Best Free Standing Pull Up Bars

Free standing pull up bars buyers guide

If you’re looking for a great way to get fit and improve your strength, you should consider adding a free standing pull up bar to your home workout arsenal. These bars are versatile pieces of equipment that can help you work out your entire body, and they’re relatively affordable and easy to set up.

It is also worth mentioning that free standing pull up bars are a great addition to any home gym or even in some cases commercial gyms. They allow for more variations than the typical wall mounted pull up bar and they also give you freedom to move around with no protruding hardware in your way.  

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What are the best free standing pull up bars?

Here we will take a look at our best free standing pull up bars from the hundreds of free standing pull up bar reviews that we have researched and analysed in great detail.

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How to choose the best free standing pull up bars for you

There are several types of pull up bars. You can find them almost anywhere these days including popular retail stores. But don’t forget to check online retailers as well because you can get a better deal there for the same product in some cases.

The best free standing pull up bars will come with different features that can accommodate your needs. The following list includes the most common features found in these pieces of gym equipment:

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Price

Price should be one of your top priorities when choosing a free standing pull up bar because there are many models to choose from and they all come in different price ranges. You don’t have to spend a fortune just to get a quality piece of gym equipment for your home, but you do have to keep in mind that the higher the price is, the better features it will usually include.

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Width

If you want to maximize your pull up performance then you should investigate getting a free standing pull up bar with a width of no less than 24 inches. This will give you enough room to perform wide grip pull-ups without hitting your head against the bar.

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Height

If you are taller than 6ft it’s best that you look for a free standing pull up bar that is around 8ft tall because this allows you to grip the bar without having to bend down too much. But keep in mind that if you are shorter than 6ft it’s best that you choose a model with a height of around 7-8 ft so that your feet can touch the floor while performing pull ups. This will give you enough room to perform the exercise without having to bend your knees too much or straining your back muscles.

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Weight Capacity

This is important because it will let you know how many pounds this piece of gym equipment can handle without bending under the weight. Usually, manufacturers include this information in their product descriptions so you should always read it carefully before making a purchase.

The safest free standing pull up bars will come with safety features that help prevent injuries while performing your workout routine. To ensure maximum safety for you and your family members here are the safety features that you should look for in a free standing pull up bar:

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Stability

It’s very important that the base of your pull up bar is properly covered with rubberized material to prevent accidents. Also, if possible, try to go for a continuous base instead of a triangular one because this will provide you with better stability.

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Grip

Even if a pull up bar can support your weight, there’s no guarantee that it will be very comfortable for you to hold onto. So, when choosing a freestanding pull up bar it’s best that you choose the one with multiple grip positions so that you have options in case the current grid location is uncomfortable or gets damaged.

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Accessories

Some free standing pull up bars come with accessories that you can use to perform other types of exercises like dips, leg raises or push-ups.

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Comfort

The best free standing pull up bars will provide you with maximum comfort while performing pull ups and other accessory workouts (if it has them). One way to find out if a certain model is comfortable for you to hold onto is by checking online reviews from other customers who have already purchased it. The two most important factors to consider when looking for a pull up bar are the safety features and comfortability. If you buy a pullup bar that is stable, has multiple grip positions and feels comfortable in your hands then you will certainly get a high-quality piece of gym equipment that can last for many years.

If budget is your biggest concern, then keep in mind that most free standing pull up bars have a wide price range, and this will depend on the features and durability of each model. You can choose between a basic model with multiple grip locations and great stability for around $100, but if you want to get more features like an extra wide base or multiple grip position then you should expect to spend around $200-300.

And finally, if you are looking for a free standing pull up bar that can support 500lbs of weight then all you have to do is take a good look at the design and choose the one with double steel tubes instead of single ones. This will prevent bending and ensure maximum stability, but keep in mind that the more weight it can support the bigger it will be and harder to move and store.

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What exercises can you do with free standing pull up bars?

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Wide-Grip Pull-ups / Chin-ups / Supinated Chin-ups

Typically, the widest grip you can utilize is about shoulder width apart. If that is not wide enough for you, then you need to upgrade your pull up bar or doorway attachment to a wider one. Perform these by gripping the bar with your hands wider than your shoulder width. Pull yourself up until your chin is above the bar.

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Close-Grip Chin-ups / Supinated Chin-ups

For this grip, grab the bar with your hands about 6 inches apart from each other. This will target a different part of your back versus a wide grip pullup and will give your biceps a good workout as well.

