Basement Home Gym Pull Up Bar
In today's fitness world, there are an almost dizzying array of gadgets, systems, trainers, and equipment that promise to get you ripped and fit in no time.
There are ab rollers and rockers, bun toners and core strengtheners. You name it- someone has something for you to buy.
When you want to set up a home gym, one often forgotten piece of equipment is the old fashioned pull up bar. It's simplicity is amazing-- here's a bar, lift yourself up if you can. When I was in Air Force ROTC, the minimum passing number of pull ups was four. Not forty, or thirty. Four. That should tell you what you can gain by training with the bar, if the military thinks four is a good starting number. They are not easy, but the results are undeniable.
To install a pull up bar in your home gym, you have few choices. Most common are the gadgets designed to install inside a door frame or a completely stand-alone apparatus. The door frame tool is an interesting device. It seems designed to hook on the outside door trim and then be braced on the inside. From what I can tell, I can't see how the outside wood trim, often held up by finishing nails, is supposed to hold up a 180...200...225? pound man. The stand alones are effective, but large and expensive. Plus, if you have limited head room, they are unforgiving.
So, if you are in a basement gym especially, you have some limited options. One suggestion is to install it yourself in your basement using a 2x6, a 48 inch galvinized plumbing pipe, and six carriage bolts. It will cost under $25. Here's what you do:
1. pick a spot in the ceiling of your basement where the pull up bar will be. You will be hanging it from the ceiling joists, the bar will be perpendicular to the joists. Be sure to keep in mind where pipes and electrical wires run in the ceiling.
2. Cut two pieces of 2x6 about 20 inches long. your exact measurement will be different depending on the specifics of your basement, the desired room above the bar for your head, and any suspending ceiling of other obstructions. Cut three 3/8 inch holes in a triangle pattern in the top of each 2x6 and a 1.5 inch diameter hole in the bottom of each.
3. Using a level, measure and cut corresponding holes in the ceiling joist where you will be attaching the first 2x6. use the carriage bolts, nuts and washers to install.
4. Fit the galvinzed pipe through the hole. Using the level, mark where you need the second 2x6 to be in order to ensure a level pull up bar. Cut three holes in the joist and install the second 2x6.
5. Thread the bar though both holes. Secure with a drywall screw through the bottom, if desired.
That's it. You have a functional pull up bar in your basement. It may be low if you have a suspended ceiling, but it will work for most home gym enthusiasts.
