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136 of 139 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
READ THIS: setting the record straight based on existing mixed reviews, February 8, 2010
This review is from: P90X Chin-Up Bar (Misc.)
After reading so many conflicting reviews on this product, I've decided to set the record straight. This product has taken an unfair beating mainly due to ignorant people writing reviews for the wrong product.
1) This product is the genuine Beachbody P90X pull-up bar. As the product description says, it is sold by Beachbody (producers of P90X) and fulfilled by Amazon. Other pull-up bars look just like this one and may be marketed as "ideal for P90X," but they have nothing to do with Beachbody. Those are generic brands that cost about half the price of this product. Many reviewers bought the generic bar, experienced problems with them (bad fasteners, foam that ripped, wobbly parts, etc), but then posted their review under this official Beachbody product. I received this product yesterday, assembled it, and saw no problems with it whatsoever. Details follow.
2) The pullup bar is easy to assemble. Many people complained that the instructions were very hard to follow. It's not. There are 5 unique shapes to this bar (you can count them out just by looking at the product picture) fastened by bolts. There are 8 long bolts and 2 slightly shorter bolts. A wrench and hex key are provided to tighten these bolts. All you do is stick the bolt through the holes and tighten the nut. The picture in the instructions show you how the pieces go together. I assembled the bar in about 10 minutes, and I only used the instruction manual to make sure I used the 2 short bolts in the right place. All other holes use the same long bolt. There are no left- or right-specific parts.
3) This pull-up bar does NOT require the included mounting brackets. These brackets are included for additional safety. If you are applying any weight to the bar, it is impossible for it to slip off the casing of your doorway. In fact, weight hanging from the bar makes it even more secure. This is because the design of the bar creates a force that diverts your weight into a horizontal direction (the way you're facing when you hang on it), and the bar on the opposite side of the door applies an equal but opposite force the other direction. In other words, by hanging on the bar, the bar is squeezing the depth of the door. This is why you may cause a dent in your casing along the sides of the door. The only way to remove the bar from the doorway casing is to push up on the bar. If you're hanging on the bar, there's no way to cause a net upward force to dislodge the bar from its death-pinch on the doorway. You'd have to push off from something solid, or you have to be making some very extreme jerky motions with your body.
4) The correctly assembled product is sturdy and does not rattle, flex, or wiggle in any way. You may notice some abrasion noise from where the main bar (the long, one-piece bar that spans about 41" across) rests on the side casing of your doorway. The material on the bar is plastic and resembles a handlebar on a bike. I wrapped some of the protective packing foam that came with the packaging around the "handlebars" and it stopped all noise.
5) According to the product description, "the P90X fits doorways up to 32 inches wide and requires a sturdy doorframe with trim. The doorway should be a minimum of 5 inches wide and a maximum of 6.5 inches." The product was clearly designed for a standard 32" doorway opening with 2.5" colonial casing around the door. If your casing is fancier/wider, such as Stafford or Windsor styles, you may have a tighter fit. Based on my observations, this product will work safely up to an opening width of 36". The depth recommendation of 5" - 6.5" is accurate. Depending on the opening width of your door, you may get indentations in your casing from protruding parts of the bar. This is especially true if your doorway is between 29 and 31". The U-shape piece of the bar may rest directly on the casing, causing the dent. If your doorway is narrower than 29", you'll encounter no issues, since you'll likely have foam cushioning your casing.
6) The foam handles on this bar appear to be the durable kind. Years ago, I bought a generic bar that came with foam that lost its shape and eventually tore off the bar from use. This beachbody bar's foam feels firm, holds its shape after use, and appears to be durable. I can't attest to its longevity until I use it more.
I was torn between this product and the "Iron Gym Total Upper Body Workout Bar - Extreme Edition," which was recommended by several reviewers. As far as I can tell, that bar is also a decent one, and it costs less. I ended up getting the beachbody bar because the main bar (41" long) is one-piece. Is that worth an additional $33? Probably not. I didn't see people complaining about any structural issues with the Iron Gym. I figured I'd pay a bit extra for the the all-black bar, a purely aesthetic preference, and support Beachbody, the company that produced the awesome workout program P90X. If you're on a budget, I'm sure the Iron Gym would be an excellent choice as well.
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61 of 63 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Portable for a standard door., January 6, 2009
This review is from: P90X Chin-Up Bar (Misc.)
I bought this because I lived in an apartment. I did NOT use anything other than the bar to work out with; in other words, I did NOT use the extra brackets. It is my opinion that you don't "have" to use them, but they are there for safety/legal reasons. If you have controlled and thoughtful motion, the way it sits on the door frame and pushes on the sides makes it sturdy enough. However, to remove the bar, you lift it up (as seen on TV). If you were not paying attention during a workout, I can see where the lawyers are afraid you might dislodge it... so therefore, the extra security of the brackets. Your choice.
Beware, however, that the bar fits only standard doors. I've since moved into a townhouse with smaller spaces, and if there isn't room ABOVE the door, it won't work (the ceiling is flush with the door frame in the areas I have doors). Also, your door can't be WIDER than the bar (as in two double doors that open), because it needs the sides of the door frame to push against.
If you have normal sized doors, this is the one for you. The brackets? You can probably do without, but in case a lawyer is reading this... I'll say that you should use the brackets....
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59 of 71 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A Great Product With 1 Caveat, July 22, 2008
This review is from: P90X Chin-Up Bar (Misc.)
I assumed, incorrectly, that because this looked like the type of pull-up bar that mounts on a door without screws that it was. It isn't. You have to screw two clamps in with four screws. That's my fault for making a wrong assumption.
However, I'd like to be able to not put holes over my doors, and move the bar from doorway to doorway. So that's a design drawback from my perspective.
That being said, the bar is very nice and very sturdy. Its configuration allows for a number of hand positions. It states very clearly not to use the device for inversion.
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