10 Best Ceiling Pull Up Bars: Reviewed, Rated & Compared

Ceiling Pull-Up Bars Compared

What To Look For When Choosing Ceiling Pull Up Bars (Buying Guide)

Comfortable Grip

When you’re searching for the best ceiling pull up bar to add to your home, the first thing to look for is a bar with a comfy grip. It doesn’t have to be extremely padded, but it definitely shouldn’t have sharp edges that can cut into your hands as you pull up.

Maximum Weight Capacity

You also need to examine how much weight the ceiling mounted chin up bar can hold. It should at the very least support your current weight without buckling or bending.

If you plan on getting a weight belt and using it for additional resistance, then you need to take that into consideration as well. The top bars will be able to support that additional weight without any issues - many can hold up to 500 pounds.

Material & Finish

Bar material has a lot to do with the product's sturdiness and durability, so it's 100% something to consider. Ideally, the core material of the bar will be made from heavy-duty steel.

Other factors when shopping for the best ceiling pull up bar include the color of the equipment, as well as whether or not it has a powder coated finish. Bars with this finish are less likely to tarnish or rust over time, so it's a nice addition.

Size

The overall size (dimensions) of the pull up bar matters. It needs to fit on your ceiling without sticking out in an intrusive or obstructive way. Before buying your bar, it's best to have a plan for where you intend to hang it, and then check that the bar you're about to buy will fit within that area. 

Mounting Mechanism & Method

Don’t forget to take a look at the mounting mechanism; it needs to be sturdy enough to support your weight, but also shouldn't be too challenging to install.

Try to find a bar that doesn't require you to drill into your ceiling or walls, which can lower the integrity of your home. The best bars come with labels like "easy-install" and "no drilling required". 

10 Ceiling Mounted Pull-Up Bars Reviewed

1. Pro Mountings Pull Up Bar

The Pro Mountings Pull Up Bar is on the list at the #1 spot, mainly because it claims to be the strongest bar on the market. This joist mounted steel pull up bar can support up to 500 pounds.

If you plan to use a weight belt for additional resistance, you need a ceiling mounted chin up bar that can handle quite a bit of weight. The Pro Mountings Pull Up Bar is one of them. It’s made of 1/8 inch wall tubes and 1 ¼ inch metal bar. Thanks to its modular design, this joist mounted pull up bar can be linked with others of its kind for greater workout variety.

I love that this bar offers 3 different grip positions. No matter your height or arm length, you shouldn't have any trouble finding a comfortable position as you perform pull ups. 

For installation, the bar fits I-beams and H-beams ranging from 3.5" to 10" while the bar itself is 49". Installation only takes a few minutes, and there's no need to drill into the walls or ceiling. 

2. Gronk Fitness Ceiling Mounted Multi-Grip Chin Up Bar

The Gronk Fitness Ceiling Mounted Multi-Grip Chin Up Bar made the list because it’s designed to handle multiple load-bearing callisthenic exercises. As long as it's mounted properly, it can support a total weight of 800 pounds, making it the perfect exercise tool to use with a weight belt.

The Gronk Fitness Ceiling Mounted Multi-Grip Chin Up Bar is 48 inches wide (so it can be mounted on the studs of a standard home), 7 inches across, and 15 inches deep (how far it hangs down from the ceiling).

The bar is made from powder coated steel. Even though it has an insanely high weight limit of 800 pounds, this ceiling pull up bar weighs just 29 pounds. It has a multi-grip design (hence its name) that makes it great for a variety of different exercises. 

If you're interested in doing more than just pull ups, this is an excellent choice. You can use it as a dip or muscle-up station if the ceiling is high enough and you could even use it for reverse abdominal crunches.

3. Joist Ceiling Mount Pull Up Bar

This simply named garage pull up bar is one of the best, because it’s very easy to use and install. Although it lacks fancy credentials, it gets the job done.

Sometimes the best ceiling mounted pull up bars are the ones that lack any bells and whistles. This Ceiling Mount Pull Up Bar consists of two silver steel bars that mount to the ceiling, with a single black steel bar held in between them. The bottom bar isn’t coated for comfort, but it gets the job done. Sometimes this is all that you need!

Like the other ones on the list, the Ceiling Mount Pull Up Bar has a few pros and cons. 

4. KLB Sport Heavy Duty Pull Up Bar

The KLB Sport Heavy Duty Pull Up Bar is on the list of the best ceiling pull up bars because it’s extremely versatile. You have your choice of mounting it on the wall or the ceiling, and it can hold up to 300 pounds of weight. This weight support may not seem like much, but it's still plenty for the majority of people. 

This joist mounted pull up bar is designed to handle a number of different exercises thanks to the four different sets of foam-covered grips. You’ll find that its sleek, black powder coated finish compliments your other exercise equipment nicely.

On top of that, it’s very easy to hang, no matter if you opt to hang it from the ceiling or wall. It's designed for 21" stud space, but the grips extend 37" wide. 

Like with other joist mounted pull up bars, this one is made from heavy-duty steel. However, this is one of the cheapest pull up bars on the market, making it a great choice for anyone on a budget. 

