The new design of doorway pull-up bars is becoming more and more popular, and for good reason.  If any of you have tried the older doorway pull-up bars where you widen the bar by unscrewing the ends until its secure into the doorway know that it is difficult to make it secure and it tends to leave indentations and marks on the door frame.  The new style (pictured above) is easy to install and take out of the door frame but it can only be used in doorways with molding around the door frame. 

The pull-up bars hold a load of 250-300 lbs depending on the specific brand, but the load must remain relatively static (i.e. no kipping).  These types of pull-up bars are, in my opinion, a valuable addition to one’s home workout equipment, and usually run $40 or cheaper depending on the brand.  Here’s a list of exercises that the doorway pull-up bar can be used for:

1. Dead Hang Pull-ups/Chin-ups:  I have found that this is an excellent tool to build one’s strict pull-up/chin-up.  Take advantage of mixing up the grips on the pull-ups also.  ABSOLUTELY NO KIPPING!  I know as we get tired it feels very natural to begin the kipping motion, but take it from one who kipped the bar off the molding and wound up on his backside.  If you need to scale, there are a couple options.  You can perform negatives by either jumping or stepping up to the top position and dropping down very slow and under control.  The other option is to use a chair and place one leg on the chair to help reduce the load your upper body has to pull. 
2. L-Sit (Ground)/L-Sit (Hanging)/L-Sit Pull-ups:  Performing an L-Sit with the bar on the ground can be done, but there is not much clearance from the ground to scale if one cannot perform a true L-Sit.  However, it is much easier to do hanging L-Sits or a scaled variation, or even L-Sit Pull-ups for those with strong dead hang pull-ups.
3. Extreme Range of Motion (EROM) Pushups:  When positioned on the ground, the bar can used to perform regular pushups or EROM pushups.  The grip for the EROM pushups is a bit narrow but not so narrow that the movement is uncomfortable. 
4. Knees to Elbows (KTEs):  As long as the movement is done strictly without a kip at the bottom, the doorway pull-up bar can be used to perform KTEs as well.
5. Support for Ring Exercises:  The height and width of the doorway will dictate whether or not Rings can be hung from the pull-up bar.  Ring dips, Ring Pushups, Ring Rows, and even a strict Muscle-up Progression can be accomplished if Rings can be hung.

Despite being advertised as a dip station and a support/anchor for situps, I have not found the bar to be effective for either exercise.  If the bar is placed on the ground to perform dips, there is not enough clearance to achieve the full range of motion.  It may be possible to achieve the full range of motion by placing it on an elevated surface but by doing so the bar may not be the most efficient option.  Everytime I have tried to use the bar to anchor my feet, I have been unsuccessful.  Perhaps it is operator error, but I can’t seem to get enough leverage to keep the bar from sliding up and down in the doorframe.  Also, we typically work towards the unanchored sit-up anyways, so the bar may not be a viable option for situps.  Post additional exercises you’ve done with the bar or any other thoughts/questions to comments.

WOD 12.29.09

Press 1-1-1-1-1

“Farmer Annie”
Farmer’s Walk 200m
50-40-30-20-10
Double Unders
Situps
Farmer’s Walk 200m

*Post Loads & Times to Comments*