Let’s take a look at one way to make your own homemade pullup bar for DIRT cheap. You will probably find that most of the things you’ll need for this quick project are lying around your garage. And even if they aren’t, this setup won’t run you more than $5.
But first…
Why Bodyweight Exercises?
Pullups are one of the three essential exercises in the core bodyweight total body workout trifecta: pushups, pullups, and bodyweight squats.
Just doing these three exercises can get you into amazing shape. Herschel Walker, for example, has used a daily routine of simple bodyweight exercises like these (including around 1,000 pushups per day(!)) to achieve NFL stardom and a pro MMA career at age 45!
(Here is Mr. Walker in his pro MMA debut:)
DIY Pullup Bar – What You Need
So let’s get started. Here is what you’ll need:
Around 10 feet of polypropylene trucker’s rope. (20 cents per foot)
1 foot of 1″ diameter white pvc pipe (20 cents per foot)
A drill with a 1/8″ and 1/2″ drill bit (if you don’t have a 1/2″ bit, don’t worry, just find the closest size you can)
*(optional)* A tie down strap
10 feet of line is a ballpark estimate. You might need more or less depending on how high you want your chin up bar, and how high the object you are tying to is. In my case, 10 feet of line is more than enough for tying up to a 10 foot high beam.
Cut Pipe, Drill Holes
Go to your local hardware store and see if you can find a foot or so of pvc pipe. Ideally, try to get some grey pvc – this is schedule 80 pipe and has a thicker wall than the standard white pvc pipe.
I had around a foot of white pipe laying around, so I used that.
I marked off two points around 1/2″ in from each end, centered on the pipe’s printed text to keep the holes aligned:
I then drilled the holes – first with a smaller 1/8″ bit, then with a bigger bit. The hole still wasn’t big enough for the rope, so I rotated the drill while drilling the hole, expanding the hole with the sides of the drill bit:
Cut Rope to Length
Cut around 10 feet of the polypropylene trucker’s line. Tape the cut point with some masking tape, cut it, and then melt the ends with a lighter to keep the rope from unraveling.
Thread Rope Through Handle
First, thread the rope through the pipe, passing in one hole and out the other, as shown below:
Threading the rope through these holes prevents the pipe from rotating while you are gripping it, making it much easier to hang onto.
Tie Handle
Now we need to tie the handle loop. We will use the ever-useful bowline knot, and add a bit of extra security by making it a double-bowline. Here’s how to tie the double bowline knot:
Step 1: First, take the free end of the rope, then pass it over and tuck it underneath the standing part, as shown below:
Step 2: Once the free end is tucked under the rope’s standing part, pull the free end to form a small loop in the standing part:
Step 3: You now will have the free end passing through a small loop in the standing part, see below:
Step 4: Now we will repeat steps 1-3, forming another loop for our double bowline. First, pass the free end over the standing part:
Step 5: As in steps 1-2, continue to pass the free end over and tuck it under the standing end, to form another loop, as shown below:
Step 6: You should now have the free end passing through two identical loops in the standing part. Below is a closeup. Make sure that your loops look just like these:
Step 7: Now pass the free end behind the standing end:
Step 8: Now the free end travels through the two loops, following the arrow as shown below:
Step 9: Tuck the free end through the loops:
Step 10: Here is what the knot should look like at this point:
Step 11: Tighten the knot by pulling on the free end and standing part:
Step 12: Tighten the second loop by pulling the big loop in opposite directions as shown below:
Double Bowline – Done!
(This knot is great. Mariners use it because it handles a load very well and is easy to untie afterwords. Once you get the hang of this knot, you will be surprised how many uses it has. Especially when you combine it with the trucker’s hitch.)
Mount Pullup Bar
Now, all we need to do is mount the pullup bar. Here are a couple options:
Option #1 – Tie it On
With the extra length of rope hanging from the chin up bar, it’s easy to tie your new pullup bar to an branch or beam overhead.
