Gear

The Best Pull-Up Bars for Every Type of Home Gym

Bye-bye, pandemic bod.

by Sal Vaglica
Updated: 
Originally Published: 
One of the best pull-up bars for home gyms, set against a red background

By having you pony up to the pull-up bar, as he stood nearby with a clipboard, your high school gym teacher was onto something. The pull-up might be the most effective upper body move out there. With one challenging motion you can build upper body strength—back, arms, and shoulders—and work your core. Any home workout should include a pull-up, and luckily the required gear is easy to integrate into even the smallest home gym (one that maybe now doubles as a living room).

Picking the best pull-up bar is a balance between the max weight limit you need and where you’ll be mounting it. The easiest to install are the doorway pull-up bars that pop on and off the jamb. Others bolt to the ceiling or upper part of the wall. And if you have the room, a dedicated piece of equipment or free-standing pull-up bar can help you integrate some other moves into your workout. These are the six best pull-up bars for dads who want to skip the gym.

Iron Gym Total Upper Body Workout Bar by Iron Gym
$22.19
Wall or Ceiling Mount Pull-Up Bar by Ultimate Body Press
$129.94
HD Multi-Grip Wall-Mounted Pull-Up Bar by Titan Fitness
$119.99
3W Fold Back Wall Mounted Rack by Rogue

For those with a spare room or garage to dedicate to a home gym, this folding wall rack is a rock-solid pull-up bar, but that’s just the start. The DIY installable steel rack folds flat against the wall with hinges when not in use, preserving floor space. When it's time to work, swing it open to do pull-ups, other hanging or resistance movements, or to rack a barbell while squatting or benching.

$495
KT Folding Stand by KT Khanh Trinh
$279.99

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