Today I made a DIY pull-up bar.  It was installed in our last house, but since moving, my pull-up bar has been used for nothing.

Physical fitness day 4 diet: Five 12 oz glasses of water, 20 oz Coke, Breakfast: Banana, Lunch: Chicken Taco Salad, Dinner: Leftover chicken and potato taco bake. Snacks: a few pieces of Mary Jane candy, tortilla chips and salsa, and a chocolate chip cookie.

Physical fitness day 4 exercise: Today I walked 3.3 miles, and pulled my daughter on a bike ride around the lake with a slight detour for a 6.5 mile ride.  I’m back at the push ups today, and was able to do 35 without stopping.  That’s an improvement from day 1 when I did 27.

The main thing I did today other than the bike ride was to install a pull-up bar in my garage.

How I made a DIY pull-up bar:

photo borrowed from http://survivalsherpa.wordpress.com

The bar itself is a scrap drive shaft from a chicken coop manure drive that was not to spec at a factory I used to work for.  I only had to pay scrap value for the weight of the shaft.  It is a 5′ shaft that is 1 1/4″ in diameter.

How to install the DIY pull-up bar:

My garage is old.  It has native timber for the rafters, studs, and other framing components.  From side-to-side there are two rafters that span the whole garage.  They are native 2×6’s and are about 8.5 feet high, too high for a pull-up bar.  The rafters are exactly 33 3/4 inches apart, so I cut two cross member 2×6’s and lag bolted them perpendicular at about 5′ apart.  Next I took a 3 1/2′ piece of scrap 2×6 and cut it in half.  I drilled a single 1 1/4″ hole in each piece about 4″ from one end.  Next lag bolt the first half of the scrap board with the 1 1/4″ hole at the bottom.  Once secured, I put the shaft into position in the first board.  Next, lag bolt the second board in place with the pull-up bar already in the hole.  Use a level on the bar and verify level before attaching the second board.

I suggest putting the second board slightly off-center from the first, with the pull-up bar already inserted.  This will hold the bar tightly in place, and keep it from rotating when you’re trying to do pull-ups.

If you can’t get access to a metal shaft for use as a pull-up bar, you can get large dowel rod stock in 4′ lengths at most home improvement stores.  This will also work.

Don’t want a DIY pull-up bar?  Try one of these products: