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I want to put a wall mounted pull up bar in my home gym. Wherever I've seen one in a gym before, they are at such a height I have to jump and catch the bar, which is embarrassing if you miss!

Is there any particular reason for this? Is there a good reason I shouldn't simply set it at my maximum reach and curl my legs?

Mr. Boy
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  • Without adding even more to the m=comments under David's answer: if you're mounting it yourself, you could go for max reach on tiptoes, but my preference would be for a very small jump. If you're only jumping 15-20cm (6-8") doing so quite precisely shouldn't be hard. Arguably if it is, that's worth practicing – Chris H Apr 05 '22 at 07:59

2 Answers2

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Gyms need to have pull-up bars that are high enough that even their tallest members can use them without their knees hitting the ground. They may prefer to have them even higher, so that tall people can even use them without needing to bend their knees, which is possibly beneficial for CrossFit-style swinging pull-ups, though this will then mean that most people will need a box or step to get up to the bar. Hence they'll typically be at a height of 2m or higher.

If you're mounting a pull-up bar for your personal use only, then you can definitely set it at whatever height is most comfortable or convenient for you.

David Scarlett
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    As someone 6' 5" with long arms, I completely appreciate this :) – Dark Hippo Apr 04 '22 at 06:19
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    Not only swinging pullups, but also leg raises. – arne Apr 04 '22 at 09:41
  • Good points, though I contend it's still partly "gym macho" that you have to jump. Makes you feel a proper dweeb hopping about just trying to reach the bar :) – Mr. Boy Apr 04 '22 at 09:59
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    @DarkHippo the opposite is true too - us giraffe-types like to walk around without risking our skull's integrity by finding a low-hanging but well-secured thing at forehead/ chin/shoulder height. – Criggie Apr 04 '22 at 10:11
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    My gym has a box for shrimps like me to stand on. – RedSonja Apr 04 '22 at 13:17
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    Having to bend your legs is not ideal even for regular pull ups. The "perfect" pull up form would have your legs hanging completely relaxed and without hitting the ground at any time during the movement. – jesse_b Apr 04 '22 at 14:14
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    Many freestanding pull-up frames have a little step on one or both sides, off to the side (@RedSonja) – Chris H Apr 04 '22 at 14:58
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    @DarkHippo I'm not quite as tall as you but long-limbed. It's nice when I get the chance to use bars over 2.5m off the floor, especially as my shoulder (broken a few years ago) benefits from dead hangs. Most at my gym are about 2.4m (8ft) so I can stand flat-footed and grip the bar – Chris H Apr 04 '22 at 15:01
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    Incidentally many homes don't have ceilings anywhere near high enough to put a full-height bar. I'd need to put one on the outside as my ceilings are only 2.4m and I'd need almost 3m to get a good reach height without headbutting the ceiling. – Chris H Apr 04 '22 at 15:02
  • @ChrisH Yep, this is a constant issue for me as I also enjoy practicing some kettlebell overhead presses throughout the day, which involves me carrying the kettlebell to the bottom of the stairs and pressing there, as it's the only place with enough headroom – Dark Hippo Apr 05 '22 at 07:45
  • @DarkHippo sadly I don't even have that option in my house. I'd have to be halfway up the stairs. I sometimes wonder about a pull-up bar across the loft hatch – Chris H Apr 05 '22 at 07:56
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    @ChrisH I have considered mounting some gymnastic rings from the high ceiling above the stairs and using those for pull ups. – Dark Hippo Apr 05 '22 at 08:04
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What most people disregard when it comes to pull-ups is that during an actual proper pull-up, your legs and core should be engaged and tensed. You want to be able to hold this throughout the entire range of motion. To do a proper controlled pull-up, you don't want to have bent knees or legs that are rotated back at the hips.

If you can reach the bar easily while standing on the floor, you won't be able to have your legs straight at the lowest point of the motion.

Furthermore as mentioned before, the gym has to take into account that there are people of many different shapes and sizes, which includes height.

MJB
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    Are you saying that a "proper" pull-up means legs extended (presumably with ankles crossed) for the entire range of motion? Do you have a good scientific paper or authoritative article showing that this is better? I'm interested to learn more here. – Patrick Szalapski Apr 04 '22 at 13:15
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    @PatrickSzalapski the legs shouldn't be crossed – minseong Apr 04 '22 at 13:17
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    @PatrickSzalapski You're trying to avoid "kipping". See https://barbend.com/kipping-pull-ups-vs-strict/ – Graham Apr 04 '22 at 13:40
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    One can bend one's knees to cheat a little in a slow non-kipping pull-up. I always thought it was better than giving up before that point for fewer reps, but I realize I have no evidence either way. Do you? – Patrick Szalapski Apr 04 '22 at 13:54
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    @PatrickSzalapski "Better" depends on what you want to get out of it. :) But for the OP's question, you do at least want your bar set at a height which gives you access to the various methods. Then if you want to kip, you can kip; and if you want a long hang with your body rigid then you can do that too. – Graham Apr 04 '22 at 18:04