The past 2 years have been the time of the home gym more than ever before! COVID-19 has caused gyms and fitness centers to shut down across the globe, making it been time to curate your own workout space at home. This means using the size parameters and budget constraints that you have to work with.
A wall mounted pull up bar is a step up from the doorway mounted bar. If you’re serious about your pull up training, you want something solid and substantial to train with.
What is a wall mounted pull up bar?
Most wall mounted pull up bars fix to standard residential stud framed walls using mounting plates or brackets. A solid pull up bar is great for developing your upper body, back, chest and core. A wall mounted pull up bars are made of high-quality material for great durability and strength.
Considerations when buying a wall mounted pull up bar:
- Plan ahead where you want to attach your pull up or chin up bar. You may use a stud finder device to pinpoint the appropriate area on the wall to safely secure your bar.
- Ask for permission! If you don’t own your home, its’ best to check before fixing anything to the walls of your home. (I prefer to beg for forgiveness rather than ask for permission, but up to you how you want to roll!) Its often advisable to keep your landlord on side!
- Check the weight rating. Not all pull up bars are created equal and neither are we. Do your research to ensure the product you choose can take the weight of anyone that will be using it.
- Read product reviews.
- Poorly made gear may not spread the load effectively could potentially rip right off your wall, causing pretty awful damage. I’ve provided some wall mounted pull up bar reviews here for you to check out to feel reassured before buying.
Benefits of Using Wall Mounted Pull Up Bar
A wall mounted pull up bar is generally much more sturdy than its’ doorway mounted counterpart. Most wall mounted units will handle 400-600 lbs and take up much less space that a freestanding rig. This might be particularly relevant for the home gym where floor space is limited.
Pull up bars are a perfect way to develop lean body mass in a relatively short time. Not only can you perform pull up and chin up exercises, but a wall mounted pull up bar is also a great tool for incorporating the use of resistance bands, or hanging TRX straps from to enable you to do a wide range of exercises.
Here’s our buyers guide to the best wall mounted pull up bars of 2022:
First a couple of points to mention…
A wall mounted pull up bar is usually more durable and (providing it is installed correctly) will take more weight than its’ portable/doorway mounted counterpart. By investing a little more time and/or money on proper installation, you will get a more solid piece of equipment and prevent damage to walls.
#1. XMark Commercial Multi-Grip Wall Mounted Pull Up Rig
A personal favorite – introducing you to the XMark Commercial Multi-Grip Wall Mounted Pull Up Rig. With its’ angled design allowing you to switch between wide, narrow, pronated, supinated and neutral hand positions, this bad boy means you can fine tune your pull up regime to get maximum results.
Built tough, XMark have made this pull up station capable of carrying a load, so if you’re a big rig, or like to add weight plates to your pull ups, you can rest assured that it can take the extra strain. The thing I love about it in particular is that XMark weld their pieces of metal together, rather than bolting them giving you reassurance in its’ strength.
My local gym has one of these XMark systems installed and it really is a pleasure to use. For beginners who are working on simply improving their grip strength for dead hang holds, its’ also useful as a micro set of monkey bars to work yourself along, adjusting your grip angles as you go.
What we like (PROS)
- Nice amount of knurling. Enough to help you grip without feeling like your callouses are being torn off!
- Loads of options on grip position
- Can handle the load. This rig is solid AF.
What We Don’t Like (CONS)
- Seems to be low availability at the moment (the pandemic has probable affected demand).
#2. Syzythoy Multifunctional Wall Mounted Pull Up Rig
Why not invest in a piece of kit that will allow you to do more than just pull ups?
I love this piece of equipment for the versatility it offers while still being super compact if you’re limited for space. Work your triceps with dips and your abs with a variety of leg raise exercises in between sets of pull ups and you’ll be ripped in no time!
Syzthoy aren’t a big player in the fitness world compared to brands like Rogue, but offer a good value option for those setting up a home gym and this rig will hold up to 440lbs so not to be sniffed at!
What we like (PROS)
- Good value system that offers a variety of exercise options in a compact workout space.
- The lower dip handles can double as a storage option for your curl bar when not in use.
- Able to be easily dismounted from the wall and packed away if you need the space for other functions.