-*-SAFETY NOTE-*- Be safe – test your knot before you trust it – give it a few strong pulls, make sure everything is secure before proceeding.
You can tie a double bowline around the object, following the instructions above, or tie an even quicker knot, two half hitches through the loop:
Option 1a: 1 Loop Attachment
Pass the free end of the rope through the loop as shown below:
Next, follow the arrow – pass the free end around the standing part of the rope as shown, then repeat, following the arrow shown below:
Here’s what the knot should look like when complete:
Give the rope a few pulls to make sure the knot is secure, and you’re ready to roll. This one loop option is great for throwing over some odd objects for your pull up workout:
Option 1b: 2 Loop Attachment
For a more permanent setup (although you will get really quick with these knots as you tie them more and more) you can set up your pullup bar like this:
Just thread the rope through the holes in the bar, and tie a double bowline at each end of the rope, looping over the overhead object as shown above.
Option #2 – Use a Cinch Strap
If you have a cinch strap/tie down strap lying around, mounting your new diy chin up bar can be pretty simple:
Just throw the strap over your overhead object, pass it through the pullup bar’s loop, and cinch it to what ever length you want:
For safety’s sake, tie a couple half hitches through the loop to secure it fully:
That’s it! Now you have yourself a homemade chin up bar.
Be Safe
This setup is strong, but it’s only as strong as the object you tie to. I weigh 210, and have done weighted pullups with 50 lbs on this setup. But choose your overhead object wisely – a strong 4 x 12 beam is best.
Polypropylene rope doesn’t do too well when left out in the sun for days on end. So if you plan on using this setup outside, store it indoors when you’re done.
Also, check your rope before each workout to make sure there isn’t any fraying or other potentially compromising damage.
It’s 62 pages packed with this and other homemade workout equipment tutorials, workouts, and more. MOST of it hasn’t been featured on my blog, and I’m sure you’ll like it.
When you think of the best chest exercises, the bench press is what usually comes to mind. But what if you don’t have access to a gym OR free weights? Are you forever banished to merely doing hundreds of pushups? (not that there’s anything wrong with that…)
Before we discuss my DIY bench press alternative, let’s take a look at the pros and cons of the bench press.
All the best exercises for developing strength and building muscle involve moving HEAVY weights for reasonably low repetitions. The Bench Press is so great for building upper body strength because it allows you engage all your major pushing muscles (including the chest) to move large amounts of weight.
BUT, Is Doing the Barbell Bench Press Asking for a Shoulder Injury?
Unfortunately for many people, the bench press can lead to shoulder injuries.
I can remember being in college, stumbling around the gym once in a while and trying to bench press. Inevitably, I would end up hurting my shoulder! (Warming up with some good rotator cuff exercises would have helped, but…)
The problem is often that using a barbell can force your shoulder into unnatural positions (especially if you lack shoulder flexibility and/or have impingement issues).
Using dumbells is an easy way to limit the strain on your shoulders, as it allows your shoulder to track more naturally as you press. Check out this video of the incline bench press, an excellent upper chest/shoulder exercise:
But if you are a die-hard barbell bench presser, at least take a look at this article on bench pressing safely for keys on proper form that could save your shoulders.
Insatbility, Muscle Activation, and Why Gymnasts are So Buff
Your body will only recruit the minimum number of muscle fibers needed to perform a given movement. Recruiting more muscle fibers will result in strength and muscle gains.
Adding more weight to an exercise is the obvious way to recruit more muscle fibers (we will get to this approach in a little bit), but another way to increase muscle fiber activation is to make the exercise surface/equipment you are using more unstable.
Exercises done on unstable equipment like gymnastics rings are MUCH more difficult than the same exercise done on a stable surface.
Try a pushup, for example. When done on unstable equipment like rings or a DIY suspension trainer, your chest and arms are not only providing the force to push your body up, they (and also your back, shoulders, core, and even legs) are forced to continuously fire to keep your hands from moving up, back, in or out.
