Gravity Fitness Pull Up Bar Review 2024: 3 Years Later

The Gravity Fitness Pull-Up Bar is a popular choice among Calisthenics enthusiasts looking to get their own Pull-Up Bar and as part of their Calisthenics Home Gym equipment. Already in high regard with the public, and now that I’ve used it for over three years, a renewed and in-depth look into this Pull-Up Bar was in order. Officially named the Gravity Fitness Portable Bodyweight & Pull-Up Rack, I’ve seen this excellent product go by other names. The most common names are Gravity Fitness Portable Pull-Up Rack or simply Pull-Up Rack. It is primarily a Pull-Up Bar, so I’ll refer to it as the Gravity Fitness Pull-Up Bar in my review. I’ll conduct this review as if I got it new, but it is the same Pull-Up Bar I’ve used all this time.

Prefer watching to reading? No problem! Check out my Gravity Fitness Pull-Up Bar video review — it covers everything in this article.

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Overview of the Gravity Fitness Pull-Up Bar

Here is a quick overview of the Gravity Fitness Pull-Up Bar before the review:

• Length: 47.2” (120cm)
• Width:  45.7” (116cm)
• Height (compact): 47.2” (120cm)
• Height (full): 75.6” (192cm)
• Weight: Ca. 42lbs (19kg)
• Max. Capacity: 240lbs (110kg)
• Price: $169.95

Unpacking & The Carry Bag

The Gravity Fitness Pull-Up Bar comes with a high-quality canvas bag for easy and compact storage. It comes with a sling, and since it weighs only 42 pounds, it can feasibly be transported by hand or slung over the shoulder. Shipping was swift, with Gravity Fitness typically taking 7 days to complete an order worldwide. The package came in good condition. 

My first glimpse of the Gravity Fitness Pull-Up Bar left a good impression, and it’s still quite baffling you can get so much quality for the price you pay. I thought something had to give and was determined to find where Gravity Fitness skimped on to stay below the price point of many of their A-list competitors.

The Setup

The setup is quick and reminds me of a party tent, except the Gravity Fitness Pull-Up Bar fits every time you set it up. 

The Bottom

The bottom consists of 4 socketed parts that click together using latch springs. The spring latches prevent the bottom from falling apart when moving this Pull-Up Bar around.

Once you’ve finished the bottom, you can choose between two setups. You can raise the Gravity Fitness Pull-Up Bar to its full 75.6-inch height as a regular Pull-Up Bar or omit the second section of vertical bars for a 47.2-inch Dip Bar. 

Changing setups takes less than a minute and gives you a lot of versatility, especially considering that Freestanding Pull-Up Bars tend to take up quite a bit of room. Being a bit more efficient with that space is a real boon.

Compact Setup

The Compact Setup is shorter and more stable. It is the recommended setup for exercises like Dips. The added stability also makes this setup the preferred choice for above-the-bar work like Muscle-Ups. 

Extended Setup

The Extended Setup gives you a full-sized Pull-Up Bar. This setup is great for Pull-Ups, Chin-Ups and Levers. You do anything below-the-bar with the Extended Setup.

First Look Assembled

The fit and finish on the Gravity Fitness Pull-Up Bar are excellent. The tubular steel parts fit perfectly, with no wiggle or wobble that I could detect. The powder coating’s finish is also good, and I found no fault with the rubber caps. However, the rubber did leave a mark on my floor when I moved the Pull-Up Bar.

The Gravity Fitness Pull-Up Bar stands like a rock in the surf while performing even the most strenuous exercises. Having a stable platform for pull-ups is essential for your confidence. The absence of any wobble or tilt will prevent your balance organs from setting off all your internal alarms. The Gravity Fitness Pull-Up Bar impressed me there, as it has no diagonal supporting struts.

Exercising

I did the following exercises on the Gravity Fitness Pull-Up Bar in either the compact or extended setup:

• Pull-Ups    
• Muscle-Ups
• Australian Pull-Ups
• Front Levers
• Back Levers
• Leg raises
• Dips
• Ring Exercises

Any exercise that involves lateral movements (also unintentional ones) will make the Pull-Up Bar wobble just a bit. I do not recommend that beginners use this Pull-Up Bar for exercises like Skin the Cat or Muscle-Ups.

Front and Back Levers saw a similar amount of sway as with Pull-Ups. This sway tends toward the upper body, e.g., the heaviest counterweight on each side of the bar. With Dips, there is even less movement. The bar is a bit thin for dipping but gets the job done nicely enough. The Gravity Fitness Pull-Up Bar provided a stable, durable platform for all my exercises throughout my workout.

The Gymnastic Rings also worked well with the Gravity Fitness Pull-Up bar. You can perform most of the regular ring exercises in Calisthenics. This setup isn’t meant for a gymnastic demonstration of the rings, but it does give you most of the options for ring exercises in a Calisthenics context. I can see it working when you don’t want to suspend your Gymnastic Rings permanently.

Disadvantages

Some disadvantages I found using the Gravity Fitness Pull-Up Bar are its limited height, limited maximum weight capacity and the (albeit slight) wobble when you’re doing more dynamic exercises like Muscle-Ups.

The limited height will only be a problem if you’re either very tall and/or if your ceiling is very low. This may also affect how you do above-the-bar exercises. You can solve this by opting for the compact setup, but you’ll have to tuck in your legs. Another solution would be to find an alternative, like a Ceiling-Mounted Pull-Up Barinstead.

Gravity Fitness rated their Pull-Up Bar for a maximum of 110 kilograms, or 240lbs. This can limit how far you can push your Weighted Calisthenics. If you’re already bigger, say 160lbs, then you’re down to 80 pounds more weight. That’s theoretically enough, but the margins are tight.

Gravity Fitness Pull-Up Bar Review Conclusions

The Gravity Fitness Pull-Up Bar is a good product for the money you’re paying. You’re getting a quality device of durable, high-grade construction steel. The fit and finish of the steel and rubber components are excellent as well. This Pull-up Bar would satisfy any Calisthenics practitioner’s immediate needs for pull-ups, chin-ups and even muscle-ups if you are okay with tucking your legs. It’s not too large and doesn’t weigh too much, either.

The weight capacity is enough for Calisthenics. It’s unlikely that someone weighing more than 110kg/240lbs from excess bodyfat can even use a Pull-Up Bar at all. Getting above that threshold with just lean muscle mass is not something many people will ever achieve. My prediction is that the 240 pounds capacity is sufficient for 99% of users. 

Officially the Gravity Fitness Portable Pull-Up Rack, it can also be converted into a Dip Bars with relative ease. As a Dip Bar it proves to be a very versatile choice. Apart from Dips and L-Sits (and variants), above-the-bar-work like Muscle-Ups are also possible.

My final verdict? Quality, durability, versatility and a fair price typify the good qualities of the Gravity Fitness Pull-Up Bar.

Frequently Asked Questions About the Gravity Fitness Pull-Up Bar

Some tidbits about the Gravity Fitness Pull-Up Bar that needed answering.