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Maximum Fitness Gear All-In-One Doorway Chin-Up Bar with Bonus Top 20 Exercises To Six Pack Abs Guide

I took this out of the box and didn’t notice right away that it absolutely does not have adequate padding, at all! I don’t know who designed this product, but they do not deserve their job. Being an engineer, I can tell you that this looks like an amateur job. I don’t know who tested it, saw the damage it does to a doorframe, and said “pack it up, let’s find some suckers”.

After I started using it, and after it was too late, I noticed that the points where it contacted my door frame were rubbed aggressively. If you look at the photo of the product, and look at the end section of the bars that contact your door frame, it looks like there’s padding on it. Well, not exactly. It’s a very hard, and very abrasive, thermoset polymer. So the two points where this contacts the interior of my door frame will need to be repainted, possibly the whole thing if I can’t match the color. Just two extra pieces of foam could have prevented this. But that’s not all. Look at the upper section where the horizontal bar sits on top of your doorframe. There are two end screws holding the three pieces together, and they are unpadded! The horizontal bar has padding on it, but it isn’t nearly thick enough, so the screw heads are totally exposed. Even just a little square of foam over each would prevent the damage these exposed screws do. This means that after you put the equipment in place, these screw heads jam into your drywall and leave two large indents above your doorframe. That will need to be spackled. All in all, it seems that the Iron Gym product (Iron Gym Total Upper Body Workout Bar – Extreme Edition) would have been a much better purchase. It has more padding, and would have easily been worth the extra five bucks. So be forewarned, this is a cheap imitation and sometimes the cheapest option is most expensive. In fact, since I ended up getting the ab straps anyway, I should have gotten this (Iron Gym Xtreme Total Upper Body Workout Bar with Bonus Ab Straps).

Now I’m not going to let this entire review be negative, beyond the disappointing and rage-inducing damage this product does, it is a decent work out. There’s a large variety of pull up positions you can do with it, and this results in working a lot of under-utilized muscles. I also set it on the floor and do a large variety of push-ups and dips with it, which is also easy and rewarding. I absolutely hate lifting weights. However, I like using this sort of equipment since I can get just about a full upper body workout using it and only my body weight. I ordered the ab straps but they haven’t arrived yet, so I can’t tell you how it is for ab exercises.

IN CONCLUSION: This product is cheap and will damage your door if you use it exactly as it is out of the box. Do yourself a favor and spend the extra five bucks getting the Iron Gym product. However, if you decide to throw caution to the wind and buy this product, be sure to add your own padding to it so you don’t ruin your door frame. Damage aside, it is a good workout.

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GoFit Chin-Up Bar

This newest addition to my bedroom doorway has not let me down. Had it installed in ten minutes with very little measuring. A drill helps– following the instructions definitely helps, and they’re quite simple. The safety catch mechanism (two metal flaps that hold the bar in place) is a little awkward, but since I only use it for chin-ups that won’t be a problem. The grips don’t slip on the metal at all.

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Iron Gym Total Upper Body Workout Bar

The bar is easily assembled and fairly solid. At least I think so, since it doesn’t fit my door. D’OH! Works great as a push-up device, though.

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P90X Chin-Up Bar

This chin up bar was easy to assemble. It is sturdy and safe, and does not need to be fastened to the walls with screws or anchors due to the design. It takes seconds to install and remove. This one was worth the money.

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Everlast Chin-Up and Sit-Up Bar

Basically, if you want a simple and solid pull-up/chin-up bar and don’t mind putting some holes into your door frame, this is it. I have also suspended with my feet/toes from this bar while doing ab workouts and whatnot with no problems if that’s any testament to how sturdy it is. ]]> http://www.chinupbarreview.com/reviews/top-5-chin-up-bars/feed/ 2 http://www.chinupbarreview.com/articles/learn-the-benefits-and-techniques-of-chin-up-bar-exercise/ http://www.chinupbarreview.com/articles/learn-the-benefits-and-techniques-of-chin-up-bar-exercise/#comments Sun, 25 Apr 2010 02:11:31 +0000 Marc Samaro http://www.chinupbarreview.com/?p=37 There are certain established exercises that we have all tried and will continue to use for years and years. These classic exercises include The Push-Up, The Crunch and The Chin-Up. A few of us may trade in these exercises for a new faddy piece of gym equipment which offers lots of empty promises, but I guarantee that almost all of us return to performing these old favorites when clarity returns. They do not entail any fancy apparatus and instead rely on gravity and your own body weight.

This article will explore The Chin-Up, looking at how to perform this exercise correctly and the benefits of Chin-Ups especially if you are looking to build muscle fast.

