More and more people want to pump up their biceps and triceps and achieve a six-pack abdominal appearance, but at the same time lead a sedentary lifestyle. Why can't you visit the fitness club regularly? The usual excuses are being overloaded with everyday problems, always being in a rush at work and, as a consequence, lack of time. If you install a horizontal bar at home in any doorway, then these excuses will cease to exist. After all, you don’t even have to leave your apartment to study.
With the help of this simple device you will be able to train the muscles of your arms and back, and pump up your abs. The horizontal bar is relevant for families where children are growing up, as well as for people with spinal problems. Sporting goods stores offer a wide variety of models. If desired, the horizontal bar can be made and mounted in the doorway yourself.
Types of home exercise equipment
Installing crossbars with various types of fastening in a standard apartment is much easier than finding a place, for example, for a treadmill. If the sports equipment does not fit well with the interior, you should think about purchasing a removable horizontal bar and installing it in the doorway.
If necessary, the product can be removed so that it does not interfere with walking, and then reattached for exercise. The mobile design is advantageous in that it adapts to any depth or height of the opening. Most often, the size of the horizontal bar corresponds to the width of the interior door, approximately 90 cm. The weight of the structure is no more than 3 kilograms.
The horizontal bar is installed in the doorway without drilling, when the apartment owner does not want to damage the wall or housing conditions prevent this. Such a simulator is a crossbar with a spring spacer, which is installed in a doorway. Modern models can be attached between the walls in a narrow corridor. The package also includes anchors with which the projectile is attached in a standard way.
A horizontal bar is also installed above the doorway. The peculiarity of this model is its invisibility in the interior and the support braces welded to the top. The sliding horizontal bar is convenient for small apartments and children's rooms. In the latter case, it is attached quite low, and so as not to interfere, it is simply “folded” or “thrown on the wall.”
How to make a trainer yourself?
If you don’t want to buy a structure, you can make it yourself from scrap materials. To make a horizontal bar in a doorway, you need to use a piece of pipe with a round or rectangular cross-section and two eyes.
You can find many schemes for making a structure, with one or more crossbars, as well as with additional bars. The dimensions of the projectile are adjusted depending on the dimensions of the room, but the diameter remains the same.
The optimal diameter of the pipe used is 25–28 mm. The supports can be either metal or wood. The horizontal bar in the doorway can be made removable or stationary with your own hands. Reliable fastening of the structure is the key to the fact that the simulator will withstand heavy loads. When creating a horizontal bar with your own hands, carefully select a pipe, which can be made of stainless or alloy structural steel. The crossbar must not only withstand the load, but also not rust and be durable.
Having decided to make a projectile at home, the first thing you should do is stock up on tools and materials.
- metal pipe with a diameter of 30 cm, coated with enamel;
- hacksaw or grinder;
- pliers and vice.
The first step of the master is to measure the length and cut off the excess. Then make cross cuts on each edge with a depth of 2 mm. Bend two opposite parts at an angle of 90 degrees. Cut off the remaining fragments. Holes for fastening are made in the remaining ones.
The pipe is applied to the installation site. Make marks where you need to drill. Holes are made with a drill, dowels are inserted, and then the pipe is secured with bolts.
Choice
Installation
Before choosing an inter-wall door horizontal bar, you need to study its characteristics:
- Electroplated or other coating.
- Crossbar width.
- Availability of fastenings for it.
- Maximum load on the crossbar.
- Is the grip comfortable for your hands?
- The strength of the material used to make the frame.
The width of the crossbar is selected depending on the height of the person who will exercise on it: for children and adults the width of the arms is different. Some models have special coating or indentations for hand placement.
The industry for the manufacture of horizontal bars uses a thick-walled profile with dimensions of 30x30x3 mm. Welding is performed carefully, ensuring high strength of the seams. To paint the horizontal bar, resistant powder paint is used, with high protective and decorative properties.
Installation of the structure
After purchasing the product, the question arises: how to attach the door horizontal bar?
All-welded horizontal bar
To do this, first of all, you will need to prepare the necessary tools.
The product is supplied with:
- Plugs for pipe ends.
- Handles or grips.
- Set of hardware for fastening.
After checking the completeness of the product, the installation location is selected. Before mounting the model, you should pay attention to the following details:
- The strength of the wall to which the horizontal bar will be attached.
