# Door frame pull-up/chin-up bar



## canabiz (Apr 4, 2009)

Folks, I just picked up a pull-up/chin-up bar at Winners today and put it on top of a door frame for some quick exercises.

Just wondering if any of you guys has something similar and whether it has done any kind of damage to your door frame and if so, what should we do to avoid such damage? I am 180lbs and this bar can handle up to 300lbs so weight shouldn't be a concern.

So far so good but I am wondering if I am better off with something that I can mount on the basement joists. Another option is a power tower but that will take up some space and it is more pricey than these bars. 

Thanks.


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## Four Pillars (Apr 5, 2009)

I would put some pillows on the floor underneath. 

What do you mean by the door frame? Like on top of the trim that goes around an interior door? If so, I wouldn't expect that to necessarily be that strong.

However, if it's working for you then why not keep doing it?


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## brad (May 22, 2009)

My brothers and I had these in our doorframes when I was a kid. They can leave marks in the door frame, and over time they can loosen up; when you try to do a chinup on a loose bar it will shift down a little, which can leave scratches or gouges in the wood. But it's not very noticeable -- at least nobody complained in our house and I don't remember any particularly unsightly damage. The kind we had was the kind that you tighten by twisting the bar, which causes the felt-tipped metal discs at the end to move outward, effectively expanding the length of the bar and wedging it into the door frame -- the whole thing is held to the door by tension. I think there are other models that you can attach with screws.


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## Potato (Apr 3, 2009)

I have the on-top-of-the-frame kind. The two pads that sit against the front of the frame get levered into the frame as you pull down, and can damage the frame. It's not as bad if the load is spread out, so if you have a nice flat frame it should be fine, but if you have one that's really bevelled with lots of edges, you can crush the high parts. Putting some extra padding can help. Pictures at: http://www.holypotato.net/?p=551


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## canabiz (Apr 4, 2009)

Four Pillars said:


> I would put some pillows on the floor underneath.
> 
> What do you mean by the door frame? Like on top of the trim that goes around an interior door? If so, I wouldn't expect that to necessarily be that strong.
> 
> However, if it's working for you then why not keep doing it?


You are right, Mike. This one sits on top of the trim. There is no screws or drilling. Here is a good article describing this particular model

http://www.livestrong.com/article/265176-information-on-door-jamb-chin-up-bars/

I am not overly concerned about the bar falling down, it's pretty sturdy. I am only concerned for any (potential) damage to the door/door frame.

I do like the fact that since I have it on the 2nd floor, I like to do a few pull-up/chin-up before going to bed and first thing in the morning when I get up. As opposed to having a mounted bar (or a power tower) in the basement where I may not do as much...

I'll give this a few more tries, still have a few days to return to Winners. Amazon.ca sells mounted bar for about the same price ($40) so that would probably be my next option.


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## canabiz (Apr 4, 2009)

Potato said:


> I have the on-top-of-the-frame kind. The two pads that sit against the front of the frame get levered into the frame as you pull down, and can damage the frame. It's not as bad if the load is spread out, so if you have a nice flat frame it should be fine, but if you have one that's really bevelled with lots of edges, you can crush the high parts. Putting some extra padding can help. Pictures at: http://www.holypotato.net/?p=551


Thanks for the review. Ours is a new build and the frame is pretty flat so hopefully that will minimize the damage. I do agree with you about doing more exercises on this if it's within sight (kitchen or 2nd floor), as opposed to out of sight (basement, garage etc)


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## ddkay (Nov 20, 2010)

Are you doing P90x? These things are great except they do leave some damage behind. You can definitely keep out of sight, whether you use it or not depends if you are weak willed. Sorta like gym memberships.


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## canabiz (Apr 4, 2009)

ddkay said:


> Are you doing P90x? These things are great except they do leave some damage behind. You can definitely keep out of sight, whether you use it or not depends if you are weak willed. Sorta like gym memberships.


Nope, not doing P90x at all (i heard good things about that program though). I figure doing a set of 5 before going bed and another set of 5 upon waking up is better than not doing anything at all...

You are right though, it shouldn't matter where this device is located. I can't obviously speak for everybody but for me personally I have more motivation to do it if it's within my reach and sight. If that's weak-willed then so be it I guess.


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## MoneyGal (Apr 24, 2009)

If you are doing 10 pullups a day you aren't weak anything.


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## Plugging Along (Jan 3, 2011)

We have one and haven't had any problems, ours is an older house though.

You have to be careful not to be swinging or anything (I know that's not the intent). My brother had one on his frame, and was showing off a little with two kids hanging off of him while he was swinging the thing swung off (not damage to the frame), he ended up on the floor with two kids on him wondering what the heck happened. No issues after that one incident.


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## OhGreatGuru (May 24, 2009)

The engineer in me is cringing. Have you any idea how flimsy door casing is? This is how the Original Jolly Jumpers used to be fastened before they came into disrepute. And they are designed for a mzimum weight of 13Kg.


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