5 Best Ceiling Mounted Pull Up Bars

Out of the many pull-up rigs available today, ceiling mounted pull up bars provide a unique spin on home workouts. These bars allow for more versatility both while you’re exercising and during installation.

Ceiling-mounted pull-up bars do not need to be set up in a doorway or near a wall cornering blocking your movement. Hence their biggest advantage over other pull up bars is the added range of motion, allowing more freedom within your exercise selection, this way kipping pull-ups and calisthenics are no longer an issue.

In general, any ceiling-mount home gym equipment is a practical space-saving solution if there’s not much space left on your walls or in case they are not load-bearing.

We’ve put together a list of the best ceiling-mounted pull up bars with the highest quality and weight limits along with some recommendations to help avoid common problems during installation

If you’re in a hurry, our top choices are the Rogue P-5V and P-6V pull-up bars, they represent the best quality in this list. However, for a classic all-around home workout alternative to fixed frame steel systems, gymnastic rings and Rogue’s Individual Pull-up System are up to par with any other option in terms of versatility, portability, and price-value ratio.

REVIEWS

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Rogue P-5V and P-6V Garage Pull Up Systems

The Rogue P-5V and P-6V Pull Up Systems are solidly-constructed, durable pull up bar options composed of 11-gauge steel. The 52-inch wide bar allows it to be used with even the widest grips, and the height adjustments of 14, 22, and 30 inches provide flexibility based on your exercise needs. The two different models offer flexibility depending on your ceiling height and space requirements. If the 14- and 22-inch settings might not provide enough space over the bar for some, the 30-inch bar height on the P-6V is ample for exercises like muscle ups and dips.

Both the 24- and 32-inch supports provide plenty of sagittal stability, making this product a great option for calisthenics or kipping pull ups. Four bolts are used on each support that can be anchored into either wood or concrete, which further increases stability and safety. The P-6V has been weight tested at 1,000 pounds, ensuring it can hold up to any exercise or support any attachment that you wish to use with it.

These Rogue pull up systems also provide versatility when it comes to installation. These units can be daisy-chained together to set up a row of pull up stations using only a single bar that runs through each of the brackets. There is no limit to the length of these chains. This ability could be especially useful for gym owners or garage-gym enthusiasts.

Rogue Individual Pull-Up System

Just like a gymnastic ring, this ceiling-mounted pull up bar doesn’t need more than two hooks in joists or concrete for a secure fit. What’s more, it can be mounted to any horizontal surface in the same way as suspension trainers, so if there is one tree with a strong enough branch, it may already be enough for an effective pull-up workout at the garden or nearby park.

Because the stems are nylon straps, a little swinging will be inevitable, but with proper technique and control, this can be minimized. By the way, my shoulders are so sensitive that I’ve only been doing pull-ups on rings for a long time now, which allows extra mobility for my wrist and shoulders and the effectiveness of my pull-up workout and my pulling strength hasn’t suffered at all.

The bar itself is 43 inches wide so it also allows for wide pull-ups and 1.25″ in diameter. The Rogue quality powder coat finish means a strong and secure grip which also makes it extra durable. The two holes on the bar allow you to secure the straps to prevent the bar from sliding sideways.

The Rogue Individual Pull-Up System comes with 1.5 inches wide and 16-foot long heavy-duty nylon strap stems available in 3 colors. However, if we already have a strap, we can decide to just opt for the rod.

I like such solutions because although it’s most convenient to just shop the complete set, if you’re on a budget, fabricating a hanging chin-up bar is a typical DIY project. Just go down to the local DIY shop, take a pair of straps with buckles, and thread a steel or wooden rod through the loops. Voila, there is your portable pull up bar in pennies.

The cam buckles are very strong and the strap can be easily fed in, moved to different levels after. Although if you’d like to adjust the height even more easily, you may want to invest in Rogue’s Competition Ring Strap.

This strap is made with a quick-adjust hook system, sewn every 3 inches. You just need to snap the carabiner in one of these hooks. This way you will always have a precise setting resting assured the rod or rings will always be level.

For this solution just buy the rod without the strap and add the Competition Ring Strap separately. If you do a lot of circuit type of training or Crossfit WODs in your home workouts, the carabiner and hook system solution is definitely a quality step up.

