Chinning Bar

The chinning bar has become a staple in the workout industry. Particularly excellent for those who like to workout at home. The chinning bar is perfect for those who like to work the biceps and back muscles. To help build upper back strength, you need to be doing pull ups. Chinning bars were mostly found on children's playgrounds. They consisted of a horizontal metal bar held above ground by a wooden or metal frame. There were 2 to 3 different heights of bars for people of different heights. How it worked was a person would stand under the bar, and jump up to hold on to the bar with both hands.The palms would face away from the person and the feet would hang freely in the air. The person would then pull him/her self up till the chin was past the bar, and then slowly lower him/her self back to hanging by his/her arms. Repeating this motion as many times as possible until fatigue sets in the arms. Thus you have the pull-up or chin-up.


There are basically two types of chinning bars, those you install with hardware into a inside door frame for permanent mounting or there is the removable pull-up bar that you use your own weight and pressure to lock into place as you do your pull-ups. What make the removable chinning bar convenient is the fact that when your finished working out you can take it down easily. You can also take it with you wherever you go if you choose to. There are various styles of chinning bars, some more popular than others.


Removable chinning bar


The chinning bar that I most like is the removable type that you place above inside the door frame and is held in place by your weight. These chinning bars have a curved shape something like 10speed bike handles. There is a long bar that pivots up over the back of the door frame, resting above the frame. There is also a long bar attached to the pivot bar that rest opposite the pivot bar on the other side of the door frame. This part rests snug into the outer part of the door frame. Now as you hang your weight pushes the front bar down and against the edges of the door frame, while the pivot bar is thrusted forward against the wall, holding the chinning bar into place as you do your pull-ups. There are different types of removable chinning bars. Some just have a single bar, and others have different hand and pad positions. Some a built very cheaply but are very effective and others are built more sturdier and of course the cost more. Most come in the price range of 27 to 83 dollars.


Before you purchase any chinning bars make sure to read the specifications on them. Some are only built for doors with a certain width, namely 4-inches thick. Make sure to measure you doorways and make sure there aren't any obstacles that could get in the way of your workout. I recommend buying a chinning bar that has padding on it so as to not scratch and scuff up your doorway.


Bolt-on chinning bars

The other pull-up bar is the one that comes with small brackets that need to be bolted on to the inside edges of your door jamb permanently. You then insert the bar into the brackets. Many of these bars come with two sets of brackets. So you can also install a lower set of brackets in order to use your chinning bar as a sit-up bar.



Adding a chin-up bar to your home gym


There are many of you out there that would like to add a chinning bar to your home gym. As you have already seen, there is the removable chinning bar and the bolt-on chinning bar. However there are many variations and styles of these two devices available on the market. They come in many shapes and colors but, they all allow you to do pull-ups. Some have slight differences that allow for chin-ups and sit-ups. You mainly want to get something that is very easy to install.



Here are some of the best choices for your home gym:

1-Pull-up assistant

The Pull-up Assistant allows anyone to perform a pull-up. The Pull-Up-Assistant is attached to a pull-up bar with straps and hardware. There are also bungee cords and a secure foot platform that help reduce the weight of the user. This helps a person to do a good quantity of effective pull-ups.


2-Station Gym

The Champion Chin and Dip Station is an excellent piece of workout equipment. This machine allows for positive and negative resistance workouts. The way it is designed it can have two people workout on it at the same time. It is made of high quality heavy duty steel tubing for maximum support. It also has multiple grip positions for many different exercises.


3-Free Standing Bar

This piece of hardware has galvanized base and upright bar that is typically 80' inches wide. Is portable and can be broken down for easy storage when not in use.


4-Above Door Bar

The Above Door Bar can support up to 1200 lbs, when it is mounted properly. A person can perform close or wide grip pull ups. This bar can be mounted on any wall using 2 by 4 wood plate. It can also be mounted in reverse for reverse grip pull ups.


5-Wall Mount Bar

The Wall Mount Bar comes with brackets, shields and lag bolts. The bar is 40 inches wide and is made of 11-gauge powder-coated steel, which is very strong. It also adjusts to 5 different heights. It's also removable which makes it very convenient.


6-Door Gym

Allows for pull-ups, chin-ups, dips, push-ups and crunches. It has 3 grip positions, narrow, wide and neutral, and holds against the doorway using leverage.


7-Adjustable Door Bar

This two-piece chin-up bar is adjustable and can be positioned at the top or bottom of the door frame for upper body or abdominal workouts. It can support weights of up to 400 pounds.


8-Joist Mount Bar

Is made for mounting on any wood joist, and is 48 inches in width. It has 30 degree down angles at each end. It comes with 4 - 3/8'' mounting bolts and hardware. Very easy to install.


9-Ceiling Mount Bar

This bar is similar to the Joist Bar in width, and also has 30 degree down angles at each end. However it has two traverse bars for pull-ups. Can be mounted in your basement.


10-Home Made Chinning bar

Of course you can make your own pull-up bar if you have the technical know how.

What you will need

• an electric drill

• a 3/8'' drill bit

• 2 - 3/8'' metal screws

• heavy duty 1 1/4'' round tube

• 1 1/4'' x 3/8'' heavy duty metal band

Try out many different types of chinning bars before investing in one. Weather you choose an expensive one or a cheap one, make sure your chinning bar fits you and your needs.