Originally published at: https://boingboing.net/2019/02/20/this-door-frame-chin-up-bar-ha.html
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Good idea. One doesn’t need to spend hours in a gym, finding a spot in your day for a few lifts can make a big difference.
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I have a different kind of chin-up bar set up but i do confess to ignoring it. I tried some weeks ago to use it and quickly gave up. I really need to get more active, i think for now i’ll pass on the bar. My immediate priority is to build a situp bench i bought a few weeks ago (i have not set it up yet).
Happy it worked for you. I’ve always been too heavy for those (bent one I had, even when I was in good shape) and hate having to tuck my legs to work in a normal doorway and always having to control my movement so as to not put a dent in the ceiling.
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I would recommend investing something more like this
better support over all, bolts into a door frame.
Pull ups are a pretty basic movement when it’s done strict and proper. Keeping a tight core with the position hollowed / bowls closed is best. Doing 10-12 reps is OK, however you will end up fatiguing faster. When we do pull ups in crossfit the optimal movement is a good kip and strong, proper grip on the bar. This allows for higher, more consistent reps that will eventually lead to a stronger pull to chest to bar (my favorite).
Keep at it and look into cannonball / bar grips that you can sling over the bar, this will improve your grip and forearm strength.
And…proper stretch / recovery is essential.
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I didn’t realize these things were so cheap. I tend to associate them mostly with hilarious failure videos. I might be tempted to check one of them out, but I think I’m too tall for them to really be effective for the average-height doors of my apartment.
I like this article about why it is demonstrable that people with shorter arms will have an easier time with pull-ups.
Aye, verily, gotta keep at it until the urge to post pics becomes uncontrollable.
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They have some pretty serious rubber plugs that are anchored to the doorframe with very long screws. The bar then expands over the plugs, exerts pressure outwards and over the anchors. I was scared I’d hurt myself badly with it, but the bar is not moving unless I take it down.
@mister44 I hate photos of me, you are safe. Plus if I blog my marshmallow soft “3-pack” then Cory and Xeni will feel obligated to shame me.
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I can easily do that every year.
Relevant:
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Hmm.
THE AVERAGE GUY’S CHINUP COUNT
Weight Total
140-159 8-12
160-179 7-10
180-200 3-5
200+ 1-3
I’m right at the 180/179 threshold. So if I start doing your chinups and lose a few ounces, I’ll then have to double my chinup count to stay average?
No thank you my friend!
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Related:
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If you want to add some dumbbell exercises, I love these weights.
Each can be adjusted from 3 - 24 lbs in increments of 3 lbs. They take up a fraction of the space of a traditional set.
There is a higher weight version (but I won’t need those for a long while).
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I have dumbells in decent increments from 2lbs up to 20lbs, I am not sure I looked at the specific ones you recommend but reading reviews of those people were either thrilled or had a very bad experience with those dial-a-weight systems. The bad experiences sounded painful so I went with what I knew (also I can use the 10, 15, and 20s to hold doors shut and keep my Great Pyr from opening them.)
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Time to up the difficulty. Try your chin-ups and pull-ups with your legs held out stiff in front of you like an L. Add a resistance band to put your feet through so that you can get in more reps and work the negatives harder. Hang a towel over the bar and hold onto it instead of the bar. Do reverse chest flyes with TRX handles hung from the bar. Sacrifice a young goat for Ishtar.
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I was looking into magnetic plates as an alternative to buying dumbbells in 5 lb increments, but I can’t seem to find them for cheap.
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My version is possibly a little over-engineered.
(Disclaimer: I can’t really even use the shallowest/narrowest holds yet)
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I had one of those in college. Got up to 12 chin ups (didn’t know what a pull up was back then). I’d stay up all hours and one night at 3 AM the bar gave out. I landed flat on my back. It was a high ceiling - terrifying. And woke everyone up in the apartment building I think. I use this now and it covers a lot more (dips in particular are good): https://www.amazon.com/RELIFE-REBUILD-YOUR-LIFE-Equipment/dp/B07H24K4HC/ref=zg_bs_3408391_1?_encoding=UTF8&refRID=M4C80456ZXVP5F27PXSG