All in all, I think the Rogue Individual Pull-Up System is one of the smartest solutions in the home workout category if portability and simplicity is an aspect. After a gymnastic ring, this system is the second-best choice in the category for ceiling pull-up bars in case a solid straight bar is an essential element of our chin-up training.
This bar is easy to adjust and very light, the whole package being less than 7lbs. Though strong at the same time, and despite its simplicity, it is the most important pillar of home workouts. Almost a crime if someone does not have something like this at home 😀

Stud Bar Ceiling Mountable Pull Up Bar

The Stud Bar comes available in three different sizes designed for eight-, nine-, and 10-foot ceilings. The eight-foot model can be adjusted to heights of 10 or 14 inches, the nine-foot to 14 or 22 inches, and the 10-foot to 31 or 39 inches. All of these heights should provide ample headroom for pull up exercises. The 10-foot ceiling adjustments of 31 and 39 inches allow enough space for most individuals to do muscle-ups or other above-the-bar exercises, such as dips.

The 32-inch mounting bars and the four lag bolts in each one provide lots of stability for swinging or callisthenic exercises. This bar is also able to support up to 600 pounds, providing plenty of strength for exercises using momentum. The one potential issue with this product is the lag bolt quality. Many individuals reported that the lag bolts broke or were stripped easily, so you may need to purchase different lag bolts for installation.

Gronk Fitness Ceiling Mounted Multi-Grip Chin Up Bar

The Gronk Fitness Ceiling Mounted Multi-Grip Chin Up Bar is set up with two parallel bars that angle slightly upwards on the outsides and then are parallel to the floor in the middle. This section can also be flipped over so that it initially angles slightly down instead. The two bars are connected with a variety of crossbars, allowing for neutral, pronated, supinated, wide, or narrow grips.

This pull up bar does boast an 800-pound weight capacity and has a solid steel frame, but the mounting bars plates are only a few inches long and are quite thin. This reduces sagittal stability (discussed later), making this product less safe for swinging, kipping, or movements with excess momentum. Therefore, I would only mount this product to a concrete ceiling, using thicker screws, in which case it is a reasonable option over many products considering its overall build and grip varieties.

AmStaff Joist Mount Pull Up Bar

The Ultimate Body Press Joist Mount Pull Up Bar measures 42 inches in width, and the ends of the bar are slightly angled downwards – could be a bit easier on the shoulders. The padded bar provides comfort for wide, narrow, and neutral-grip exercises.

The two risers are 12 inches long, allowing space for your head above the bar. However, since this product is installed on the side of a ceiling joist, you’ll need to be careful that you don’t hit your head on the ceiling joist behind you.

Many users have reported quality control issues with the tapped holes for the mounting hardware. The holes are supposed to be pre-threaded, but some people found that the holes ended up stripping the lag bolts. Others found that the holes were predrilled the wrong way on one side of the product, leading to the neutral-grip handles being attached in opposite directions.

Aside of the above issues the AmStaff Pull Up Bar is a workhorse. If you manage to mount it safely to a beam, its thick construction won’t let you down.

Double Circle Wood Gymnastic Rings

The Double Circle Wood Gymnastic Rings provide a versatile ceiling mounted pull up option. The natural wood composition ensures the best grip, even better than steel or plastic rings.

However, the biggest advantage of this gymnastic ring over others is its quick-adjust leveling system. The straps use double stitched numbered slots, where the carabiner can be inserted in 4″ increments.
This way it not only ensures extra strength and durability over the usual cam buckle system (which can wear and tear over time due to the sharp teeth scratching the nylon every time you need to slide the strap in it) but also perfect symmetry every time and the quickest adjustment in between sets of different exercises, supersets or circle type of training.

Currently, this carabiner-hook system is the most convenient solution for home workouts, adjusting gymnastic rings quickly, safely, and dead precisely. There are few more annoying things than when you have to interrupt your workout during a set because the rings are misaligned. If you ever had a cam buckle ring setup you know what I’m talking about.

Also, you don’t ever need to deal with the excess strap dangling in the way.
While the heavy-duty straps provide a total weight limit of up to 800 pounds, the ring itself is able to withstand up to 1500lbs of pulling force.

You can order this setup with either 1.25” or 1.1” thick rings, depending on whether you use gloves or ring grips during your workout, and also on the size of your hand.
You can also order just the numbered straps separately if you already have a ring.