Instability = More Muscle Activation = Greater Strength and Muscle Gains
So for starters, try this excellent bench press alternative/shoulder and upper chest exercise – the decline pushup on DIY suspension trainer:
Grab a chair to elevate your feet a couple feet off the ground
Then…
[My posture isn't exactly perfect here, strive for more of a straight spine. Do as I say and not as I do!]
This movement is a lot more difficult than just doing decline pushups on the floor. I find that it SERIOUSLY works my core, in addition to my chest, shoulders, and triceps.
Best Rep Range to for Strength and Muscle Gains
There are many opinions on how many reps/sets to do for maximum strength and muscle gains. A good rule of thumb is to aim for between 4-8 reps. This range targets both types of muscle fibers and both types of muscle growth (more on these details here).
I am no bodybuilder, and more interested in getting stronger while maintaining my current body weight, so I like to shoot for the lower end of this range. I keep the difficulty up by adding weight.
Adding Weight is Easy…
Just throw a bag of pea gravel (like your training sandbag) into a backpack, and get after it:
[Man, looking at this picture now, it looks like I am getting ready to climb Mount Everest or something. It has been a little chilly here, but you guys back east would probably be laughing if you knew just how 'cold' it's been...]
Don’t Forget to Balance Opposing Muscle Groups
This exercise has been a key part of my strength program the last couple months. I like to follow each set of this horizontal pushing movement with a horizontal pulling motion (body rows with this same setup work great). This helps to keep muscle gains balanced and prevent muscle imbalances that could lead to injury.
Good Luck!
Give this exercise a try, and let me know how it works for you!
Have a great week,
-Ian
Other Resources
This ‘at home’ bench press alternative was inspired by strength coach Jason Ferrugia’s enthusiasm for this exercise, which he claims is his ‘favorite chest exercise.” I’m not going to argue with him on that point. Check out his site for more great strength and muscle building info.
I know I like to push my version of the DIY suspension trainer (hey, I just enjoy tying knots, what can I say…) But if my way doesn’t float your boat, check out Ross Enamait’s blog post on homemade suspension trainers for other ways of making this most useful piece of equipment without paying big bucks.
Eric Cressey is an elite trainer to many Major League Baseball players, athletes who are prone to developing shoulder injuries. Check out his thoughts on shoulder injuries and the bench press.
If you are adamant about continuing to bench press with a barbell, check out Mehdi’s post at stronglifts.com on proper bench press form.
The triceps, the often ignored counterpart to the famous biceps muscle, is easy to target with bodyweight exercises. Here are a few options:
[This photo has nothing to do with triceps exercises, but the sunsets have been so RIDICULOUS around here this first part of fall, I thought I would share this shot with you, from just down the road in Morro Bay. Photo by mikebaird]
When most people think of bodyweight triceps exercises, the one thing that comes to mind is diamond pushups:
This is a great exercise, but there are more options.
Another one of my favorites is the “skull-crusher”:
But, with just a towel and the adjustable loop from your DIY Suspension Trainer (basically just get some rope and tie a bowline in one end), you can do a few more variations that will not only tax your triceps, but your grip as well.
Overhead Triceps Press
Take your adjustable loop, throw it over a sturdy beam or branch, and tie it off at around rib height. Next, roll up your towel and thread it through as shown. And then…
Grip.
Press!
It’s pretty simple, as you can see, but this exercise really hits the triceps.
Triceps Pushdown with Assist
This next exercise is a little more difficult (just make sure to use your legs as little as possible for maximum effect on the triceps).
Grip the towel, with your weight resting on the balls of your feet, with your knees slightly off the ground.
Press down using your legs to assist as necessary.
Try to get your arms to full extension (unlike me here in this photo!)
This exercise is surprisingly hard, as you are essentially doing a triceps press with your bodyweight!