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Parallel Grip Pull-ups

For this grip, hold the bar with both palms facing you and shift your body so that your chest is right above the bar. Your face should be looking up at the ceiling and not forward or down. If you cannot perform every single rep in your set with good form, then you are going to have to drop the number of reps or find a lighter load. You should not flail your body around trying to accomplish the movement.

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Behind-the-Neck Pull-ups

Be very careful with this one as it can be hard on your shoulders if you have pre-existing conditions or aren’t warmed up. In this movement, position your hands behind your head and pull yourself up until your chin is above the bar.

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Wide-Grip Overhand Pull-ups

Grip the bar with a wider than shoulder width grip and lower yourself down to an over the head/behind the neck arm position before pulling back up.

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Underhand Pull-ups

Grip the bar with a shoulder width grip but this time, lower yourself down until your head is below the bar before pulling back up. This will shift more stress to your biceps and forearms versus a normal chin up.

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Assisted or Band Pull-ups / Chin-ups

You can do these by looping a resistance band or two around the chin up bar, reaching both ends of the bands with your arms extended. Make sure you have some tension on it before starting to pull yourself up. If you need more leverage, simply put your foot in one end of the band and that will help take some of your body weight off you as well as adding resistance. You can also use a very heavy backpack, duffle bag or dumbbell to hold on to as you pull yourself up. The options for this one are endless.

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One Pull-up/Chin-up at a time

If you have a chin up bar that is high enough so your feet don’t touch the ground, you can simply do one pull up and then step onto a sturdy box or bench and jump back into the top position of a push up and then do another rep. You can gradually increase your range of motion over time by stepping further away from the chin up bar each set until eventually getting to full extension with your arms locked out overhead.

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L-Hang

Grab the pull up bar with an overhand grip and support yourself with your legs hanging straight down. To keep your body from swinging, be sure to engage your core and maintain a slightly arched back as you hold on for dear life! This is a great core workout as well as a grip strength challenge.

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V-Sit Chin-ups

In this movement, as you pull yourself up you are going to spread your legs as far as possible and touch your toes with the inside of your ankles while trying to keep your butt off the ground. You can make it harder by touching a medicine ball or other heavy object between your legs. This one really blasts your core and grip strength.

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Benefits of free standing pull up bars

Why should you buy a pull-up bar? What are its benefits? And what’s good about these bars apart from the obvious fact that they look cool? Here are some of its advantages:

1. Improve your overall upper body strength. The more of your upper-body muscles you use, the stronger they become over time, which means greater ability to do pull-ups and chin-ups.

2. Reduce risk of injury during sports or other activities that involve carrying loads up or down stairs

3. Increase grip strength. You can use an assisted pull-up machine at the gym to increase your ability to do pull-ups.

4. Tone your arms, back, buttocks and legs

5. Strengthen your core muscles, which are important for maintaining good balance and posture throughout your body. Healthy abs also reduce the risk of lower back pain.

6. Reduce stress and increase happiness

7. Improve cardiovascular performance

8. Better understanding of your own body while working on various muscles by yourself. You can control how much you can lift, or which muscles you work out.

9. Workout at home, in your office or anywhere you want without the hassle of going to a fitness club and paying expensive fees for equipment.

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Tips for using free standing pull up bar

1. Your grip should be around shoulder width but see how you feel most comfortable with it.

2. Squeezing your abs/butt is an old trick that always helps when you’re doing pull ups. You squeeze your butt together and you tighten up your abs to stop them putting their hand into your belly button/navel area. This helps because at that point in time, there is no way nothing can be pulled out/away from your body. It’s the same when doing pull ups, you should be squeezing your butt and tightening up (not too much) your abs.

3. Raise yourself with your legs! Your arms are only there to support you. If you want extra height to help, get your chin over the bar, then swing them like in the video.

4. When hanging from the bar, your body should try to form a straight line going from your feet through to your hands. Forcing yourself into a bend in your legs is not good for you.

5. If you’re struggling, don’t worry! Anyone can do pull ups if they train their body up to it. Just keep going and building up the number of reps each time. I guarantee that if you try a month or two of training with a pull-up bar, you will notice a difference in your strength, and you’ll be getting more reps.

6. If needed, have a spotter do the ‘lift’ at the bottom of your pull up motion to get you started! With this method, however, they should only help you up enough so that you can start doing the motion yourself.

7. If you still struggle, try the negatives. You’ll get even more of a workout that way.

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Conclusion

The best free standing pull-up bars are an essential fitness accessory for anyone looking to build upper body strength from the comfort of their own home. No matter what type you choose, all these options can deliver incredible benefits with a relatively small and budget friendly package that will have your muscles feeling great after use!

Happy training!