As a bonus they provide an online exercise guide for free if you are new to working out on rings.

It is important to note that this product does not include the mounting brackets that attach to the ceiling, so these pieces will need to be purchased separately. Or you can just attach the rings to your pull up bar if you already have one.

In my opinion, rings are better than any other suspension trainers. You can use them at various widths for more exercises, including muscle-ups, pull-ups, pushups, inverted rows, dips, and many more. Because the rings are free-moving, it requires you to engage muscles all over your body to provide balance and stability.

How To Choose The Best Ceiling-Mounted Pull Up Bar

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Ceiling mounted pull up bars come in a variety of different styles, and the right choice for you depends on your exercise needs and space restrictions. There are also other things to keep in mind, such as grips, safety factors, ceiling height, material, and attachment availability, some of which a matter of personal preference.

Safety with Mounting

There’s nothing worse than trying to get that final rep finishing off your set, only to find yourself flat on your back with a metal bar crashing down onto your chest. Your personal safety should be of utmost importance when deciding on which pull up bar is best for you. Various installation and development points should be highly considered.

One of the most important considerations is where you are mounting your pull up bar. Is your ceiling concrete?

In case of wood, are you planning to attach it to the ceiling joists or studs? How far apart the beams are, 12, 16, or 24 inches apart? Obviously they have to match the same width as the mounting holes of your pull-up bar frame.

Vertical mounting

If you are planning to mount your pull up bar along the trusses, you could consider reinforcing them provided you have access to them from above.

By installing perpendicular supports between trusses or padding the sides of the trusses, you can provide increased stability by spreading out the vertical force more evenly to a bigger surface. This, along using washer loops of different sizes (2-3 pieces on top of each other) reduces the chance of the bolts ripping out of the ceiling.

If you’d like to position your bar running perpendicularly to the ceiling trusses, you can provide increased stability in this direction as well.

Instead of fixing the bolts directly in each truss, try mounting a 2×4 perpendicular across three-four of the trusses and attach the pull up bar frame to those. This would provide a little more extra stability. You can also place other 2x4s inside the ceiling, sandwiching the drywall and further increasing safety.

Lateral mounting

If you are planning to purchase a pull up bar that mounts laterally to ceiling studs like the AmStaff Joist Mounted Pull Up Bar, you’ll have to consider what material the bolts will hold against.

Concrete should provide plenty of stability provided, however, since the bolts this way have to endure more lateral loading, you may want to consider using thicker ones, which may require the re-drilling of mounting holes on your pull-up bar frame.

However, if mounting into wood, reinforcing the joist may be necessary to provide enough stability. Attaching extra pieces of wood to increase the mounting thickness can improve safety.

What Exercises Do You Intend to Do?

Do you include kipping pull ups in your workouts? Do you plan to use your bar for inverted body positions? If you like to switch up your workouts, choosing a bar that ensures enough safely is critical.

As a general rule of thumb, the larger the attachment area of the frame, the more stable a pull-up bar is going to be.

Some pull-up bars have a top mounting plate that is only a few inches wide.

These products don’t provide a large amount of lateral stability, making them less ideal for swinging motions. What’s more, the weight of the bar frame increases from top to bottom as its structure widens out. This should be the opposite, and rather form a reverse cone shape, which means the bulk of the bar should be where it’s closest to the ceiling. However, this doesn’t mean a bar like this can’t serve it’s purpose; drilled to concrete using bulky bolts it should be safe enough for most pull-up variations.

Luckily most ceiling-mounted pull-up bars have have mounting plates a couple of feet in length. These provide much greater stability and increased overall safety, making them a better option for calisthenics and dynamic exercises like muscle ups.

If you want to learn how to do a muscle up, watch the video below for step-by-step instructions.

Bar Height

Ceiling mounted pull up bars come in a variety of different heights. If you have a taller ceiling, are looking to do muscle ups, or prefer to have more head clearance for chest-to-bar pull ups, you’ll want to be sure to pick out a product with plenty of clearance. Pull up bars can have as little as 10 inches of space between the bar and ceiling, or as much as 39 inches if you have more space.

There are some general guidelines based on your ceiling height. If you only have an eight-foot ceiling, any height greater than 10 or 14 inches might leave you with too little space underneath for your body to hang. A 14-inch clearance may be helpful in some cases to ensure you have plenty of space for your head above the bar.

