body weight and give you the motion of a proper pull-up.

Use a Chair or Stool

Similar to using a resistance band, using a chair can give you assistance when learning to do your first pull-up.

Tips for doing more pull-ups

At this point, you’ve already accomplished your first pull-up but want to get your numbers up. Here are a few tips for increasing your number of pull-ups:

Use a resistance band

Although this is good for getting your first pull-up, it should not be overlooked to increase your reps.

Increase your grip strength

The last thing you want is to have to drop from the bar because you lose your grip. You can strengthen your grip by hanging from the bar for periods of time like 10 seconds to a full minute.

This will allow you to hang on the bar much longer and improve the strength of your forearms.

Practice Holds

Holding your pull-up at the top position or the dead hang can increase your overall strength for pull-ups. When pulling to the top, try to hold for 5 seconds before slowly coming down.

Final Thoughts on Best Pull up bars

While there are many ways to get a good workout in, one of the most efficient is the pull-up. Pull-ups work for multiple large muscle groups at once, making them a great compound exercise. In addition, they’re relatively easy to do and don’t require any equipment beyond a simple pull-up bar.

Whether you’re looking to add muscle, burn fat, or simply improve your overall fitness, pull-ups should definitely be part of your routine. And with so many different types of pull-up bars available, it’s easy to find one that fits your needs.