A chin-up is where you cleanly pull your body weight up off the ground by using your hands on an elevated bar. A great place to set up a bar is in between a door frame. If you grip the bar with your palms facing away from your body you will perform a pull-up. Pull-ups focus less on the arms and more on the back and shoulders. If however you turn your grip facing towards your body you will be performing a chin-up. Chin-ups focus on the arms, especially the biceps.

They are simple to execute and the benefits are first-rate. Chiefly, chin-ups and pull-ups build muscle by forcing you to lift you entire bodyweight, putting strain on the body notably the back, shoulder and arm muscles. They also boost your grappling strength by holding on to the bar. This strength can be transferred to many sports including rock climbing and rowing which can promote weight loss.

You will also begin to notice other weight training exercises become easier such as the over head press and bench press. This is payable to the supplementary strength the arm muscles have gained due to chin-ups. Ultimately, chin-ups and pull-ups will wholly advance your shoulder health as the ‘pull’ will counterbalance any ‘push’ exercises you perform hence keeping the muscles feeling equal.

The trouble with chin-ups is that they are hard to do. Many of us can only manage two at a time if that! This can be somewhat disheartening and regrettably many give up at the first hurdle which is injurious to any weight loss, strength and fitness goals. Instead of giving up take on this challenge and enjoy the feeling when you have mastered the chin-up!

Start by learning how to support a little of your weight until you can perform chin-ups on your own. A few tips include placing a chair underneath your tippy toes that you can push yourself up on slightly or ask a trusted friend to help you up by holding on to your body. Alternatively, you can use momentum by swinging yourself up. Once you have mastered chin-ups with a little help your muscles should be a bit stronger to support your weight alone.

So once you have the vigor to perform chin-ups I guess you would like to know how to achieve the perfect chin-up? No problem. Start with straight arms in a dead hang from the bar and hold the bar firmly with your fingers wrapped around the bar. Take a deep breath in from the belly and then pull yourself up. To ensure you keep the accurate posture do not raise your shoulders as you come up, raise your chest towards the bar and look up. Point your elbows towards the floor; bend your knees into your chest and cross your ankles. This will not only build up the biceps but work the abs, the glutes and help you to get stronger.

As you have read there are quite a few things to think about when performing chin-ups and many mistakes can be made. Remember to keep your arms completely straight to make it more of a dead lift and keep your shoulders down and raise your chest. Try to keep as still and controlled as possible to get the most out of your chin-ups as flapping around on the bar will help you up using momentum but not give your muscles such an intense workout.

The most imperative tip to consider is to make certain your chin comes up and completely clears the bar. If not then you are not achieving a chin-up.

So there you have it, a classic exercise that gives classic results. Start off slowly and build up in time remembering to not make mistakes and to listen to your body. When you have built up muscle mass and are finding chin-ups easier then add weights to your ankles to add resistance.

Working your lats is a good way to not only build muscle strength (and thus acquire all of the other benefits of increased muscle tone in your overall health), but to break up your work out routine by adding a different motion. The more different things you do, the greater your overall fitness will be. Say you focus on sit-ups, bench presses, and push-ups. Adding chin ups will strengthen new muscles and help improve your work out in these other areas, too.

So you know you want to add chin ups to your routine, but you’re not sure how to do them. Here’s a basic primer or chin up technique, with some pointers to help you get started. (As with any workout advice, there are always risks that you might hurt yourself or pull something if you don’t do it quite right, so it’s best to work with a personal trainer to make sure you do it safely if you have any questions.)

Here is the basic form of doing a chin-up.

1. Step up to the chin up bar and extend your arms above your head.
2. Grip the bar with your fingers/palms facing you.
3. Pull yourself up to the chin up bar until you are high enough that your chest touches (or nearly touches) the bar.
4. Relax and lower your body back down until your arms are straight.
5. Repeat.

There are a few different ways of doing a chin up, or things you can do to enhance your workout. It’s easy to try and do all the work with your arms (specifically your biceps), so using a kip can help remind you to use your lats instead of just your arms. This helps the chin up bar do its job and build muscle strength in your work out routine.

The chin up bar helps you work your latissimus dorsi (lats), which are on the back of your torso below your shoulder blades. But since muscles always work together with other muscles, you get added benefits to the following muscles, as well:

• biceps brachii
• bracialis
• posterior deltoid
• teres major & teres minor
• lower trapezius
• lower pectoralis

That is a lot of different muscles for a very simple motion. Here is how the chin up works:

1. Approach the bar and stand directly below it.
2. Extend your arms upward and grip the bar firmly, with your palms facing your torso.
3. Focusing on the use of your lats as you pull yourself up to the bar, until your chest reaches the bar and your chin is above it (hence the name “chin up”).
4. Lower yourself back down until your arms are straight.
5. Repeat as desired, preferably in sets between other exercises.

