The Joist Mount Chin Up Bar
March 15th, 2010Advertisements
Chin ups and pull ups are one of the best exercises that we can do for our upper body strength. First of all, they allow us to isolate specific muscle groups completely, preventing us from cheating on reps. Also, there are so many different forms, each designed for different muscle groups like the back, chest/biceps, triceps or shoulders. I know people who have literally developed workout programs solely on chin up bars.
The thing about pull ups and chin ups, however, is that we need a place to do them. I don’t know about you, but to me it doesn’t feel right to have to go to the gym just to do chin ups. After all, a pullup bar is not a sophisticated machine, nor does it require any weights. For such a simple and effective exercise, you’d think there would be an easier way to do it.
Some people have come out with “door mounted” chin up bars that hook around your door frame. I have personally witnessed door frames being overtly damaged by this and have heard many cases of the pullup bar falling down. Imagine the type of injuries that could occur. And if that wasn’t enough, the foam padding that they apply on the handles often leaves rubber stains on the door frame. No thanks.
Thankfully, there is a solution to these problems. It is called the joist mount chin up bar. Unlike it’s door mounted evil brother, it is designed with much higher quality metal (usually steel) and is drilled into joists, making it completely sturdy and solid.
The joist mount chin up bar solves the problem of pullups. Sometimes you just want to get a few reps in, during your spare time. Imagine the convenience of not having to go to the gym. And, why should you have to, when it’s such a basic exercise? It makes sense that we should be able to perform them whenever we want, the same way that we might bang out a few pushups here and there.
In fact, one of the most well-known and effective methods for weightlifting is through a combination of “push and pull” exercises, known as a type of split routine. “Push” exercises, like the push up, typically work the chest, shoulders and triceps. “Pull” exercises, like the pull up, typically work the back and biceps.
If you don’t have something like the joist mount chin up bar, you are making your life much more complicated than it needs to be. I cannot say enough good things about it. And, any serious trainer I know owns some type of pullup bar.
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