Sports & Recreation

i-beam pull up bar for cheap?

  • Last Updated:
  • Sep 18th, 2013 2:32 pm
Newbie
Aug 8, 2013
45 posts
7 upvotes

i-beam pull up bar for cheap?

hi everyone,

i know there are the pull up bars for the doors but i don't want to risk scratching the paint or break the door frame.
our basement is unfinished and was wonder if there are cheaper alternatives? i-beam pull up bars go over $150 and i'm not too much of a diy person, so building one for the i-beam is out of the question unless i'm super desperate. also i have some fear that doing repetitive pull ups will alter the i-beam and the structural integrity of the house.. thoughts?

i'm not very heavy <150lb, should i suck it up and go for the door frame pull up bars and wrap it with cloth to not sustain dmg? if so, i'll do that.. any tips would be appreciated!

thanks RFD!
3 replies
Deal Fanatic
User avatar
Oct 19, 2008
7407 posts
2998 upvotes
Whitby
Take 2 pieces of 2x6 about 12-14 inches long, drill a hole about 2" from an end...size the hole for whatever bar/pipe you have. Drill 3/8 holes on the other end from where you drilled the hole for the pipe/bar...attach that end to the joists in your basement ceiling. Don't just screw the pieces up there....drill through holes and use 3/8 or larger diameter bolts. The bar will hang about 8-10 inches down from the joists...and your head will pass between joist spans to give enough head room.

Black iron pipe from Home Depot is cheap and good if you don't have a bar.
Deal Fanatic
User avatar
Oct 19, 2008
7407 posts
2998 upvotes
Whitby
Let me know if you want a pic, ours is up about 6 weeks without issue.

If the I beam your talking about is steel don't worry about "altering' it...if its an engineered I beam (wood) then I wouldn't drill into it etc. There is a lot of info online about I beam mounted pull up bars. I was considering this with 2 nuts clamped on the I beam:
[IMG]http://www.focusly.com/upfile/20111010094235-0.jpg[/IMG]
until I decided to hang it off the wood joists. If you do attach to the joists I wouldn't do it under a tile/wood floor in case someone 300lbs tries it.
Newbie
Aug 8, 2013
45 posts
7 upvotes
yes! would definitely like to see what it looks like! i can't really imagine it in my mind while reading the description about the drilling piece.

thank you!

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