Pull-ups are a classic for a reason. They are one of the most effective bodyweight exercises, helping strengthen your back, shoulders, arms, chest, and core. Depending on the grip position you use, you can modify the exercise to target your lats, traps, deltoids, biceps, pecs, forearms, abs, and rotator cuff muscles. As a functional exercise, the strength you build from regularly doing pull-ups also carries over to many other lifts, such as deadlifts and squats, and develops core strength and stability applicable to nearly all movements.
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Whether you are hoping to develop the required strength and technique to master your first full pull-up, or are a pull-up pro looking to knock out numerous sets throughout the day, investing in a quality pull-up bar, as well as in resistance bands, for home use will allow you to add this fitness staple to your workout routine as often as you dare take it on. With the exercise equipment market seemingly saturated with all sorts of pull-up bars, deciding which unit to buy can be overwhelming. Because many of the options really don’t offer the quality, stability, and functionality they claim to, we combed through our favorite picks to highlight what we consider to be the best choices out there.
Best Doorway Pull-Up Bar: Iron Age Pull-Up Bar Doorway
There are several things we love about this bar. Unlike most pull-up bars, it doesn’t require any hardware, so there’s no damage to your door frame. In fact, its “smart hook technology” allows you to hook it directly onto your doorway, right out of the box, with zero assembly required. The bar itself is constructed from sturdy carbon, affording a 440-pound maximum weight. Its unique design raises the upper handlebar six inches higher than standard doorway pull-up bars, making it a good option for taller guys. When you’re done banging out your reps, you can simply lift and remove the Iron Age bar, and fold it up for easy storage. The bar fits doorways that are 27.56–36.22 inches wide.
Best Wall-Mounted Pull-Up Bar: BDL Wall-Mounted Pull-Up Multifunctional Bar
This multifunctional bar is a good option if you’re looking to diversify the exercises you can do in your home gym and want an alternative to the common doorway-mounted pull-up bars. It’s a heavy-duty piece of equipment, and should not be installed on drywall or plaster walls; brick or concrete is recommended. It has quite a few foam-coated, comfort handles, so you can perform pull-ups and chin-ups with a variety of grip widths and positions, dips, vertical knee raises, and core exercises. The pull-up bar is 38 inches wide (great for those wide-grip reps) and the high-density back and elbow cushions distribute pressure evenly across your spine, torso, and upper body. The BDL bar can serve as a workout station because it provides strong suspension anchors for attaching other training accessories, including TRX straps, resistance bands, and speed bags. The weight capacity of the unit is 440 pounds, and you can rotate it between the two primary positions easily once you have installed the included hardware.
Best Ceiling-Mounted Pull-Up Bar: Gronk Fitness Ceiling-Mounted Multi-Grip Pull-Up Bar
A ceiling-mounted pull-up bar is a great option if you don’t want to tie up a door frame with your exercise gear or if you are too tall to find door frame-mounted bars comfortable. The Gronk Fitness bar is a beast in terms of its strength and durability, boasting an impressive 800-pound maximum weight capacity. Even if you have a larger build and plan to do loaded pull-ups, this bar should have you covered. It’s easy to install with the included hardware, and its 48” length makes it suitable to span all standard stud widths. Lastly, it’s more functional than more basic bars out there because the different crossbars allow for a variety of grip positions so you can target different muscles and take on all sorts of pull-up modifications.
Best Multifunctional Pull-Up Bar: Redliro Pull-Up Door Bar
This product is great for guys looking for a multifunctional option that’s still compatible with most standard doorways. The unique design makes it a versatile piece of fitness equipment, supporting exercises such as varied-grip pull-ups and chin-ups, dips, and hanging knee raise. The unit also comes with straps with handles for suspension training exercises like bodyweight rows and suspended pushups. It installs quickly and easily because it uses leverage and simply hangs in the door jamb without the need for screws. The foam coating over the various surfaces and handles reduces hand discomfort and prevents slipping. The unit has a weight capacity of 330 pounds and is compatible with indoor frames that are 24–36 inches wide and 4–6.5 inches deep.
