The best pull-up bars for serious strength gains

Pull-ups - you either love them, hate them, or dare not even attempt them. Whatever your stance, there’s no denying that they’re a very effective compound exercise, and hey, if you can master them, then the bragging rights are well-earned. The great thing about pull-ups is that you don’t necessarily need to head over to the gym to do them; a sturdy pull-up bar is all you need, and it's a handy piece of gym equipment beyond just building a bigger back. We’re here to present you with the best pull-up bars for home workouts.

You’ll be pleased to know that you have quite a few options when it comes to home pull-up bars. You can find a pull-up bar that fits your home setup nicely. We’ve all seen door-mounted pull-up bars, which are a viable option. These come in two forms: telescopic pull-up bars, which go between the door frame and secure within the gap, and over-the-door mounted bars, which go over your door frame. Both of these options are simple and typically don’t require screws or any major installation.

The best pull-up bars at a glance:

• The best telescopic pull-up bar: FitBeast Pull-Up Bar for Doorway – View at Amazon
• The best wall-mounted pull-up bar: CORENGTH Folding Wall-Mounted Pull-Up Bar – View at Decathlon
• The best budget pull-up station: HOMCOM Power Tower – View at Debenhams

You should also consider wall-mounted pull-up bars too. Given you have the space, these types are fitted and secured into a wall and offer far more stability than those pull-up bars that rely on the integrity of your door frame. These require fitments and proper installation, but they make a brilliant addition to any home gym.

If you want to disregard any mounted pull-up bar altogether, you can opt for a free-standing pull-up station. Sometimes referred to as a rack or tower, it’s just one unit that can be positioned in any room where you have space. This is a sound option if you feel uncomfortable mounting or installing a bar to your door frames or walls.

To completely kit yourself out for upper body workouts, we'd recommend grabbing a push-up board to give you an awesome chest, delt and tricep-building tool.

Now you know what’s out there, it's time to optimise your home resistance workouts; here’s our buyer’s guide for the best pull-up bars of 2024.

The best pull-up bars of 2024:

Please note: All prices are correct at the time of writing. Prices, stock and deals are subject to change without notice.

FAQs

How to do pull-ups

A pull-up may look like a simple movement from the outside, but it’s still very important to get the movement down right to maximise its effectiveness and minimise injury risk.

1. Stand underneath the pull-up bar and hold your hands out to the grips

2. Hold the grips and suspend yourself in the air, extending your scapula

3. Using the muscles in your arms and back, pull yourself upwards towards the bar.

4. Slowly lower yourself back down, using the same muscles

Top tip: If you are struggling with arm fatigue, you might be using your biceps too much. A handy cue is to think of yourself as pulling your elbows down, rather than pulling your body up – this will help you target the back.

Do pull-up bars damage door frames?

No, at least they shouldn’t, anyway. There are only a few instances where a pull-up bar will damage your door frames. The first scenario is if you have fragile door frames, always assess the structural integrity before you buy and secure a pull-up bar to a door frame.

Of course, there’s no denying that there could be pull-up bars out there responsible for damaging door frames. You have to take extra precautions when looking for a pull-up bar, check the specs and reviews, and ensure everything is squeaky clean.

Speaking of specs, you must check the maximum user weight for your chosen pull-up bar. Everything has a breaking point, and if you exceed the recommended load for your pull-up bar, it can severely damage the bar and even take some of the door frame as collateral.

How high should a pull-up bar be?

Ultimately, the correct height of the pull-up bar will vary depending on the user's height. To perform pull-ups, you need to completely clear the ground so you can hang suspended from the bar without your feet touching the floor.

Regarding how far the bar should be from the ceiling, it’s recommended that you leave about 18 inches between the bar and the ceiling. This is important because as you perform a pull-up, your head is supposed to rise above the bar.

If you're familiar with some of the top Smith machines out there, you'll know that most offer pull-up grips. This could help as a measurement gauge for how high your home pull-up bar needs to be.

How to get better at pull-ups

Pull-ups should be treated like any other exercise, and practice makes perfect. Hypertrophy will come into play if you regularly attempt pull-ups within a structured workout. This means the more you train a muscle group, the stronger and more capable it becomes. A pull-up is a compound movement, meaning you incorporate various muscles to complete it; these include the lat muscles in the back, the biceps, and the rear delts. The more you do pull-ups, the easier they will become, and the more you’ll be able to do them in the long run.

Jack Barrell is a Tech and Fitness Writer for What’s the Best. He is invested in all things entertainment and keeps well up to date with the latest sports and exercise trends too. On his off days Jack can usually be found doing one of two things; lifting heavy weights – or watching his favourite Star Wars for the thousandth time.

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