Pull Up Bar

My husband and I recently started P90x again. Unfortunately our single pull up bar on the door frame that doesn't have much support just wasn't cutting it.

So my husband built a double one to hang from our basement rafters. We have engineered or I beams in our basement so we needed to add additional support on either side of the beams to bear the weight of the pull up bar.

We used a mix of 2x4s and 2x6s for bracing on either side, scrap we had left over from building our garage. We used 3 2x10s to hang the pull up bar from. One on either end and another in the middle for extra support. We made our 2x10s 28 inches long, that's what worked for our height but we're both on the shorter side,  really you need to make it what size will work for you depending on your height and how high you can reach to get the bar. I can just reach it when I'm on my tiptoes so there's enough clearance my legs aren't hanging on the ground but i also use a chair for assisted pull ups and its just the perfect height for that.

For the bar we used 3/4 inch black pipe, however even though its called 3/4 its 1.05 inches in diameter, confusing yes, it can be found in the plumbing aisle of your local hardware store. We drilled out 1 1/4 inch holes in the 2x10s about 3 inches from the bottom  for the bar to go through. We used (5) 3 inch deck screws to join the bracing boards to each side of  the I beam. Then another 5 screws to join the 2x10 to the bracing.

After all the 2x10s were up we just slid the bar though the holes and covered the bar with bicycle  handle bar tape, available at your local bike parts supplier, we got one pack for $10.

If you are worried about the bar sliding out, just get a couple of hose clamps, also available at your local hardware store in the plumbing isle.