Best Power Tower: ZENOVA Power Tower Pull Up Bar
The Zenova Power Tower is sturdy, versatile, and adjustable, making it one of our favorite options for home gym power towers. The sturdy frame is constructed from reinforced steel, and the U-shaped base with anti-skid tread lends reliable stability by providing an extended load-bearing surface area. The backrest can be moved into six possible positions so that you can get the best fit to optimize your comfort, form, and ergonomics. The height-adjustable barbell rests can be moved into 11 possible positions along with the height of the frame, so the power tower can also be used for exercises like incline or standard bench presses with the addition of a bench and weights. The unit can accommodate loads up to 400 pounds.
Best Budget Pull-Up Bar: Iron Gym Total Upper Body Workout Bar
If you’re looking for a functional pull-up bar that will get the job done, and aren’t necessarily interested in any extra bells and whistles, this option from Iron Gym is a solid choice. It is constructed from heavy-duty steel and supports up to 300 pounds. The bar is coated in high-quality foam to improve comfort, and the range of possible grip positions allow for pronated-, supinated-, wide-, and narrow-gripped pull-ups and chin-ups. Because the Iron Gym
Best High-Weight-Capacity Pull-Up Bar: Flybird Pull-Up Bar for Doorways
This rugged Flybird bar can support up to 660 pounds, making it a great option for bigger guys or those looking to ramp up the intensity of their pull-ups by adding weights or heavy chains. Even though the bar installs without hardware, it feels sturdy and stable with its bilateral 360° safety locks, which effectively prevent rotation or slippage during use. The high-quality rod is built from stainless steel that is nearly twice as thick as most home-use pull-up bars on the market (clocking in at 3mm). The bar is coated in an odor-free, anti-microbial rubber composite material for a no-slip, comfortable grip that helps prevent callus formation on your palms. The rod is compatible in doorways that are 28.3–36.2 inches wide.
Best Outdoor Pull-Up Bar: Stamina Outdoor Power Tower
For rugged guys who believe the best workouts take place in the great outdoors, this product has you covered. Constructed from heavy-duty steel and coached in weather-resistant UV-protected paint, this power tower is specifically designed to hold up outside in the elements, which means you can turn your backyard into your own personal pull-up playground. Fully assembled, it stands 81 inches high, 49 inches across, and 50 inches wide, so there’s plenty of useable real estate on the bar for wide-, narrow-, and standard-width pull-ups. As a fully functional power tower, the unit can also be used for dips, vertical knee lifts, push-ups, and more. The Stamina Outdoor Fitness Power Tower has a maximum weight capacity of 300 pounds.
Best Tree-Mountable Pull-Up Bar: Pullup & Dip Portable Pull Up Dip Bar, Mobile for Wall Mount and Tree/Post
If you don’t have the space for an outdoor power tower but still want to build a backyard gym, this pull-up bar earns our recommendation for the best mountable outdoor choice. It can be installed on trees or posts of varying diameters and removed easily for mobile applications like park workouts. We appreciate the functionality of the unit. Because the bar extends off the mount at an incline and is designed to be rotated 180°, it easily converts to a dip station as well. You can also attach resistance bands and suspension straps to provide a stable anchor for more exercises. It comes with a booklet with suggested ideas. The bar supports 330 pounds.
Best Extra-Wide Pull-Up Bar: Dedakj Pull-Up Bar
This simple bar is a perfect choice when you need your pull-up bar to span an extra-wide door frame or gap between two loading-bearing walls. Its adjustable size telescopes from 37.8–47.2 inches, giving it significantly greater length than most pull-up bars. You can use it between appropriately-spaced shower walls, corridors, and hallways as well. Constructed from stainless steel, the bar supports an impressive 660 pounds. It also serves as a solid anchor to attach TRX straps or arm slings for hanging knee raises.
