Speak to me of Stall Bars

[Steve Freides]

Price seems too good to be true but reviews are positive, pictures are downright weird because these are only 36" wide - 36" wide is the width of many doorways, probably could use wider, no?

Considering these for the next addition to the basement gym.

-S-

 

[Benjamin Renaud]

Price seems too good to be true but reviews are positive, pictures are downright weird because these are only 36" wide - 36" wide is the width of many doorways, probably could use wider, no?

Considering these for the next addition to the basement gym.

-S-

I think 36" is pretty standard for stall bars. When I made mine that's the width I used. The 38mm bars is a good size. I'm sure it's not 22mm between bars though, probably 22cm.

I find the uprights a bit small to my liking and I'm not sure about them being made from 2 pieces of wood with metal plates linking them together. It says beech wood for the uprights and that's good, beach is pretty solid. Not sure what marfula wood is though, maybe a typo.

But then again it could be just fine.

Are you somewhat of a DIY kind of guy? I made a file with details on my build if ever you are interested in making your own. I'd make a few changes to the measurements I used back when I made them though.

EDIT: the price is really hard to beat though, making them yourself would probably cost you as much or even a few dollars more. They'd be sturdier though.

 

[Benjamin Renaud]

DIY Stall Bar with construction file. Pull-up/dip attachment

Never thought about dropping this off here before. Stallbars.pdf

www.strongfirst.com

 

[Steve Freides]

Are you somewhat of a DIY kind of guy?

I'm a DIY guy who knows my limits. I wouldn't attempt to make this myself, but for our cinder block walls, I'm considering mounting a large piece of 3/4" or 1" plywood to the wall then mounting the stall bars to that.

-S-

 

[Benjamin Renaud]

I'm a DIY guy who knows my limits. I wouldn't attempt to make this myself, but for our cinder block walls, I'm considering mounting a large piece of 3/4" or 1" plywood to the wall then mounting the stall bars to that.

-S-

That's a perfect plan for mounting them. I edited my earlier post to add that the price is hard to beat. Mine cost me more than that to build. In CAN$ but still.

Would you be using them mostly for stretching? HLRs?

 

[offwidth]

I'm a DIY guy who knows my limits. I wouldn't attempt to make this myself, but for our cinder block walls, I'm considering mounting a large piece of 3/4" or 1" plywood to the wall then mounting the stall bars to that.

-S-

3/4” should be plenty. I’ve made some woody’s (indoor climbing walls) and used 3/4” plywood.

 

[Benjamin Renaud]

I’ve made some woody’s (indoor climbing walls) and used 3/4” plywood.

I'd love to make my small staircase into a woody. I'll have to chat you up on that idea. It might be a very bad idea to use my staircase for safety reasons...

 

[offwidth]

I'd love to make my small staircase into a woody. I'll have to chat you up on that idea. It might be a very bad idea to use my staircase for safety reasons...

Yeah... reach out anytime. I learned a few things that’s for sure...

 

[Benjamin Renaud]

@Steve Freides what I wanted to mention to you is that if ever you plan on using them for HLRs, it could be more comfortable if you removed the second bar from the top, this is easier done before putting it all together and mounting them. A lot of models either have an extra bar a few inches in front of the top bar or a bigger space under the top bar to accommodate the forearms when doing HLRs.

 

[Steve Freides]

@Steve Freides what I wanted to mention to you is that if ever you plan on using them for HLRs, it could be more comfortable if you removed the second bar from the top, this is easier done before putting it all together and mounting them. A lot of models either have an extra bar a few inches in front of the top bar or a bigger space under the top bar to accommodate the forearms when doing HLRs.

Excellent advice and much appreciated. HLR is high on my list of reasons for wanting these.

-S-

 

[Steve Freides]

@Benjamin Renaud, is this something that looks better suited to HLR? I think the top is what you're describing.


-S-

 

[Benjamin Renaud]

@Benjamin Renaud, is this something that looks better suited to HLR? I think the top is what you're describing.


-S-

Exactly, but pine isn't nearly as robust as beech and the bars seem too thin on it too, I prefer 1½ inch diameter, maybe 1 3/8 as a second choice. The uprights are probably not as solid either, the way they are joined together without metal plates might not be as good.

The other bars with a bar removed would be a better choice in my opinion.

I'll do a quick search on Amazon or other sites later this evening and see if I can find a model I'd recommend that would be in the price range you are looking at.

 

[Steve Freides]

@Benjamin Renaud, I want to settle on one and then see about where its measurements fit in my basement gym. I have a window at the top of the place I'm thinking of mounting this so something 96" tall/long might be too much.

-S-

 

[Benjamin Renaud]

Well, I looked up pretty much all I could find and besides the one that you listed first, this is the only model that is priced close to it that could be decent. It's a bit narrower though. And you'd still have to remove the 2nd bar down from the top to make room for your forearms.

