Chin up/pull up bars and doors

**Fodland** · Posted On: 9/07/2008 4:38pm

First of all, I'm 17, and I live with my parents.
One day I asked them if I could buy a pull up bar, described it to them, and they said yes. Well it took 2 weeks for the thing to arrive, and then suddenly my dad says no. He outright refuses to let me set it up at home or at the cottage we have, because "he's afraid of it ruining the door." Our doors are like...20-25 years old, but I can't imagine parts of the doorframe being ripped out by me using the bar in one of the doors. And I've tried alternate places for it, but have found none.

This is the bar:
https://www.kachi-do.com/alex-chin-u...r-pr-1579.html

It's like the only bar I could get my hands on in the town I live in, and over the net they usually cost 20-50 USD + 60 USD shipping. ( Well I can afford it, but I'm not old enough to buy one over the net, and my parents refuse to help.... Yeah I know this is starting to sound like a childish rant)

Well my question:
Have any of you guys ever had the experience of such a bar ever ruining your door? And is there a way to....Reinforce one's door? If I get advice from someone with experience, I'm sure my parents will allow it.

I dunno about other bars but to use this bar one has to drill three holes in each side of the doorway, screw fast two " platforms" with a three screws on each side, then all you have to do is set in the bar, extend it, and then you can remove the whole thing when you're done.

So....Have anyone here had the misfortune of doing hanging situps/pull ups/ chin ups, only to fall headfirst to the ground ( and in the process ruining a doorframe)?

**cuatro76** · Posted On: 9/07/2008 4:47pm

I used to have one kind of like that when I was a kid. Mounted it to the inside of my closet door in my room so it wasn't visible when the door was shut. If you have basic carpentry skills, it shouldn't be a problem mounting it. If you remove it, just seal the screw holes with carpenter's putty and repaint that part of the door jam.

**Nemesai** · Posted On: 9/07/2008 5:00pm

Originally Posted by cuatro76

I used to have one kind of like that when I was a kid. Mounted it to the inside of my closet door in my room so it wasn't visible when the door was shut. If you have basic carpentry skills, it shouldn't be a problem mounting it. If you remove it, just seal the screw holes with carpenter's putty and repaint that part of the door jam.

That pretty much sums it up.

Be a good rebel and mount it in your closet. If you have old wood, that's for the better, my house is 16ish years old, and it's got fakish wood trim, not the good old hard grainy wood.

**cryptotron** · Posted On: 9/07/2008 5:17pm

I manged to make the frame of the door i had a chinup bar set up in bow out and there was a bit of damage. But just to put it in prospective I weigh 250lbs and when i did chin ups you could actually see the door frame bending under my weight. Now that being said my little bro who weighs in at about 150lbs and did not have that problem whatsoever. So yeah its possible to slightly damage the door frame if you are a heavy weight, and I also believe that the quality of construction of the door frame itself plays a big role as to whether or not it will sustain damage.

**NJM** · Posted On: 9/07/2008 5:27pm

Originally Posted by Fodland

One day I asked them if I could buy a pull up bar, described it to them, and they said yes. Well it took 2 weeks for the thing to arrive, and then suddenly my dad says no.

What a dick.

As other posters said, ask about a closet door.

**Fodland** · Posted On: 9/08/2008 1:59am

Thanks for all suggestions guys, but my closet isn't fastened to the wall, so I'm not sure if that'll work.. Ah screw it, I'll check, I'm hanging up that bar, be it a closet, a doorway or if I have to modify the platform we have to hang a swing from!

But I'll try the closet first.

Originally Posted by NJM

What a dick.

I think it's because of my brother. He's very out of shape, but lives under the illusion he's better than me in everything physical. He always tries to do whatever I do while thinking he's better, be it jogging( though he gave up on that the same day he tried it), swimming, using the punching bag, fighting ( he doesn't train, but he bought t3h d34dly defendu book, and carries it everywhere to "warn" me how he can beat me any time. Of course he never practices whats in the book, but uses his d34dly bayonette skillz he learned from the internet with an umbrella to try to impress me) and if I hung up the bar, he'd try it. And then we're both pretty sure it's good bye doorframe

**Over the Hill** · Posted On: 9/08/2008 2:05am

Sorry Fodland, off topic question, just noticed you had tai chi listed in your style, which is unusual for a 17 year old? What style of tai chi?

**Bullwhip** · Posted On: 9/08/2008 7:48am

I used to go outside my appartment and use a stair way door for my pull up bar to attach to. I did not want to ruin my door. I ended when the super threatened to tell the land lord.

***jnp*** · Posted On: 9/08/2008 9:51am

I have the same pull up bar. I moved three times since I've had it. No problems with damage to the door frame other than filling and painting the three screw holes on each side of the bar. Unless you're house is very shoddily constructed, I doubt there will be any damage.

The only legitimate reason I can see your dad refusing to let you install it is if you live in a mobile home (do they even have those in Norway?) or if your door jambs are stained rather than painted. Staining wood filler takes more time than simply repainting over filled holes.

I use to do fingertip pull ups using the door trim above the door instead of a bar, but after the trim came off a second time mid-pull up and dumped me on my ass, I decided to buy a pull up bar.

**Fodland** · Posted On: 9/08/2008 10:51am

Originally Posted by Over the Hill

Sorry Fodland, off topic question, just noticed you had tai chi listed in your style, which is unusual for a 17 year old? What style of tai chi?

No problem, I do yang style. It's only once a week( but it's 100% free), and mostly form only.
I know it's unusual for 17 year old, but I really like tai chi. I hated TKD poomsae, but I've always liked tai chi, I think it's fun to do. Also it's calming.

Originally Posted by jnp

I have the same pull up bar. I moved three times since I've had it. No problems with damage to the door frame other than filling and painting the three screw holes on each side of the bar. Unless you're house is very shoddily constructed, I doubt there will be any damage.

The only legitimate reason I can see your dad refusing to let you install it is if you live in a mobile home (do they even have those in Norway?) or if your door jambs are stained rather than painted. Staining wood filler takes more time than simply repainting over filled holes.

I use to do fingertip pull ups using the door trim above the door instead of a bar, but after the trim came off a second time mid-pull up and dumped me on my ass, I decided to buy a pull up bar.

The house was built where it stands now, and actually very stable :P
And after searching through a dictionary, I can safely conclude the doorframes are painted.. Thanks for the info though, I'll try to talk my dad into letting me set it up!