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I was looking at some door frame pull up bars yesterday. Now I was standing in my door frame and tried to imagine at which height the bar would be and it seemed a bit low (although I am a bit smaller than average).

What is the recommended height for a pull up bar? Should my arms be slightly bent when standing, should they be straight? Should I be freely hanging (eg jump up to reach the bar)?

I know that I could bent my knees when the bar is too low, but I'd like to know if there is something like a guideline, a montage recommendation or even something like a standard.

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    For me, the ideal height is when I can just reach the bar when standing up on my toes. Bending knees is slightly uncomfortable, as is jumping too high (not that you'll get too much height in an apartment anyway). – VPeric Dec 2 '12 at 14:16
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Minimum height

You need to be able to hang from the bar and not touch the ground with your knees.

Maximum height

You need to be able to pull yourself all the way up, chest touching the bar, and still have at least an inch or two of space between your head and the ceiling or anything else.

Optimal height

It's great to be able to just barely reach the bar by getting on your toes, because then you can hang from it and not have to bend your knees. Some people even prefer the bar higher, so they need to jump, or step up on a box or something, to get on the bar.

It's also great to have a ton of space above the bar for muscle-ups, skin-the-cats, and other gymnastics.

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  • Great answer thanks. Actually I completely forgot about space above the bar when shopping around. – Baarn Dec 2 '12 at 18:49

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