The sledgehammer – a simple and brutally effective tool of destruction, if there ever was one!
Just think of the sledgehammer’s medieval battlefield counterpart, the bludgeon. Merely saying “bludgeon” brings to mind gruesome scenes of peasant-on-peasant footsoldier warfare, while noble knights daintily fought on horseback.
[That sledgehammer also might come in handy when you have to bludgeon down a castle wall to save this princess.]
Ok, enough of the medieval war imagery for now. (I just saw Robin Hood. It was pretty good). Back to our sledgehammer workout.
If you have ever had to manually break up and get rid of a large concrete slab, you already know how repeatedly swinging a sledgehammer will tax EVERY muscle in your body. From grip, arms, core, legs, to feet, everything is involved.
[Want to get ripped arms like this dude? Swing that sledgehammer! Photo by Editor B]
This makes the sledgehammer an ideal tool for total body conditioning. But before you start bashing apart your back patio, let’s cover some details.
Step 1 – Get a Tire
Since I don’t want you to go out and start destroying your neighbors’ driveways and patios, you will need something else to swing that sledgehammer into. A tire works really well.
You might see videos of people hitting massive tractor tires. That’s great if you can get ahold of one and have the space to store it. But there’s no need, really. I have found that a simple truck tire works great.
Go to your local tire store and ask to check out their used tire area. Find a solid looking tire, and throw it in your car. The price should be right around free-ninety-nine, plus tax.
Step 2 – Get a Sledgehammer
Since you will be hitting a rubber tire instead of a concrete slab, the hammer’s handle is much less likely to break.
But with that said, for maximum safety and durability, get a new, fiberglass handled sledgehammer like a Ludell, available at Home Depot.
Head weight should be anywhere between 8 to 20 pounds, depending on what kind of shape you are in. (Go lighter if you are just starting out).
Step 3 – Swing Away!
Just like with any exercise tool, there are nearly infinite variations to sledgehammer workouts. Here a couple that I like:
Here is Ross Enamait, one of my fitness heroes, demonstrating a Tabata (20 seconds of work/10 seconds of rest, repeated 8 times) sledgehammer workout:
Here is another video showing a montage of MMA legend Fedor Emilanenko’s workout routine, including swinging a heavy sledgehammer into a huge tire.
Quick Sandbag and Sledgehammer Workout
And finally, here is a workout I came up with, continuing with the theme of moving heavy objects with simple, compound movements:
30 sledgehammer swings into tire, switching grip after 15 reps
Rest for 1 minute
Repeat 4 or 5 times.
Feel free to alter the repetitions, rest intervals, and total sets as you see fit.
I like this circuit because it alternates an explosive hip extension/pushing movement (clean and press) with a violent hip flexion/pulling motion (sledgehammer swing). Plus it’s fun.
The glute ham raise is one of the best exercises for developing the posterior chain muscles (lower back, hips, glutes/butt, hamstrings and calves) that are SO important for athletic performance.
[This photo doesn't have much to do with glute ham raises, but hey, it's summertime. It's always nice to see a pretty girl walking on the beach. Photo by gtall1]
Why Glute Ham Raises?
Many athletes are what is called “quad dominant,” meaning that their glutes and hamstrings are too weak and inactivated to contribute their full share of strength to movements like sprinting and jumping. (Here is an excellent post on glute activation drills). As a result, the smaller, weaker quads are forced to take over.
Performance
No muscles are more important to running and jumping than the glutes and hamstrings. Some experts (such as Olympic trainer Charles Poliquin) estimate that for sprinting and jumping, 40% of the power comes from the glutes, and another 25% comes from the hamstrings.
The glute ham raise (GHR) directly targets these muscles together with the important spinal erectors. Unlike the common hamstring curl and back extension, this exercise works the hamstrings from both ends – extension at the hip and knee.