- The thickness of the partition should be 2-3 cm greater than the length of the bolt or anchor. This is necessary to avoid knocking out a fragment of the wall from the opposite side when drilling holes.
- There should be no wiring elements in the drilling areas.
- A distance of at least 300 mm is selected from the ceiling to the crossbar. When pulling up to the chest, the distance will need to be increased.
Accommodation
- All furniture is removed on the sides of the horizontal bar at a close distance so that it does not interfere during training.
- When installing a wall horizontal bar behind a door, you need to make sure that the structure does not rest against the product.
To install a wall-mounted horizontal bar with your own hands, you will need to purchase tools and accessories:
- Stepladder.
- Pencil.
- Roulette.
- A hammer drill or electric impact drill, depending on the type of wall.
- Carbide drill or drill.
- Building level.
- Spanners.
- Hammer.
Instructions for carrying out work:
- Standing on the stairs, the horizontal bar is applied to the surface of the wall, and the distance from the ceiling to the crossbar is measured.
- The product is leveled, and a place is marked on the wall for drilling the top hole for fastening the structure.
- A hole is drilled in the wall using a hammer drill or impact drill.
- The dowel gets clogged.
- The horizontal bar is applied to the wall and the first bolt is tightened.
- Using a level, the horizontal bar is aligned horizontally.
- The remaining three holes for mounting bolts are marked on the wall.
- The remaining holes are drilled.
- Dowels are attached, just like the first one.
- All bolts are tightened to capacity.
The video in this article shows how to do all the operations correctly.
Manufacturing
This way you can install a horizontal bar, which is purchased ready-made. But sometimes you want to assemble it yourself.
Homemade
The basis for making a home horizontal bar can be any steel pipe. The dimensions of the product are selected according to the dimensions of the passage. But it is necessary to take into account that it is convenient for a child or teenager to exercise on the horizontal bar. Adults will need to press their legs tightly when performing sports exercises, and this will distract him from the activity.
The simplest option for making a structure is from a steel pipe and two wooden blocks. For this:
- In wooden supports, holes with a diameter equal to the pipe are drilled in the center.
- Two cross cuts 5-7 cm deep are made at both ends of the pipe.
- Two petals are cut off from opposite sides.
- Next it is made according to a simple scheme.
How to do
- Wooden blocks are attached to the pipe.
- The petals are unbent, which should tightly bend around the wooden base.
- The location for installing the elements is marked in the doorway.
- Holes are drilled on the wall, metal petals and on wooden blanks.
- The pipes are fixed on wooden blocks.
- The design is being tested.
How to choose the right horizontal bar?
If the decision to install a horizontal bar in the opening is final, then you should find out the selection criteria. The greatest interest and demand is caused by removable models, distinguished by such advantages as:
- easy installation;
- safe and easy operation;
- the ability to supplement the equipment with children's swings and other equipment.
The spacer bar is a type of removable projectile and is valued due to the installation method. It is held in the opening thanks to a spring mechanism. The advantages of the simulator are its affordable price, the absence of the need to drill walls and use additional devices.
When choosing a horizontal bar, it is important to take into account its size, height and body weight of the owner, and the width of the opening. The thickness of the crossbar is another important indicator. The larger it is, the more effective the classes. The presence of rubberized handles is mandatory, then calluses will not appear on the palms. When choosing a children's horizontal bar, it is important to pay attention to the strength of the connections of all elements.
How to install a horizontal bar in a doorway?
After making the crossbar, it's time to attach it to the doorway. This can be done in several ways. A simple option involves the use of wooden blocks measuring 10 by 10 cm and 3 cm thick. They are also made from plywood.
A semicircular hole is made in the blanks and attached to the wall using self-tapping screws. The bars will serve as nests where the crossbar is placed. If the doorway is quite high, then blanks with several grooves are attached. Then you can lower or raise the crossbar.
The horizontal bar can also be hung on metal sockets of the same size. A plate with a special groove for the crossbar is attached to the outside of the bars. The projectile is secured using anchor bolts, holes for which are drilled in the corners.
Attaching the spacer model
When installing a horizontal bar in a doorway, difficulties arise if you have to work with plasterboard walls or partitions. It will also not be possible to attach the apparatus due to the small height of the opening, especially when the simulator will be used by tall people. The ideal place for the spacer model is a corridor opening in which the distance between the walls is 1.2 meters.
