The chin-up, an exercise that works the muscles of the upper and middle back, is common to almost all good workout programs. With a good chin-up bar, you can complete a total body workout for strengthening and toning, even if you don't own another piece of exercise equipment.
While there are many variations of the chin-up bar available from commercial manufacturers, building your own is so simple and cost-effective that buying one makes little sense.
Step 1
Use your stud finder to determine the location of your ceiling joists. These are the dimensional lumber boards from which the ceiling is hung. The individual joists will usually be 18 inches apart, starting at the edge of the ceiling, butted against the wall. Mark the location of three joists that you will use to hang your chin-up bar. The joists selected should be in whatever part of your workout area is the most convenient. Mark the location of the chosen joists with a Sharpie marker pen or a pencil.
Step 2
Attach a length of 2X4 lumber to the ceiling with your 4-inch wood screws. Use the power drill with screwdriver bit to drive three screws in each end of the board, attaching it to the outside joists, and two screws at the location of the central joist.
Step 3
Connect one 90-degree elbow to each end of your 3-feet long steel pipe. Wrap the threads on each end with pipe tape and dab a small amount of pipe cement on each. This will add security to the finished product and prevent it from coming apart. Thread the elbows onto the pipe ends and ensure that they are parallel to one another.
Step 4
Connect each of the 6-inch pipe nipples to one of the 90-degree elbows in the same manner that you connected the longer pipe. Use the pipe tape and pipe cement on the junctions.
Step 5
Tape and cement the opposite end of each 6-inch nipple and connect it to the threaded center of one of the pipe flanges. Use a wrench to tighten the flanges as much as possible.
Step 6
Connect your pipe flanges to the suspended 2X4 board with additional 4-inch long wood screws. The number of screws required will depend on the number of holes provided for this purpose in the lip of the flange. Drive the screws through the flange in the drilled attachment holes that are provided for this purpose along the edges of each flange. Use your power drill with an appropriately shaped screwdriver head bit to ensure that the wood screws are tightened with maximum depth and strength.
Step 7
Paint the 2X4 support board with the same color paint as on your ceiling. Use weather resistant spray paint of the same color to paint the steel pipe. Using weather resistant spray paint will provide added protection against the normal wear of hands or weight-lifting gloves on the bar during exercise.
Tips and Warnings
- You can use "Ab-Blaster" type straps in conjunction with your chin up bar to perform abdominal-strengthening exercises as well as the normal chin-up and pull-up exercises, making your chin-up bar multi-functional.
- Use of power tools can be hazardous. Use appropriate personal protection equipment such as eye and ear protection when using power tools.
Things You'll Need
- 2x4 lumber
- Sharpie Pen or Pencil
- 4-inch wood screws
- Power drill with screwdriver bit
- 3-foot piece of steel pipe, 1 1/2 --inch diameter, threaded ends
- Two 6-inch steel pipe nipples, 1 1/2 --inch diameter, threaded ends
- 90-degree steel pipe elbow joints, 1 1/2-inch diameter, threaded inside
- Pipe flanges for 1 1/2-inch diameter pipe, threaded inside
- Pipe tape and cement
- Electronic stud locator
References
- "Starting Strength: Basic Barbell Training, 2d Ed; Mark Rippetoe; 2007
- "FM 21-20 Physical Fitness Training;" Department of the Army; 1998
- "Huge in a Hurry;" Chad Waterbury; 2008
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