Pull up bars meant for nine-foot ceilings often come with bar heights of between 14 and 22 inches. This allows for plenty of room for your head with both strict and chest-to-bar variations. Pull up bars built for 10-foot ceilings often have between 2.5 and 3.5 feet between the bar and the ceiling. For most people, this is enough space to perform muscle ups and other exercises like dips.

Outside of ceiling height, you should also consider your height and how much space you want to have underneath the bar. If you prefer to allow your legs to hang fully extended, you’ll most likely be better off with either a higher ceiling or a bar with minimal top clearance.

However, if you are still a beginner and would like to be able to jump up to the bar or touch the ground while you are hanging, having a bar that hangs a bit lower could be helpful. Being able to touch the ground can also make the pull up motion feel safer, allowing you to put all your effort into the pull up instead of worrying about falling.

Versatility

Do you want to be able to use other attachments with your pull up bar? If so, you should look for a product that either has attachment points or has a high enough weight limit and provides enough stability. Some products can be used with carabiners. These can be used with a variety of attachments, such as punching bags, ab straps, ropes, and TRX handles.

Attachments can also generally be placed directly on the pull up bar. Ab straps can be placed here, along with other straps. However, if you do plan on using attachments directly on the bar, you should be sure that it won’t slide side to side while it is in use. Also, if the attachments swing or pull on the bar from the side, you should make sure that your pull up bar has wide enough supports to withstand this tension.

Another factor to consider long term, is the different pull up styles, such as with multi-grip pull up bars. As you progress with your pull up, you will want to try different grip options. Though there are many attachments available for this purpose, still the most comfortable options are those pull up bars that have crossbars with different angles. These allow for neutral, supinated, pronated, and 45 degrees like the Gronk Fitness bar, while some even have sphere or ball grips like the Rogue Monster Crown Pull Up Bar—though I have yet to see such in a ceiling mount version.

Grip Material

Some products utilize high-density foam grips for extra comfort, while others simply use the steel bar. The foam grips can be helpful for people with delicate hands or for those who prefer a little extra cushion during their workouts. For products using a steel bar, the bar can either be smooth or knurled, and some products offer powder coated grips to provide extra grip to prevent slipping during your workouts.

Ring Options

Hanging rings are an alternative ceiling mounted option. Rings are great because the strap lengths can be easily adjusted to fit your height and whatever exercise you are doing. You can use rings to do inverted rows, ring pushups, dips, pull ups, reverse flyes, and many other exercises, including gymnastics movements.

Rings are highly joint-friendly as they allow the shoulder joints to rotate freely throughout the motion of each repetition. They are often made out of wood, which provides a good, natural grip, and the nylon straps used are heavy duty and durable, allowing your setup to last for years. Another added bonus of rings is that they can be taken down and stored away easily.

They also only require two small mounting brackets, taking up little space in the room. But, if you already have a pull up bar, you can attach the rings directly to the bar. This allows you to change the width easily and gives you the option of using either rings or the bar.

Conclusion

The clear winners of the Best Ceiling Mounted Pull Up Bar are the Rogue P-5V and P-6V Garage Pull Up Systems. This setup is available in two different sizes with a range of head clearance options based on your needs and space availability. Even the smallest size provides up to 14 inches of overhead space, allowing for plenty of room for your head, and the largest size gives you 30 inches of space if you’re looking to add muscle ups or other over-the-bar exercises to your workout routine.

The mounting bars on this product are 24 or 32 inches long, providing great sagittal stability to withstand swinging motions and callisthenic exercises. This is a huge safety factor when it comes to ceiling-mounted products, and this one provides the longest and sturdiest supports of all the products I reviewed.

The 1,000-pound weight limit of the Rogue P-6V provides plenty of strength for any individual, and it also allows for attachments to be placed on the bar for other exercises. The ability for these units to be daisy-chained to set up a row of pull up stations is another added bonus.

The Rogue P-5V and P-6V Garage Pull Up Systems are both great all-around products, and their quality, stability, and versatility make them the winners of this Best Ceiling Mounted Pull Up Bar review.

For more ideas to complement your bodyweight, gymnastics, or calisthenics home workout, check out Rogue’s offer for all kinds of pull-up solutions.