5. Ultimate Body Press Wall Mount Pull Up Bar

The Ultimate Body Press Wall Mount Pull Up Bar, #5 on the list of the best ceiling chin up bars, is designed to be gripped in four different ways. This grip variety means that you’ll be able to get quite a workout in. And more good news is that you can mount it on either the wall or the ceiling.

This pull up bar is 42 inches wide and is designed to be used with weight belts, ab straps, and other body weight trainers. Although it doesn’t come with these add-ons, it's a great choice if you're looking for more versatility with your weight-bearing exercises.

The four different grips on this chin up bar are positioned at 10, 24, and 36 inches apart and each grip is coated in foam in order to provide extra comfort. The joist mounted pull up bar is made of black, powder-coated steel and compatible with 16 and 24-inch wall studs.

One thing to note is that this ceiling bar is easier to mount on the wall than the ceiling. The 42-inch design makes it tricky to mount onto your ceiling studs, but if you're looking for a wall-mounted system, you shouldn't have any trouble with installation.

6. IkonFitness Pull Up Bar

Althought not quite a ceiling bar, this is considered one of the top options simply because it’s ultra portable. This is the type of garage pull up bar that fits over a doorway, ensuring that it doesn’t take up too much room in your home. 

The IkonFitness Pull Up Bar can support up to 440 pounds of weight. You don’t have to worry about mounting it because you don’t need screws to install it over your doorway. This ceiling mounted chin up bar is sturdy, easy to install, and easy to move around the home to different locations. 

Like other ceiling mounted chin up bars, the IkonFitness has a few pros and cons, including:

7. Iron Core Athletics Pull Up Bar

The Iron Core Athletics Pull Up Bar is one of the best ceiling mounted pull up bars simply because its an industrial strength model. This pull up bar is the exact same one that’s used in Crossfit gyms across the country, so you know it has to be high in quality.

The Iron Core is designed to fit on 24-inch ceiling studs. The mounting brackets are extremely sturdy and the entire unit is made of poly-coated steel. There are three different sets of foam mounted grips on this ceiling mounted chin up bar, ensuring that you’ll be able to find the pull-up position that works best for you.

One thing to note about this model is the lower-than-average weight limit of just 275 pounds. Even though this is an industrial-strength pull up bar, it's quite small and lightweight, which means it can't support a high user weight. The good news, though, is that the small size makes it easy to install. 

8. Ultimate Body Press XL Doorway Pull Up Bar

The main reason the Ultimate Body Press XL Doorway Pull Up Bar made the list of the best ceiling pull up bars is due to its simplicity. This mounted chin up bar consists of a single piece of metal lined with multiple foam grips with two mounting brackets on the end.

It doesn't have any overly fancy features, but sometimes that’s all that you need – a pull up bar that's easy to use. All in all, simplicity is the key to making the Ultimate Body Press XL Doorway a great option for home and garage gyms. 

Its mounting brackets are made of thickened steel and the bar itself is 1.25 inches thick. The entire bar is black and white in color, meaning it will blend in well with your other exercise equipment. The design of this garage pull up bar can be mounted on either a wall or the ceiling, but it's made specifically for doorway mounting. 

The XL pull up bar fits residential doorways 6 inches deep when measured from trim face to trim face. The expandable bar ends fit doorways 24" to 36" wide with molding up to 3.5" wide. Overall, it measures 36 inches wide and weighs only 10 pounds, so it's an easy model to install.

9. ProSource Multi-grip Chin Up Bar

Few pull up bars are as easy to install as the ProSource Multi-Grip Chin Up Bar, which is the main reason why it’s on the list. If you want to add a pull up bar to your home but are hesitant to mount one on your ceiling, then you need this device. It’s designed to fit easily over your doorway and it can hold up to 300 pounds. 

The Pro Source Multi-grip Chin Up Bar truly lives up to its name. This chin up bar fits over a doorway, so you don’t have to worry about creating holes in your ceiling. Slip-in design is designed for standard doorways (24” to 36”) and your purchase includes 2 optional foam covers for the outer handles to protect door frames.

It’s made of high-grade steel and comes with 12 different grip positions, all of which have padding for comfort. It weighs a mere 9 pounds, making it perfectly portable. Yes, that means you can take this one with you on the go!

10. Fitleader FC3 Mounted Pull Up Bar

The Fitleader Ceiling Mounted Pull Up Bar made it to the list because it’s made of heavy duty steel. This joist mounted pull up bar has four different grip positions, so it's not confusing to use, but still offers plenty of grip variety. 

Precision engineering is what makes the Fitleader Ceiling Mounted Pull Up Bar one of the best ceiling mounted pull up bar out there. Its grip positions are covered in comfortable foam, and the entire device is made of steel that’s been coated in non-slip paint. It has two sets of ceiling mount holes and weighs about 10 pounds.

Your purchase includes the pull up bar, parallel grips, mounting hardware and installation instructions. Installation is easy thanks to the stand 24" positioning of the mounting brackets, which fits to standard wall studs. 

Conclusion

If you're in search of the best ceiling pull up bars on the market, I covered 10 great contenders here. All have a set of pros and cons, so the one you go with all depends on what you’re looking for.

I've rated the Pro mountings model as the best overall pick for ceiling pull up bars for a few reasons. It has a high 500-pound weight capacity, it's super easy to install, and it is designed with 3 different grip positions to accommodate a range of different exercises.