Training with this exercise has been shown to dramatically improve speed. The NFL’s Adam Archuleta went from running a 4.85 sec to a 4.39 sec 40 yard dash in part by incorporating GHRs as part of his training program while in college.
For me, I have noticed a dramatic improvement in my sprinting speed since I started doing the GHR. Now I often feel like I am smoothly gliding along, my feet “clawing” at the ground like a cheetah!
[It sure does feel good to run fast... Just ask this cheetah. Photo by bontempscharly]
Injury Prevention
Experts often notice that athletes who are weak in the lower back, glutes, and hamstrings are vulnerable to lower back and knee injuries, especially to the ACL. Using the GHR dramatically increases strength and activation in these important posterior chain muscles, protecting the knee and lower back from injury. In fact, some college athletic programs who started training their athletes with the GHR have seen a 50% decrease in these sorts of injuries.
Ok, I’m Convinced. So How Much is it for a Glute Ham Machine?
Well, a new glute ham raise machine will run you over $500! But don’t worry, you have options:
Improvised GHR Setups
Lat Pull Down Machine
For those who have access, here is a new use for that lat pull down machine that’s collecting dust:
Using a Car
Here is my personal favorite: hook your feet under a car and use a pad for your knees. Ideally your knees and ankles should be at the same level. Mine aren’t here, but you get the idea. I am using a thick, rolled up yoga mat as a pad.
Start, slowly lowering while strongly flexing your glutes and hamstrings to slow yourself against gravity.
Even if you are merely controlling your fall at this point, continue to flex your glutes and hamstrings while keeping your body as straight as possible.
As your hands reach the ground, continue to flex your glutes and hamstrings as your arms provide whatever assistance you need.
Here is the bottom of the descent. Still flex those glutes and hamstrings!
Give yourself a slight boost with your arms, if necessary, and continue to keep your glutes and hamstrings activated to pull yourself up.
Here I have started to bend at the waist. My glutes, hamstrings, and lower back have lost some tension due to being weak! Don’t do this. Try to keep your body as straight as possible.
Back to the start. Repeat as you like.
A Couple Tips
This is a tough exercise. Don’t train to failure when you are just starting out. I have found that doing a couple sets, 2-3 reps short of failure, 2-3 times per week, has helped my glutes and hamstrings get MUCH stronger without getting too sore at any given point.
While being quad dominant can be a problem for performance and injuries, so can being hamstring dominant. Here is a great article from Elite Lifts on how to prevent hamstring pulls and improve performance by fully activating the glutes.
[ Where does sand come from? The beach! Here is a beautiful sunset, looking just north of the pier here in Cayucos. Photo by jkirkhart3 ]
Training sandbags are a great way to throw some serious weight into your workouts without breaking the bank. Spend around $20 on a couple bags of pea gravel and a beat up army duffel bag, and you will have yourself a beast of a weight that will keep you busy for quite a while.
Putting it all together is pretty simple:
Dump the pea gravel (75 pounds) into the bag. If you are a true savage, you can dump two bags of gravel into the duffel bag and have a 150 pound sandbag.
I use a cable clamp to close up the bag. This way you can add or remove weight to your heart’s content.
I have heard several methods for adding and removing precise amounts of weight: Filling ziplock bags with sand, then duct taping them, putting several of them into large contractor bags… I get irritated just thinking about having to do all that. It sounds way too difficult. Here’s what I do:
I found an empty yogurt container and filled it to the brim with gravel. I then dumped the gravel into a larger container on a scale. As luck would have it, one yogurt container full of pea gravel weighed in at 2.5 pounds!
I then dumped three more yogurt containers of pea gravel into the larger container and made sure that it weighed 10 pounds, since I expect the scale to be more accurate at 10 pounds than 2.5.
There you have it! Just scoop gravel in or out to get your desired weight, then close it up with the cable clamp.
