top of page

PULL UP BAR: BUY, CONSIDER or AVOID? Bodybuilding Budget Home Gym | Personal Trainer Tokyo Titan


There are many products available for home gyms and garage gyms, so it can be hard to know which ones you should buy. In this tiny room in a small house in the middle of Tokyo, I’ve collected a lot of training equipment and built quite an impressive home gym. In this series, I’m going to review all the home gym products I’ve purchased based on cost, effectiveness, versatility, and practicality, and tell you which products you should buy, which products you should consider, and which products you should avoid.



Contents

  • Cost

  • Effectiveness

  • Versatility

  • Practicality

  • The Verdict


Cost

Pullup bars are cheaper than they look. This one I own that bolts into the wall studs cost me 6,000 yen. You can also buy standalone equipment which combine a pullup bar and dip bars for as low 8,000 yen, and you can buy power racks which come with a pullup bar.


For cost, I rate pullup bars 4 stars.


Effectiveness

Pullups are widely agreed to be the most effective lats exercise. Regularly doing pullups will help build a very impressive V-shaped back. In addition, chin-ups, which are another variation of pullups, are one of the most effective compound upper body exercises. They balance the load between your lats and biceps, helping to build a bigger back and bigger arms at the same time. Both of these exercises also work your shoulder muscles and your core muscles.


For effectiveness, I rate pullup bars 5 stars.


Versatility

As well as pullup and chin-up variations, you can also use pullup bars for hanging leg raises, which are one of the most effective core exercises. You can also tie resistance bands around a pullup bar to perform various exercises you would perform on a cable machine, for example, cable crunches and even tricep pushdowns. And speaking of cable machines, you can use a pullup bar together with a simple pulley system to perform actual cable machine exercises.


For versatility, I rate pullup bars 4 stars.


Practicality

If you own your house, then like me, you can bolt a pullup bar into the wall studs to safely perform pullups. If you don’t own your house, then obviously that’s not an option. If you’re already thinking of buying a power rack, then your best choice is to buy a power rack which has a pullup bar. Power racks do take up a lot of space, but the pullup bar won’t take up any additional space to this. If you don’t want to buy a power rack, or like me, a full rack or half rack are too tall to fit in your home gym, then a pullup stand is your only option. It will take up some space, but not as much as a power rack, and they aren’t as tall.


For practicality, I rate pullup bars 3 stars.


The Verdict

These are the results for a pullup bar, but now it’s time for the big question: Should you buy one, should you consider one, or should you avoid them?


This one was a difficult decision, but my answer is yes, you should buy one of the pullup bar options we discussed. As well as pullups and chin-ups, which are two of the most effective bodybuilding exercises, with a pullup bar, you can also perform exercises like hanging leg raises, and you can even use them for band and cable exercises. If you want to do an effective workout in your home gym and add more options to your exercise choices, then a pullup bar is a must.


For effective training, contact Tokyo Titan!

I am Tokyo Titan, an internationally-certified bodybuilding specialist personal trainer and nutritionist. Using bodybuilding techniques, together we will create the body that you want in a short amount of time. Lessons are provided in two formats: online and in-person at my private gym in Ota-ku, Tokyo, a few minutes walk from Omori-machi Station on the Keikyu Line. Customers can choose either lesson style or a combination of both to suit their preferences and schedule. As a bilingual Japanese native English speaker, I can provide lessons in either Japanese or English, allowing customers to train both their bodies and their language skills at the same time. For more information, inquire today!



Commentaires


bottom of page