Iron Gym Total Upper Body Workout Bar Review

Last Updated on September 23, 2019 by Jeff

Overview:

The Iron Gym Total Upper Body Workout Bar is a multi-function strength training device that promises to sculpt your upper body through pull ups, chin ups, and abdominal work. And that’s just while this versatile pull up bar is hanging high on your doorframe. Move the Iron Gym Total Upper Body Workout Bar to the ground and you can use it to perform dips to work your triceps, pushups to work your biceps and chest, and sit ups to hit your abs.

Iron Gym has made one of the most popular pull up bars on the market, and with good reason. It’s designed to be used and abused while providing excellent, bodyweight-only exercises. The Iron Gym Total Upper Body Workout Bar is very strong and durable. But the best part is that it can be moved around without permanently fastening it to anything.

With this type of doorway pull up bar, you don’t need to drill holes, attach fasteners, or use any screws, bolts, or tools at all. The Iron Gym Total Upper Body Workout Bar utilizes leverage by way of a plastic bar that sits above the lip on your doorframe. The curved side passes through the doorway and the leverage bar rests on the sides of the doorframe.  This secures the workout bar in position, and redirects the weight downward when you’re doing pull ups or chin ups. It can handle a person who weighs up to 300 pounds.

Note, you do need a doorway with the lip, trim, or moulding up to 3.5 inches wide for the bar to rest on. Also, the door way needs to be 24 – 32 inches wide to accommodate the bar.  So measure before buying!

The Total Upper Body Workout Bar is great for workout programs like P90x, or for incorporating into your own home workout routine.  Read on for our full review:

Technical Info:

Features:

• Metal frame
• Foam padding for gripping at various positions
• Rubberized door frame protection
• Includes instruction book

Doorway Requirements:

• Width: 24” to 34” wide
• Thickness: At least 5.5” thick
• Trim width: Up to 3.5” wide

Workout Options:

• Chin Up (reverse grip)
• Pull Up (over hand grip)
• Pull Up (palms facing each other)
• Three Pull Up/Chin Up grip positions (to challenge your muscles):
  • Narrow
  • Neutral
  • Wide
• Push Ups
• Tricep Dips
• Crunches

Shipping, Assembly, and Installation:

The Iron Gym Total Upper Body Pull Up Bar usually ships for free from Amazon via Amazon Prime. Click here to check the price and shipping on Amazon.
Assembly is easy and should only take around 15 minutes. Installing the Workout Bar only takes the time to lift it up and secure it to your doorframe.

Note, there is an optional metal safety clip that you can install above the door lip to help the pull up bar from coming off frame incase you’re doing some wild swinging around. It should go without saying that it’s best not to do any bouncing or wild swinging around on this since it isn’t fastened to the doorframe. As with any workout, use your good judgment and use the safety wedge/clip as an extra precaution.

Tips and Tricks:

Be Smart

We’d recommend not trying anything dumb on this bar like “upside down pull ups”. This is a safe, secure bar if used correctly, so just stick to the normal range of exercises to avoid any injury.

Keep It Handy

The great thing about these bars is that you can pump out a few pull ups at any time, day or night.  So keep the bar near you in a room you’re likely be in or pass through often.  It’ll be there in your face and you’ll have no choice but to heed the call of the bar.  You’ll be increasing your pull up count in no time.

Measure Up

Doorways in most normal, modern homes will work fine for this Bar.   But if you have any concerns, be sure to take some measurements on your door frames before ordering. The bar is not adjustable, so you want to make sure you have a doorway with the proper dimensions and a lip that can accommodate the piece.

What We Love About the Iron Gym Total Upper Body Workout Bar

The Iron Gym Workout Bar is an all-around solid piece of equipment and we’ve laid out the benefits pretty thoroughly above. But one other thing we should mention we like is with the two bars / hand-grips that extend out from the doorway, you can do hammer-grip pull ups with your palms facing each other. This way is actually one of the optimal ways to do pull ups.

What Isn’t So Great

If you’re very tall with long arms, you’ll get a great workout, but the “wide-grip” pull ups aren’t going to be super wide, as the cross bar is around three feet wide. In normal doorways, you’re also going to need to bend your legs as you release down after a pull up in order to get a fuller repetition. But that’s just the nature of doorways versus tall people.

It should be mentioned that when performing floor dips on the Iron Gym Total Upper Body Workout bar it’s hard to get very low before your butt hits the ground. That said, you’ll be able to get your triceps burning, no problem.

Final Word on the Iron Gym Total Upper Body Workout Bar

This Iron Gym pull up bar is one of the least expensive, deceptively simple, yet highly powerful pieces of exercise equipment you can buy. Many trainers list a pull up bar as a must-have tool in their arsenal. Some even claim it’s the single best piece of equipment you can own.

The Iron Gym Total Upper Body Workout Bar definitely delivers on quality and functionality. Plus it comes in at a great price and ships quickly from Amazon.  *And while you’re in the market, also check out the Iron Gym Extreme version of this bar which has a few more grip options.

Having a multi-functional pull up bar in the house is a great way to workout consistently and see muscle gains in your arms, back, chest and abdominals. Overall, the Iron Gym Total Upper Body Workout Bar is a no-brainer.  Highly recommended.

Click here to check the latest price on the Iron Gym Total Upper Body Workout Bar on Amazon.