The crossbar can be secured with special sidewalls installed from floor to ceiling on both sides. The disadvantages of this method are the narrowing of the corridor and deterioration of the overall appearance. A more popular option is to make supports, like a wall bars, suitable for the decoration of the room. There can be several cuts located at different heights.
A projectile installed in a doorway is an economical way to keep your figure in good shape with a minimum of effort. To prevent laziness from interfering with your exercise, it is better to attach a telescopic horizontal bar. On slopes it is held in place by anchors. The design feature is that it cannot be removed at the slightest desire.
How is a horizontal bar or crossbar attached to plasterboard walls?
What else stops people from installing a crossbar in their home is plasterboard walls. Mounting the projectile in a doorway is more convenient for teenagers and children. An adult has to tuck his legs during exercise.
The ideal location for the apparatus is where the feet do not touch the floor when a person is hanging from the bar. Such a place can be found between plasterboard partitions. In this case, the crossbar is deepened to a depth of 8 cm. For stronger fixation, the ends of the projectile should be equipped with pointed spikes.
If the walls are finished with plasterboard, then a rotband or any other leveling material is placed in the hole for the crossbar, between the wall and the sheet.
Review of manufacturers and popular models
Manufacturers offer those interested a large number of models of horizontal bars installed in a doorway or between two walls. The proposed crossbars differ only in the method of support and the presence or absence of additional polyurethane pads to prevent hands from slipping during exercise.
- There are models with spikes at the ends of the steel tube for additional fixation of the horizontal bar.
- The Aliv-sport model with additional rigid fixation with screws has a removable crossbar covered with anti-slip material. A correctly installed horizontal bar can withstand up to 150 kg during a jerk.
- An ideal model for a narrow room, the “Spike” is easily and securely attached to the opening using 1.5-centimeter spikes. The only drawback of the simulator is that after removal there will be holes at the attachment point.
- A simple and reliable Kettler horizontal bar made in Germany will serve faithfully for many years, helping to keep in shape. Such a projectile is designed to weigh no more than 100 kg.
- The DSK spacer model is attached using twist-out bolts and is suitable for openings no more than a meter wide. The crossbar has anti-slip pads. The installed horizontal bar can withstand a person’s weight up to 100 kg. The spacer unwinding exercise machine is made of durable steel and is secured by the ends, which are unscrewed to the required length until it stops completely. The difference with this model is the absence of edge bolts.
Pros and cons of the simulator
When you can’t regularly visit fitness clubs, then installing a home horizontal bar in the doorway is a reasonable solution. The main advantages of the simulator are:
- takes up little space;
- versatility. The removable model is relevant when exercising on the floor;
- will not break under loads of up to 120 kg.
The product also has some disadvantages - incompatibility with a weak door frame. Slopes can interfere with many exercises, preventing you from turning around. In a standard apartment, where the doorway limit is two meters, it will not be very convenient for tall people to study.
What can you make a horizontal bar from?
The most reliable material for making a horizontal bar is metal (preferably steel). There are examples of successful wooden horizontal bars, there are even entire wooden bars with a built-in horizontal bar, however, if you are not a professional carpenter who understands types of wood and woodworking, then it is better to focus on a metal horizontal bar.
Structural stability and weight bearing are two of the most important characteristics of any horizontal bar. When making a horizontal bar yourself, you need to make sure of the reliability of the materials and the stability of the structure under load.
To make home horizontal bars, metal pipes (water or gas) are often used, as well as all kinds of angles for pipes, allowing you to create a reliable and functional structure from pipes. Threads are cut at the ends of the pipes, allowing the pipe to be screwed into the corner when assembling the horizontal bar. In some cases, the pipe is used without thread, like a regular strip that is mounted in a doorway.
However, the best and most reliable way is to weld a functional and reliable horizontal bar from metal parts, using a pipe as a pull-up bar, a steel profile and corners to create a high-quality and reliable fastening.
What exercises can you do?
Pull-ups are performed on the home bar, due to which you can pump up your biceps and triceps. If you just hang on the horizontal bar, the spine is relieved and scoliosis is corrected. Different types of training have been invented, each of which is aimed at developing endurance, flexibility and increasing speed-strength abilities.
Exercises with leg raises help pump up the abdominal muscles, and while swinging, the muscles of the arms and back develop. The load is selected individually, taking into account the physical condition and the presence of health problems. For example, if you have sore joints, it is not recommended to hang on a horizontal bar.