However, there’s more to a chin up than that. There are a number of variations on that simple motion that help you get the most out of your chin up bar. If you want more challenge, you may try a one-handed chin up, where you grip the bar with one hand and use the other to hold the forearm of your gripping hand.

You may also try wearing a weighted belt, creating what is known as a weighted chin up. This adds extra weight to your body and challenges your muscles to work harder to get you up to the bar.

If you reverse your grip on the chin up bar, so that your palms are facing away from your body, then the work you are doing is now classified as a pull up workout, which works a different combination of muscles but is also a great motion for increasing strength.

Here are a few basic moves on the bar, with a look into how they help your body build strength.

Standard chin up: This involves standing below the bar, gripping it with both hands (palms facing your torso), and raising yourself until your chin rises just above (but does not rest on) the chin up bar. Lower yourself until your arms are straight, and repeat.

One handed chin up:  This means exactly what it sounds like. Use your free hand to grip your gripping hand (or forearm). This adds necessary support, but does help you focus less on the bicep and more on the lats, which are the target of most chin up exercises.
One armed chin up. The free hand does nothing to assist the gripping hand, but hangs free so the gripping arm does all the work.

Pull ups: By just reversing your grip on the bar (rather than having your palms face you, turn them so they face away from you), your chin up bar has turned into a pull up bar. Pull ups also target the lats, but in a slightly different way.

Weighted chin ups: What you are able to accomplish on the bar can be significantly boosted by simply adding weight to your body. A weighted belt is the simplest and safest way of doing this. Some body builders get to a point where they hold metal weights in the crook of their knees, but this should be done carefully and with a spotter. For most people, a simple weighted belt is sufficient, and the added body weight builds extra muscle strength.

These are all great ways of using the chin up bar to build muscle strength. By working on the standard chin up first, you can then gradually work your way to more repetition, more weight, or other variations to add additional strength to your workout routine.

The first thing you need to decide is which bar you are going to buy. The biggest decision is what type of bar you want. There are wall mounted chin up bars, and doorway bars, as well.

The wall mounted bar is a good choice if you have a strong wall with studs in a room (or garage) where you have dedicated the area to exercise, since the wall mounted bar is more or less permanent (or at least not portable).

A doorframe mounted bar, in contrast, is very portable. Bars are made that will fit most standard doorways. For most people, these are plenty sufficient, but make sure the bar you get will fit your doorframe and will hold your weight (or weight you’ll be wearing to increase your workout).

A third option is not a free-standing chin up bar, but rather a home gym or other exercise system that has a bar built on, in addition to its other functions.

Once you choose and set up a bar, you’re ready to start doing chin ups! For a standard, normal chin up, simply stand under the bar, extend your arms upward, grip the bar firmly in both hands (with palms facing you), and pull yourself up to the bar until your chin is above (but does not touch) the bar. Let yourself back down, and repeat.

There are also variations on this basic motion that you can do to add challenge and work different sets of muscles after you’ve mastered the standard chin up. Adding weight (with a weight belt) is quite popular, as is working on one-handed/one-armed chin ups, or doing “mountain climber” chin ups, where you put your hands further apart and lift your body up toward one side and then the other, alternating.

Each of these ways help you build strength, muscle mass, and overall health. The simplicity and affordability of the chin up bar makes it easy to bring a good workout into your own home.

Many people go to gyms and use fancy machines to do all sorts of exercises. But the truth of the matter is that, with a few simple pieces of equipment, you can have a pretty solid workout at home without paying thousands of dollars for equipment (or hundreds of dollars for a gym membership).

A chin up bar is a simple part of this. With a chin up bar, a few free weights, and maybe a weight belt, you can do quite a variety of weight training exercises in your own home (these also take up very little space).

So say you use your free weights to do a few bench presses, then do some sit-ups, some jumping jacks (cardiovascular health is extremely important to all forms of exercise), some chin ups, some leg weights (also with the free weights on a simple bench), and maybe even a few pushups.

You have worked your arms, legs, back, and stomach muscles, plus of course your heart. Adding variation to the amount of weight you use makes these drills even more effective.

Weights can be incorporated into chin up work by adding a weight belt (after you grow strong at standard chin ups, of course) to give your muscles more work to do. You can carry hand weights while jogging to add similar challenge, while also working your arms.

And to add further variety, you can rotate your palms to face away from you, turning your bar to a pull up bar. Or grasp the bar with one hand, and use the other to hold onto your forearm (for a one-handed chin-up). For even MORE challenge, grasp with one hand and leave the other hanging free, touching nothing. This is known as a one-armed chin-up and is extremely challenging.

Whether wall-mounted or doorway-mounted, chin up bars give you a lot of options for challenging yourself with an affordable at-home workout. So find a bar that’s right for you, and get working! It’ll surely pay off.