When you're ready to improve your health by hanging your own chin-up bar at home, there are a few simple steps you can do. Depending on the type of pole you have, you can easily hang it in a door frame or on a wall with a few simple hardware and measuring methods.
method
Method 1 of 2: Hang a chin-up bar in a doorway
Step 1. Decide which direction to face when using the pull-up bar
If you have a pull-up bar in the door frame, you look towards the doorway while you train on it. If the passageway doesn't have a door, or if you choose to remove the door, you have a choice of which side to look to. If the door stays in the frame, you will need to position the chin-up bar so that it is hanging on the other side than where the door is when it is open.
You will not be able to close the door while the chin-up bar is attached to the door frame. Either attach the bar to a passageway that does not require a closed door, or remove the pull-up bar after each use by not using hardware to keep it in place permanently
Step 2. Lay the back horizontal piece on the other side over the door frame
If you look at your chin-up bar, you'll see that one piece is flat and narrower than the rest of the pieces. Maybe there is a piece of foam or elastic on it. Lift this piece up and through the door so that it rests on the top of the door frame on the opposite side of where you will be hanging.
Make sure the horizontal part is smooth and flat on top of the door frame. If it is crooked in any way, the chin-up bar will not be safe to use
Step 3. Center the bar so that there is rubber on both sides of the door frame
The bar should be centered so that the parts that rest on the sides of the door frame are made of rubber. If it is offset, pieces of metal could touch the door frame and you run the risk of making a notch in the frame.
Step 4. Screw on brackets if you want to attach the pole permanently
Some pull-up bars come with mounting brackets that hold the bar permanently in place. To assemble, lift and remove the rear horizontal piece, then use a drill to place the bracket about 35 cm apart on the door frame where the horizontal piece was.
- Refer to the assembly instructions for your chin-up bar to determine how far apart you need to attach the mounting brackets.
- Pull-up bar brackets in a door frame are optional because your body weight is on the opposite side of the horizontal piece that acts as a lever to hold the bar in place during use. You actually have to lift the bar at the back to take it off.
Step 5. Test the bar to make sure it is stable
Without using all of your body weight, pull the bar down a few times, making sure it doesn't move. When the bar is centered and straight against the back of the door frame, it should be strong enough to hold your weight. Next, try hanging on the bar without doing a chin-up to see if it holds all of your weight.
- If the bar holds your weight while hanging without moving, you can start exercising and doing pull-ups on it.
- Refer to the assembly instructions to be sure of the maximum weight limit that each bar can hold.
Method 2 of 2: Hang a chin-up bar on a wall
Step 1. If you are not hanging the bar on a concrete wall, find the joists
If you are hanging the pole from drywall, you will need to hang the pole from the wooden beams behind the wall so that the weight on the pole doesn't tear the wall apart. Find the joists by gently driving small nails into the wall near an electrical outlet, if the nail hits wood while hammering, there will be a joist.
- After you find a beam, you can usually find another by measuring 16 inches to the side from the first and doing another test with a nail.
- If the nail goes straight through the drywall and you can move the nail back and forth because there is nothing on the other side, you haven't found a bar.
Step 2. Choose a height for the chin-up bar
The bar should be high enough that you have to stretch your arms out to reach it. Some people want to jump up on the pole, others want to be able to reach it while standing. A popular height for a pull-up bar is about 180 cm from the floor.
Choose a height for the bar based on your preference and use a ladder to make marks on the wall and drill if you want the bar high enough that you have to jump to reach it
Step 3. Mark on the wall where the brackets will be placed
After you find the joists in drywall or, if you are hanging them on a concrete wall, choose a height for the pole, use a tape measure to measure the same height from the floor for each mark. Use a pencil to make a mark on the wall where you will drill holes.
Use the width of your chin-up bar to mark the correct width on the wall, and make sure there are bars behind the markings when working on drywall
Step 4. Pre-drill holes at the markings
Refer to the assembly instructions for your pole to determine the size of the mounting screws. Use the same size drill bit and start making holes at the markings in the wall. The holes need to be big enough that the whole screw will fit in.
Step 5. Use a hammer to drive the dowels into the holes
If your chin-up bar came with dowels, use a hammer to gently tap the holes in the box. Repeat the pre-drilling and this step in all the places where you will be drilling the rod into place.
Step 6. Attach the assembled pole with your hardware to the wall
Use the screws, nuts, and bolts that came with the pull-up bar and attach the bar to one side of the wall. Have someone help you hold the bar in place on the other side while you tighten the screws. Tighten all bolts and try moving the bar to test its stability.
- Refer to the assembly instructions for the rod to find out what size drill bits need to be for each rod.
- All of the bolts on your rod should be tight enough that the rod won't move when you try to move it.
Step 7. Test the stability of your bar
Without using your full body weight, pull the bar a few times to make sure it doesn't move. Next, try hanging on the bar without doing a chin-up to see if it holds all your weight. If the bar holds your weight while hanging without moving, you can start exercising and doing pull-ups on it.
