I was looking for a pull-up bar to use with P90X. I was leery about door frame bars, partially because none of my door frames are really situated well for it. There are pull-up bars that install into wall joists, and others that will screw through sheet rock into a ceiling joist. I'm sure that installed right, these can be sturdy, but the nice part about the Ultimate Body Press Joist Mounted Bar is that it doesn't screw into the bottom of the joist, but rather hangs from bolts going through the side of the joist. This means that your body weight is not hanging on the screw threads, but rather on the joist and bolt themselves, far more secure. To install this bar, you need access to the joists. That means cutting a hole in the ceiling or using an unfinished area. You can finish over it later, but the point is you need to reach the joists. It calls for a 7/16" drill bit. If you haven't checked your tool box, it is likely you don't have this exact size because they don't come with most sets. I didn't want to use a bigger size because I didn't want too much play in the bolts, so I went to Home Depot and bought a 7/16" drill bit for about $8 ( DEWALT DW1128 7/16-Inch Black Oxide 3/8-Inch Reduced Shank Split Point Twist Drill Bit ). I also couldn't get my Power Drill into the joist space, so I bought Milescraft 1390 Drill90 Right Angle Drilling and Driving Power Drill Attachment for another $20 to make the holes at a right angle. Installation at that point was fairly straightforward. The bar comes in two halves that join in the middle. You make the pilot for the first hole, assemble the bar, hang it from the first hole while you mark the other 3 holes, remove the bar, drill out the holes, and then mount the bar with the 4 bolts. There were a few points I felt the instructions could have made more clear. There is no guidance as to how high on the joist you should mount the bar. I did some internet searches, and found you should have at least 10" of clearance to the ceiling - I made mine about 12" so I had some head space, but also plenty of bite into the joist. The bar comes with a stamped metal "wrench" for adjusting the bolts, but it will be far easier if you have a standard socket set and wrench for tightening the bolts. The bar does come apart in the middle. I assume this made manufacturing and shipping costs less. I would have preferred a solid bar, but the two pieces overlap quite a bit internally. It seems rock solid once you add the two screws, so it is hard to complain. Overall, it's a great value, and you'd spend almost this much on parts to build one yourself. I highly recommend it if you have the space, or are inclined to open your ceiling a bit and do some refinishing. Read more
A photo posted with this review shows the parts that arrived in the product box. The hardware was in good shape. The instruction sheet was ripped and crumpled, but readable. The instruction sheet said nothing about the included lag bolts and the included paper mounting template. The latter was slightly crumpled but usable and much appreciated. The paper mounting template contained further instructions, including how to use the lag bolts and how to use the template itself. I installed this pull-up bar in our ancient, low-ceiling garage on a 3"x6" (actual measurements) joist. Because of the unusual thickness of this joist, I had to use the included lag bolts rather than the included machine bolts. Luckily, I had the recommended 7/32" drill bit. A challenge for my one-person installation was how to support the bar while getting the lag bolts started. As it turned out, the empty product box gave the exact height boost needed by my step ladder to perform this support function. Another photo posted with this review shows this Rube Goldberg arrangement. Also shown in the Rube Goldberg photo is a socket wrench attached to one of the partially screwed-in lag bolts. You simply must have a socket wrench to install the lag bolts. You do not want to try to screw in the lag bolts with the little box wrench provided with the product. (The box wrench will probably be adequate if you use the machine bolts in your installation, but a socket wrench will still be a major improvement.) Another photo posted with this review shows the finished installation: rock solid! Because of the low ceiling in our garage, I can hit the low point of my pull-ups cycle with full arm extension, dangling in the air, only by bending my legs 90 degrees at my knees. Hey, it works! I demonstrate this technique with two other photos posted with this review. Read more
This is an incredibly sturdy pull up bar. We'll worth the money. But don't expect much on instructions. But no worries, they have a diagram of where things go. But you'll need a little common sense, because they don't tell you exactly where each washer goes. But other than that, this is well worth the money. Read more
Time for another Amazon product review. I had been looking for a joist or stud mounted pull-up bar for a while. None of the local sporting goods stores had a basic bolt-on solution so I came to Amazon to shop for ideas. This item appeared to be a nice quality, moderately-priced product. I have a loft with an open wood beam that is perfect for this bar. For my install, I bought 4 4" x 3/8" lag bolts and pre-drilled the holes with a 5/16" drill bit to make installation easier. I couldn't find a weight/load rating on any of the lag bolts at Lowes but they appear to be holding well. (You may want to check weight/load limits on the bolts you intend to use, or use the mounting bolts provided in the kit, for your own personal application and safety). The box arrived quickly and in good condition. All hardware was included, as described. The bar had a couple of slight scratches from shipping but nothing too severe. A little black touch-up paint would easily fix it if I wanted to bother with it. The bar appears to be fairly sturdy. I am 155 lbs and I do not notice any flex on the bar when using it. It just feels SOLID! I also like how the position of the mounting bolts actually reinforces the center of the bar and also further prevents it from flexing. The thick foam padding is very comfortable. Finally, because of the joist mount design, I was able to mount the bar at exactly the height I preferred. Overall, for the price and quality I would recommend this item. Now... time to get back to my workout! Thank you for reading my review... Read more