If you plan on throwing your sandbag, you might want to close up your bag with a couple zip ties wrapped with duct tape. Cable clamps are well made, but I wouldn’t trust them to hold up to a serious impact. With that said, I use my sandbag for cleans, presses, and carries, and the cable clamp has held up like a champ.
[Here is a foot strap of another sort. I would love to hear the story behind this photo...]
Foot straps/loops can be an extremely useful addition to your DIY suspension trainer. With them you will be able to perform difficult exercises such as plank variations, knee tucks, lunges, and many many more.
It’s not hard to do. Here’s how:
First, we need each handle to be able to support weight independently. To do this, find the exact midpoint of the suspension trainer loop as shown.
Next, mark this point with some tape.
Tie a butterfly knot, making sure that the taped midpoint is perfectly in the middle of the loop as shown. This might take a little adjustment, but you’ll get it.
Cut two more pieces of rope around 3 feet long. Make sure to tape the rope before you cut it to prevent fraying, then melt the new ends with a lighter. These will be our foot loops.
Now tie the loop on either side of the handle, using a bowline knot. Try to make each foot loop the same size. This will take a little bit of fiddling, but it’s not that difficult.
Now you can do MANY more exercises! Knee tucks are one option, good for your abs…
And lunges are another. Having your foot supported by the suspension trainer adds to the difficulty of the exercise.
Suspension trainers like the TRX are great (although I would prefer a good set of gymnastics rings). They are light, extremely portable, and allow you to do an almost infinite variety of exercises with just your bodyweight.
It's way harder than she's making it look! (image from cheaphomegym.net)
There is just one problem: the price! I can think of a lot more fun ways to spend $200 than on a piece of nylon webbing!
Here is the solution: make your own for around $15. There are several tutorials out there on youtube, but I feel that my version is right up there with the best as far as being cheap, easy to make and easy to adjust. Plus, you get to learn how to tie some really handy knots!
Here’s what you need:
A couple feet of 1″ PVC pipe
A short piece of nylon webbing (optional, if you want to make a door mount)
40′ of polypropelene trucker’s rope
A piece of sand paper
A little bit of masking tape (to tape the rope before you cut it)
A knife
A lighter (to cauterize the ends of the rope after they’re cut)
Make the handles
Cut the PVC into two pieces roughly 7 inches long. Sand the cut edges of the handles to create less of a chafing edge.
Cut the Rope
Cut around 20 feet of rope. Make sure to wrap the rope with the masking tape before you cut it to minimize potential unraveling. Melt the rope ends with a lighter when you’re done.
You can use the nylon webbing to make a door mount for the suspension trainer.
To mount the equipment on a beam or branch, use the rest of the rope to make an attachment loop.
Make the Handle Loop Adjustable
What’s great about using rope is that once you know how to tie a knot like the butterfly knot, you can quickly and easily make the handle adjustable. Not only is the knot pretty easy to tie once you know how, untying it is a breeze.
Use It!
Throw your adjustable loop over a strong tree branch, a rafter, or string it through the door mount, and get to work!
Dips (pictured here) and body rows are just two of many options.
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-Ian
[Here's a reminder that summer is just around the corner. photo: daily sunny]
Next, follow the arrow – pass the free end around the standing part of the rope as shown, then repeat, following the arrow shown below:
Here’s what the knot should look like when complete:
Give the rope a few pulls to make sure the knot is secure, and you’re ready to roll. This one loop option is great for throwing over some odd objects for your pull up workout:
Just thread the rope through the holes in the bar, and tie a double bowline at each end of the rope, looping over the overhead object as shown above.
when you ‘like’ my new facebook page.
[Here is a foot strap of another sort. I would love to hear the story behind this photo...]
Cut around 20 feet of rope. Make sure to wrap the rope with the masking tape before you cut it to minimize potential unraveling. Melt the rope ends with a lighter when you’re done.
What’s great about using rope is that once you know how to tie a knot like the 
Throw your adjustable loop over a strong tree branch, a rafter, or string it through the door mount, and get to work!