Amazon.com: DANI Wall Bars BB-00-220, 87 in Wooden Swedish Ladder Set for Training and Physical Therapy - Used in Homes, Gyms, Clinic, and Schools: Sports & Outdoors

These from a Canadian store and they would be cheaper with the exchange rate if import fees or shipping doesn't make them too expensive. I'd remove one of the top bars if it's in the way doing HLRs

AmStaff Fitness Wooden Swedish Ladder Stall Bars (fitnessavenue.ca)

After that the next decent set I found was the Rogue metal one for 415$.

Good luck with your shopping and feel free to message me if you have questions about anything else regarding stall bars. Or if you end up wanting to make your own!

 

[BJJ Shawn]

Slightly off topic question: Do HLR work well when your back is against the wall like that? I can't even come close to doing one currently on my pull up bar, but it is on my list of things to slowly work towards, and I noticed when doing L sits between chairs that when supported by just my arms they are MUCH harder than when I let my back rest along the back of a chair. I'm not advanced enough to know if this is a good or bad thing (maybe it helps isolate the abs better?), so I'm just curious as I have thought about stall bars before but I have a long way to go before I need any additional equipment.

 

[Steve Freides]

Slightly off topic question: Do HLR work well when your back is against the wall like that? I can't even come close to doing one currently on my pull up bar, but it is on my list of things to slowly work towards, and I noticed when doing L sits between chairs that when supported by just my arms they are MUCH harder than when I let my back rest along the back of a chair. I'm not advanced enough to know if this is a good or bad thing (maybe it helps isolate the abs better?), so I'm just curious as I have thought about stall bars before but I have a long way to go before I need any additional equipment.

I can do bar HLR but cannot do one on a stall bar, hence my interest in stall bars. Much harder when you are unable to lean back.

-S-

 

[Steve Freides]

Well, I looked up pretty much all I could find and besides the one that you listed first, this is the only model that is priced close to it that could be decent. It's a bit narrower though. And you'd still have to remove the 2nd bar down from the top to make room for your forearms.

Amazon.com: DANI Wall Bars BB-00-220, 87 in Wooden Swedish Ladder Set for Training and Physical Therapy - Used in Homes, Gyms, Clinic, and Schools: Sports & Outdoors

These from a Canadian store and they would be cheaper with the exchange rate if import fees or shipping doesn't make them too expensive. I'd remove one of the top bars if it's in the way doing HLRs

AmStaff Fitness Wooden Swedish Ladder Stall Bars (fitnessavenue.ca)

After that the next decent set I found was the Rogue metal one for 415$.

Good luck with your shopping and feel free to message me if you have questions about anything else regarding stall bars. Or if you end up wanting to make your own!

The first one you list is 31" wide; the second is 38" - that's quite a difference. Is 31" OK? Metal isn't of interest to me only because I think of stall bars as being made of wood and I'm looking forward to that in my basement gym.

I've emailed the second one to ask if I can buy and have it shipped to the US. I assume you'd still remove the second rung down to better do leg raises? I can also see doing them while holding onto one of the top 3 rungs that stick out from the wall - that would make them easier, but that also might make a nice transition/progression to doing them with my back against the bars.

-S-

 

[Benjamin Renaud]

I've emailed the second one to ask if I can buy and have it shipped to the US. I assume you'd still remove the second rung down to better do leg raises? I can also see doing them while holding onto one of the top 3 rungs that stick out from the wall - that would make them easier, but that also might make a nice transition/progression to doing them with my back against the bars.

For the Canadian one, I think using one of the bars that stick out would be perfect. The farthest one out might be in the way when your toes get near the top though and you might want to remove that one to get something that looks like mine. You wouldn't need to remove the second one down if you use the first bar that sticks out.

On my bars I have a rung that is about 5-6 inches in front and it's comfortable for the wrists/forearms but still has my back pressed against the bars which removes the possibility to lean back. On this picture I left my board so it's more comfortable than bars against my back. You can see I tried to leave a bigger space in between the two top bars to get better shoulder flexion but I never end up using it. My space isn't enough and I don't find I need to try and get more flexion that way. If I'd make them again I wouldn't bother with that wider space and just have even spacing all the way down. But I'd definitely still have that top bar that is in front of the other (which actually makes that bar behind it useless)

Also, as you can see, I can't get a full HLR on stall bars either.

 

[Benjamin Renaud]

About the width of the 31" one, it's hard to tell if it's enough. Mine is 36", and you can see I have some room to spare. It all depends on what other uses you'll have for it.

Also I realised that it's hard to tell how the top bars line up on the AmStaff model. Most likely one of the 3 top bars will be at a suitable place for you to use. Like you mentioned, using the one that is the farthest out might allow a tiny bit of lean back and make a transition to using the other ones.

 

[Dann]

I use a set from thebeamstore.com very high quality, maybe a bit over priced, but I feel confident doing weighted pull-ups on the top bar. HLR are great on it, except if you are someone who requires a lot of movement back into the wall to get your toes up to the bar.
Mounting was east for anyone who can use a drill. (Mine is in concrete with anchors)

Also great to do elevated back bridges, and having a strong frame to do some other stretches.

Also I have a strap that hangs from the top bar that allows you to do some back extentions and modified reverse hypers.

Not a necessary tool for the home gym, but I do enjoy it.