The Gravity Fitness Pull Up Bar is a popular choice amongst Calisthenics enthusiasts looking to acquire their own Pull Up Bar, for instance as part of their Calisthenics Home Gym equipment. Already in high regard by the public and by us in previous reviews, an in depth look into this Pull Up Bar couldn’t be left waiting for any longer. Officially named the Gravity Fitness Portable Bodyweight & Pull Up Rack, we’ve seen this excellent product go by a number of other names. Most common of these are Gravity Fitness Portable Pull Up Rack or simply Pull Up Rack. We are of the opinion that it is primarily a Pull Up Bar, so we’ll refer to it as Gravity Fitness Pull Up Bar in our review.
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Our Expectations for the Gravity Fitness Pull Up Bar
We already featured this Pull Up Bar in our Pull-Up Mate vs. Gravity Fitness Pull Up Bar review where both the Brits and Germans scored high marks for quality and versatility. Indeed, it is safe to say that the Gravity Fitness Pull Up Bar is a good product, as good as any out there and surely better than most. Our expectations for this review are therefore not tempered in the least. We’ll expect the Gravity Fitness Pull Up Bar to perform, to stand like a rock and to exhibit exemplary fit and finish that won’t obstruct our exercise at all.
We’ll be looking into the stability and comfort of doing the whole range of applicable exercises for a Pull Up Bar, and we’ll throw in the Gravity Fitness Wooden Gymnastic Rings in there as well for good measure.
- Pull-Ups
- Muscle-Ups
- Australian Pull-Ups
- Front Levers
- Back Levers
- Leg raises
- Dips
- Ring Exercises
Gravity Fitness Pull Up Bar Examined
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- Length: 47.2”
- Width: 45.7
- Height (compact): 47.2”
- Height (full): 75.6”
- Weight: Ca. 42lbs
- Price: $161.34
The Gravity Fitness Pull Up Bar came with a high-quality, canvas bag which allows for easy and compact storage. It comes with a sling and since it weighs only 42 pounds, can be feasibly transported by hand or slung over the shoulder. Shipping was very fast, with Gravity Fitness typically taking no more than 7 days to complete an order worldwide. The package came in good order. Our 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. Obviously, we thought that something has to give and we were determined to find where Gravity Fitness skimped on to stay below the price point of many of their A-list competitors.
Construction Material & Quality
The Gravity Fitness Pull Up Bar is made entirely of high-gauge tubular steel with the exception of the rubber end caps and the retention springs. The square frame design, along with the choice of construction steel as its material, provide for a very strong, very durable Pull Up Bar. The steel is powder coated in matte black. This coating is quite smooth and scratch resistant.
Herein also lies our one and only true qualm with the Gravity Fitness Pull Up Bar. The surface of the top-bar is also quite smoothly finished and she has no foam grips either. A smooth, steel finish promotes sweat buildup and will get slippery during a prolonged exercise. From the start, we made use of Liquid Chalk to keep our hands dry and our grip strong. Another option would be to use gloves.
Setting it Up
Setup is very quick and would remind most of setting up a party tent, except the Gravity Fitness Pull Up Bar actually does fit the same way every time. Once you’ve set it up, repeating this step can be done in a minute or two. The retention springs are quick to slot in place and easy to unlock. Unlike cheaper options like just friction fitting tubes or spring latches, these retention springs provide a secure and wiggle free fit.
You have the option of setting the Gravity Fitness Pull Up Bar up 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 is less than a minute work and gives you a lot of versatility, especially considering Freestanding Pull-Up Bars tend to take quite a bit of room. Being a bit more efficient with that space is a real boon.
Fit & Finish
Fit and Finish are quite meticulous. The fitting of all the tubular steel parts is pretty much perfect, with no wiggle or wobble that we could detect. The finish of the powder coating is immaculate and we found no fault with the rubber caps either. The only addition we’d like to see is an extra set of retention springs on the front and rear section of the floor frame. These are only friction fit. They won’t come loose during exercise, but can be left behind when you move the Gravity Fitness Pull Up Bar around. Even a single, cheap spring latch would work since there is hardly any lateral strain on them anyway.