What We Don’t Like (CONS)
- This rig is designed to be anchored to a concrete or solid brick wall, which limits its; suitability for some buyers. A workaround solution is to fix it to a timber board to distribute the weight across studs, but you need to do your due diligence first to avoid damaging your wall.
#3. Balazs Adjustable Wall Mounted Pull Up Bar
There aren’t many pull up bars that offer vertical adjustment. For many of you, this feature may be irrelevant, but for people like my mate Tony, who shares a house with his wheelchair bound (but fitness enthusiast) brother, the Balazs Adjustable Pull Up Bar was an absolute game changer. If you have a partner of a substantially different size to you, the adjustable feature of the Balazs bar might be a big drawcard for you too.
With 18″ of vertical adjustment, the bar can not only be easily adapted for both different height individuals, but also for different abilities and exercises. Balazs make a range of quality pull up bars and have earned themselves a reputation as a solid player in the fitness equipment industry. Expect to pay a fair bit more for this item, but if the versatility it offers meets your needs, then I’d say its’ worth the investment. You can also sleep soundly at night knowing you won’t need to replace it any time soon as it is a solid stainless steel construction. You can get training straight away with a 1/4″ drill, and a 9/16″ wrench. Everything else you need to assemble and install this rig is supplied in the box.
The Balazs pull up bar that Tony and Dom use is the 48″ bar version, but there is a 32″ model available if space constraints matter.
What we like (PROS)
- This heavy hitter will bear a load over 500lbs. (Psst…Can your wall handle it too?)
- Made in the USA. Booyah!
What We Don’t Like (CONS)
- The adjustabe nature of this rig means that you will be putting holes in a larger area of your wall.
#4. Rogue R-3W Fold Back Wall Mount Rack
This wouldn’t be a legit buyer’s guide if Rogue didn’t get a mention. Sure, these guys have secured themselved a tasty reputation in the Crossfit crowd, but they really are a solid player in the fitness equipment stratisphere.
This unique hing and pin design allows you to fold the rig back for space efficiency as needed, which makes is a favorite for home gym set ups where space is at a premium. By incorporating a power rack in to this rig, you are able to get a complete body workout using an olympic bar for overhead lifts and squatting exercises.
What we like (PROS)
- US manufactured Rogue equipment is reliable and of the highest workmanship.
- Specially design plastic cups are included to protect your floor from this beast of a rig.
- Lifetime warranty.
What We Don’t Like (CONS)
- Rogue aren’t cheap, but they’ve earned the right to charge what they do.
#7. Valor Fitness CHIN-UP Pro Style Mount Chin Up Bar
A similar style bar to the XMark I mentioned above, the Valor model provides that variety of grip angles that I love. Having recovered from a TFCC injury in the past, being able to alter my grip to a more neutral position can take the load off my wrists.
Another plus with this style of bar is the ability to hang resistance bands or TRX straps and keep them from sliding up and down the length of the bar.
What we like (PROS)
- Rated to 600 lbs. Strong as an ox.
- Multiple grip positons
What We Don’t Like (CONS)
- A slightly rougher finish on the handles means it might irritate your hands if you are more sensitive to that. I know people who actually prefer a rougher finish though, so personal preference is key.
What makes a good wall mounted pull up bar?
The first feature you should look at with the best wall mounted pull up bar is assessing it for your own functional needs. Are you just looking to do pull ups and chin ups or do you want to also hang a heavy bag or resistance straps from your bar? How much do you weigh? What sport of space do you have available? What are your walls constructed of?
Once you know what weight rating you need your bar to be and what sort of anchoring is needed for your wall, consider the type of exercises you want to perform and any space constraints. Remember, if you are renting, you may need to check with your landlord before installing a wall mounted pull up bar to avoid wall damage or getting yourself into trouble!
Choose a piece of equipment that will allow you to perform all your chosen movements safely. If you’re a smaller person, you might prefer a narrower diameter handle to grip and some people prefer s handle with foam padding to avoid ripping or forming callouses.
Read reviews before purchasing a pull up bar for home. Common complaints are rigs that arrive with poorly written instructions or incomplete installation kits. It’s really irritating to have to drill extra holes or source different bolts in order to “MacGyver” your way through putting a piece of fitness equipment together. You generally get what you pay for here and a few bucks saved in the purchase might come back to bit you when it comes to installation!