On the topic of pull up bar thickness, it’s been fun searching other blogs and chat boards to “hear” what others have said, especially for those who have attempted to build their own. That trip to the hardware store, “hook up” with a local steel shop or conversation with a neighborhood plumber always seems to result in some confusion…before finding success ultimately.
Take a look at the Thick bars (image included here) we recently installed at Balance Gym Thomas Circle in Washington. These bars are 2 ½” in diameter and are incorporated into a 20’ system that has both primary and secondary work areas. For the primary work area, the bar diameter is 1 ¼” but for the secondary work areas (monkey bars/pull up bars), they alternate between standard and the 2 ½” thick bar variety. Providing even more challenge in a completely different way is the super thick 4” pipe that we also installed at Balance. Designed as one component in a really cool raised obstacle course to swing across, a bar in the air is a bar in the air after all, and jumping up and attempting a pull up is fair game….this is NOT an easy pull up!
First of all, like all industries I suppose, steel guys have their own language; standard pipe vs. mechanical pipe, hot rolled rounds vs. piping, tubes, flats, channels, etc. If you want to put your hands around a 1 ¼” bar, it’s a 1 inch pipe, 1” inch around your hands is a 3/4” pipe; go figure. Sizes vary depending on the actual material and the weight and thickness of the actual metal all varies too. Luckily, that’s why there are steel guys out there to worry this stuff so we don’t have to.
Putting all that aside, it would appear that there is general agreement that the thickness of choice for a standard pull up bar is just about 1 ¼” thick when measuring the outside diameter. This provides for a comfortable grip for the majority of athletes and satisfies the training needs of most in common situations. A trainer friend of mine jumped up on a new bar system just after we installed them and she said “ah, these are perfect”……….a reference to comfort I suppose.
For additional challenge however, one might opt for thicker bars. There is no question that thick bar pull up work will do wonders for your grip and forearm strength. Even thicker bars yet, may not be practical for everyday work outs, but they too have their place and strength benefits.
Take a look at the Thick bars (image included here) we recently installed at Balance Gym Thomas Circle in Washington. These bars are 2 ½” in diameter and are incorporated into a 20’ system that has both primary and secondary work areas. For the primary work area, the bar diameter is 1 ¼” but for the secondary work areas (monkey bars/pull up bars), they alternate between standard and the 2 ½” thick bar variety. Providing even more challenge in a completely different way is the super thick 4” pipe that we also installed at Balance. Designed as one component in a really cool raised obstacle course to swing across, a bar in the air is a bar in the air after all, and jumping up and attempting a pull up is fair game….this is NOT an easy pull up!
Often, we simply adapt to what we have available to us. Or, if you are like me, you find yourself pulling yourself up on just about anything that you come across that looks like it will hold. I had to contain myself this weekend heading downtown on the E train in NYC holding on to the overhead grab bars; they were just about 1 ¼” in diameter in my estimation, they were definitely comfortable….and clipping along at 50+ miles an hour on a crowded subway train would have been quite the challenge.
Comfort AND Challenge in this case!
I did a workout this morning using a bar that was rectangular. NOT easy, or comfortable. You're absolutely when you talk about the differing grips making a huge difference. Maybe the less comfortable the bar, the better in the long run?
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