Stability & Doing Workouts
The Gravity Fitness Pull Up Bar stood like a rock in the surf while doing even the most strenuous exercises. Especially for beginners, a stable platform is essentially for your confidence. The slightest movement, wobble or nigh-imperceivable tilt can set off all your brain’s alarms that you’re about to make a fatal fall. This is of course a huge exaggeration and nothing of the sort will happen, the high-gauge tubular steel simply won’t buckle under normal stress from a normal human being. The Gravity Fitness Pull Up Bar impressed us there, seeing as it has no diagonal supporting struts.
Pull-Ups and Muscle-Ups were quite easily handled with only minimal forward and backward movement. Leg Raises saw hardly any sway at all seeing as your center of gravity stays much more in place. It was soon time to apply a bit of chalk to our hands due to the nature of powder coated steel.
Front and Back Levers saw a similar amount of sway as with Pull-Ups. This sway tended to go into the direction of the upper-body, e.g., the heaviest counterweight on each side of the bar. It is recommended that you do levers with your upper-body facing the longer part of the floor frame.
For all our Dips we could be quick, there is even less movement. The bar is a bit on the thin side for dipping, where you place your weight on the palm of your hand instead of the finger. It’s not the ideal dipping bar but it does get the job done quite nicely. Throughout our workout, the Gravity Fitness Pull Up Bar provided a stable, durable platform for all our Calisthenics.
The Gymnastic Rings also worked fantastically in corroboration with the Gravity Fitness Pull Up Bar. You can perform most of the regular ring exercises in Calisthenics. Obviously, this setup is not meant for a gymnastic demonstration of the rings. But it did give us most of the options we’re looking for from our Gymnastic Rings in a Calisthenics context. We see it working perfectly in situations where you don’t want to suspend your Gymnastic Rings permanently.
Conclusions & Final Thoughts
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. Fit and finish of the steel and rubber components are excellent as well. This Pull Up Bar would satisfy pretty much any Calisthenics practitioner’s immediate needs for doing Pull-Ups, Chin-Ups, Muscle-Ups, and the sort. It’s not too large and doesn’t weigh too much either. So, quality, durability and a fair price is what we’d say typifies the good qualities of the Gravity Fitness Pull Up Bar.
Is everything fine and dandy? Not exactly. There is the powder coating getting slippery from sweat and pretty much necessitating the use of gloves or chalk when you’re doing a full workout. Aside from the powder coating what else did we find? First, your floor needs to be flat. Very flat. If there is any height difference, you’ll notice and the Gravity Fitness Pull Up Bar will start to wobble. The inclusion of spring latches on the floor base would also be a major QoL improvement.
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All that said, who do we think is best served with the Gravity Fitness Pull Up Bar? That would be your average Calisthenics practitioner looking for a free-standing Pull Up Bar so they have space under and around the Pull Up Bar to do levers and leg raises. The Gravity Fitness Pull Up Bar can take some dynamic action and is easy to setup, break down and transport. We can see it function perfectly in a small Calisthenics Home Gym situation for people who make use of it regularly and as part of a broader workout regime.
Frequently Asked Questions About the Gravity Fitness Pull Up Bar
Here are few frequently asked questions about Pull Up Bars and the Gravity Fitness Pull Up Bar in general.
When properly installed by following the instructions, Pull Up Bars are designed to be safe. Either all your weight is directed vertically down, where a wide floor frame will ensure stability, or the Pull Up Bar tightens its hold against whatever fixation point is used when you apply weight off the handles.
The Gravity Fitness Pull Up Bar is safe to use for normal Calisthenics exercise. The high-gauge tubular steel construction and wide floor frame provide for a stable, strong and durable platform. According to the manual, it is safe to use for practitioners of up to 242lbs.
The Gravity Fitness Pull Up Bar is a good value for money combination of quality, stability and durability for a reasonable price. The Gravity Fitness Pull Up Bar is a good buy for almost any Calisthenics practitioner looking for a Pull Up Bar for regular use.
Yes, by doing Pull Ups you are working out your arms, upper-back and to some extent the shoulders. By doing Pull Ups regularly with a Pull Up Bar, you can see substantial gains in strength and muscle mass from those areas of your body.
