Pull-up bar

The idea

An ergonomic pull-up bar for ceiling mounting, which works well in combination with gymnastic rings.

Why not buy one?

I decided to build my own pull-up bar because I was not satisfied with the commercially available ceiling mounted pull-up bars. I had the following requirements:

• Ergonomics: Everyone's body is unique. I wanted to create a pull-up bar that fits my body, and yours. You can find a custom drawing that fits your body shape below in the instructions.
• Dismountable: After the workout, the bar should be easy to remove.
• Adjustable grip positions: Narrow, medium and wide grip.
• Resistance Band Friendly: There should be a place to attach a resistance band.
• Minimal damage: Living in a rental apartment, I wanted to minimize damage to the ceiling. The unit hat to be able to mount on the same hooks as the gymnastic rings, which typically have a standard spacing of 50 cm.

Biacromial breadth

Based on this study https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24662157/, the optimal grip width is 1-2 times the biacromial breadth. A medium grip (1.5 times the biacromial width) may have some minor advantages over small and wide grips. This pull-up bar is designed to allow ony grips within this range.

Build instructions

Choose the plan

Measure your biacromial breadth (search for an online instruction) and choose the corresponding PDF-file pull-up bar variants

Tools

• Jigsaw
• Router
• Drill
• Sandpaper
• Tape Measure

Materials

• Plywood
• Mounting materials (shackles or rope, hooks, carabiners)

Build it

• If you're using a standard printer, use the tiling feature of your preferred PDF reader to print the second sheet of the PDF on several smaller sheets. Align these using the marks.
• Transfer the outline to the plywood and cut it out.
• Use your router to mill the edges, then sand.
• Mount it to your ceiling.