Are pull-up bars necessary if I own B-Bars?

[neophyte365]

Not gonna lie, I'm afraid of using any sort of doorway pull-up because of the stories I've heard of them giving out and I don't want to severely hurt myself. I've seen people do a variation of pull-ups with the B-Bars, but they stick their legs out. And, of course, you can do dips and rows on them.

So is there any benefits of having a doorway pull-up bar if I'm gonna buy B-bars? I've heard L-sit pull ups are harder than regular pull ups, but wouldn't I be able to use resistance bands also to make it easier on me as a beginner?

 

[eddieseven]

@neophyte365 You would have to weigh a ton or have a flimsy ass door/bar, the ones you slide on the door don't pull straight down they push in as well and use your own weight to press against the frame and you are definitely not breaking a door frame THAT being said I have broken a pull-up bar that was cheap so definitely read reviews.

As far as L sit pullups they suck like that's more advanced and I wouldn't say start with that, the best thing is buy one and try it out they are cheap enough and depending on where you buy it you can always return it.

 

[curiousspring]

@eddieseven The reviews part is always hard for me - a lot of bars have a lot of really good reviews, but there’s always a lot of other people who talk about how easy it broke. Makes buying hard.

 

[sunshineblue]

@neophyte365 https://www.amazon.com/Iron-Gym-Tot...r&qid=1677462841&sprefix=pull+,aps,158&sr=8-3

I’ve used one like this is on the same doorway for a decade. Just don’t swing or hold on backwards or do something dumb.

 

[neophyte365]

@sunshineblue Yeah, that seems to be the go-to pull-up bar. Might just buy that one.

 

[zemkiose]

@sunshineblue I’ve also had this for a decade, it’s worked great in 4 different houses. Still use it to this day.

 

[alittlebird]

@neophyte365 Doorway pull up bars are safe, as long as you keep the force/weight where it's pulling against the doorframe. In other words, don't swing. And...never hang upside down or with your legs lifted. Make sure that any fall will land you on your feet. In my experience, you should do real pull up/chin ups to get the benefit. That means you have to hand from a bar or rings.

Also, make sure you have the proper doorframe, with a thick enough board at the top. Most bars "hang" on that piece of wood, and the weight/force is directed lower on each side, where it rests against the main part of the door frame. It works.

 

[neophyte365]

@alittlebird That’s fair. Do you have any recommendations?

 

[alittlebird]

@neophyte365 Depending on if you own or rent. I like the perfect pull up that bolts in. It has a swing arm effect so you can do rows with it, as well as pull ups. Otherwise, no special recommendations on a doorway bar.

 

[neophyte365]

@alittlebird That bolts in? Like this? I was looking to grab this one and, despite the high rating, the stories from the one-stars scared me off.

 

[pastorjagan]

@neophyte365 No, not like that. There are no bolts in that pull up bar only 3 tiny screws on each side
0/10 do not recommend

 

[alittlebird]

@neophyte365 No no no. THis is totally different.

https://www.amazon.com/Perfect-Basi...s&sprefix=perfect+pull+up,sporting,131&sr=1-5

It's a pull up bar if used at the top, or it swings down for rows. A clever design. Its very sturdy and usable. The only drawback is if you install the bar close to the top of the opening, you can't put your head over the bar. The other kind has the bar out in front, so you have clearance. As one reviewer mentioned, he installed it in his apartment. When he moves, he can fill in the holes and dab some paint over them,

 

[raymo]

@neophyte365 The irongym style of bar has worked for me. That shower curtain style is ok if you install the metal brackets but if I could put holes into things I'd get a beefy wall mounted option.

Another option is power towers or weightlifting racks with a pull-up bar but those are much more expensive and take up more space.

 

[adb]

@neophyte365 Honestly I looked into many options and opted for a cheap $15 Spree pull up bar from Walmart. I started spending too much time researching and started cheap with the ability to upgrade later.

With that being said. I still use it. Been challenging my buddy at work and I do pull-ups every other day.

My max is 10 reps currently. I started months ago at 3 reps. I enjoy pull ups tremendously and one day will upgrade to a power cage for rings as well. This setup works for the time being and is budget friendly.

 

[lindajot]

@neophyte365 I used to do L sit pullups on tall enough (100cm+) dip bars, and they are amazing. Harder than normal hollow body pullups at first, but as you said you can use resistance bands more easily than with normals. You can even add weight easier up to a point by taking a dumbbell between your thighs, backpack in your lap or even resistance bands under the frame. The movement itself is far better for lat development due to the shift in center of gravity, it has a straight arm pull-down element to it besides the pulling. Also obviously it integrates core work into your pullups, you probably won't need any other specific ab exercises. The neutral grip is the best in my opinion, which is harder to do if you only have straight bars, but you can play around with any grip by rotating the frames in various angles. It also makes the transition to front lever training easier. The fact that it's a multi purpose equipment makes your home less crowded, and you don't have to worry about the doorframe issues (unlike others in this thread, I did actually fuck up doorframes by different pullup bars), dip bars are more stable anyway.

So in summary, it might have a different (wouldn't say worse) learning curve than normals, you can run into limitations if you want to do them with 10kg+ weight (which is very far down the line), certain advanced movements like muscle ups are more challenging to learn/do, but not impossible (you can't do those on doorframe bars anyway). Outside of these cons/limitations, my honest opinion is that it's superior in nearly every aspect.

 

[beach123]

@neophyte365 As a side note, if you want to make use of a home gym pulley or suspension straps having a cheap pull-up bar can be something to use to hang them.

 

[vinhhali]

@neophyte365 For me personally, I do pullups where my feet are toward the ground (no crossed legs, straight legs) so even if I did fall I'd just fall onto my feet. It's never happened, but just a thought.

 

[neophyte365]

@vinhhali Good tip! I’ll do that and go slow, just in case.

 

[sarar]

@neophyte365 I do weighted pull ups from a door frame pull up bar and it has never budged.

 

[neophyte365]

@sarar Which one do you have?