Recommended Pull up Training Gear (Updated)

Recommended Pull up Training Gear (Updated)

Today I want to share my recommended pull up training gear! If you are interested in bare bones pull up training only, you will probably be able to get by with the training resources I recommended here or here. 

Hopefully by now, however, you see the benefits of performing a more well rounded training regime with accessory exercises for the back, shoulders, arms, glutes and core muscles (and legs too!).

To truly build all the muscles necessary for optimal pull up performance, you need to train exercises other than the pull up. Unless you can get really crafty, that is going to require using external load in the form of dumbbells, barbells, and other equipment.

Here I recommend most of the tools I have used in my private personal training studio, with the addition of a few tools I believe every strength aficionado should have at his or her disposal.

Making a small investment into your own training tools will help you accomplish a lot more–especially if you don’t have access to a commercial gym or prefer to train in privacy.

Recommended Pull up Training Gear: Barbells

The barbell is THE training tool. You can gain the most strength and size with the barbell because you are not limited in terms of the loads you can use. As long as your form is good and you are strong enough, you can easily load up the barbell and lift huge weights–giving your body an enormous training effect with just a few simple exercises.

The bar you use is really up to you and your goals. Many companies produce and sell a solid 45 pound barbell that holds up just fine over many years.

However, for those looking for the most meticulous measurement and training loads, I would recommend using a certified barbell that weighs 20 kilograms. Especially if you are a competitive powerlifter or looking to compete one day in a strength sport, you want to make sure the weights you think you are using are actually what they should be.

(I have previously taken a scale to a commercial gym setting to make sure I was lifting the weights I thought I was (maybe a little obsessional, yes). When the Bar I was using ended up just 41 pounds, I decided to purchase a certified competition bar for my own studio to avoid this inconsistency in the future.)

Barbell Recommendation

The bar I would recommend is the Rogue Ohio Power Bar from Rogue Fitness. The bar is really a steal at just $250 and comes in Stainless Steel, Bare Steel or Zinc.

I love this bar because it is very high quality and has a great knurling. If you are coming from a lower-quality bar, you will really feel the difference when you put this bar in your hands–the grip feels great!

Barbell Exercises with real carryover to the pull up include the barbell bent over row, Barbell Seal Row, Landmine Row, Barbell Curl, Barbell Abdominal Rollout and Barbell Deadlift (Conventional and Sumo Stance), and the Barbell Romanian Deadlift.

Recommended Pull up Training Gear: Plates

You will definitely need plates for your barbell work. I would recommend at least 2 x 2.5s, 4 x 5s, 4 x 10s, 4 x 25s, 2 x 35s, and 8-12 x 45s, depending on how strong you are.

Again, you can purchase lower cost plates and they will likely be fine, but if you want to ensure your plates are the true weight, you might have to get more picky with the plates that you choose to buy.

These are the plates I would recommend. You can purchase multiple pairs at once (Rogue makes it easy) so you can get what you need and get going.

Recommended Pull up Training Gear: Dumbbells

Dumbbells are the most versatile training tool and you can do just about any exercise with dumbbells. They are an extremely joint friendly training tool and are a worthwhile piece of training equipment for beginner, intermediate and advanced level trainees. I strongly believe most trainees could perform the majority of their hypertrophy type work with dumbbells instead of barbells and receive a similar training effect, while minimizing joint stress.

Dumbbells help to minimize stress on joints and connective tissue because they don’t lock the user into a fixed path. You can achieve more natural positions of the shoulder, wrist, and other load bearing joints with dumbbells than you can with the barbell.

Barbell exercises can still form the base of your program, but after you have completed your heavy compound exercises, feel free to use dumbbell exercises to achieve a training effect with less stress on your connective tissue.

The nice thing about dumbbells is that you can also take them on vacation with you or on any trip where you won’t have access to a fully stocked gym. Dumbbells allow you to get in a quality workout no matter your location while also giving your body a break from very heavy loads.

Recommended Dumbbells:

For women, I would recommend dumbbells from 5-50 pound– two each– at a minimum. If you are getting out of pink dumbbell territory for the first time, those might seem like overwhelming weights. However, your body will soon adapt and you will need dumbbells heavy enough to challenge yourself on accessory movements. You can upgrade your collection as you get stronger.

For men, I would recommend sets of dumbbells between 5-100 pounds at a minimum. Stronger men will need much heavier weights. You probably know your current capabilities, so purchase what you need with a little wiggle room for your progression.

The dumbbells I purchased for my private personal training studio for my own and my clients use are from Fitness Factory Outlet.

These are great quality dumbbells!

What do I like about them? These are rubber coated and you do not have to worry about ruining them or dropping them (I have dropped mine on my concrete floor many times with no problems). They really hold up great. The center knurling on these weights is very easy to grip even if you have sweaty hands (no chalk required).

The price is great, and the company is happy to deliver to you even if you order a lot of weights at one time.

Dumbbell exercises with specific carryover to the pull up exercise include dumbbell bent over rows, dumbbell scapular rows, dumbbell lat pullovers, dumbbell bicep curls, dumbbell renegade rows, dumbbell single leg glute thrusts and hip bridges, and more.

Recommended Pull up Training Gear: Racks

If you are outfitting a home gym, garage gym or studio, you will definitely need a place to store your dumbbells. This was the Rack I bought from Amazon. It’s small enough that it won’t take up too much room, even in a small home gym or garage gym, but big enough to hold most of your weight sets. I purchases two of these to hold all of my dumbbells.

At around $100 a piece, they were a very small yet worthwhile investment.

Recommended Pull up Training Gear: TRX Suspension Trainer

This is another great training tool that you can take with you when you go on Vacation or on business. Especially if you currently do all your training with the barbell and free weights, you might benefit from using a Suspension trainer for accessory work and core training. I find this piece of equipment especially valuable for training the rear delts and Core Muscles.

While some of these might not have as much direct carryover to the pull up exercise itself, you can use this piece of equipment for prehab work and extra training volume for the upper back and rear deltoids–this type of work can help you stay a little bit healthier over the long haul.

TRX suspension Trainer Exercises that Carryover to the Pull up: TRX Suspension Rows, Face Pulls, YTIW Raises, One Arm Rows, Bicep Curls, Body Saws, Tuck ins and Pike ins, Hamstring curls, and more.

Here is the link to buy your own TRX Suspension Trainer. At $95-$145, this is another low cost training tool that should be in every strength-trainees’ arsenal.

Recommended Pull up Training Gear: Benches and Steps

A bench is a necessary training tool for a lot of upper body exercises, like the bench press and the dumbbell bench press (duh) but also for exercises in a prone position like the Seal Row, Chest Supported Incline Row, and Chest Supported Rear Deltoid Fly. These exercises will all have direct carryover to your pull up and pulling strength.

The bench I purchased last October is no longer in stock but if I had to purchase again, this is the one I would choose. Why? This bench has the ability to adjust to 7 different positions — just like mine here at my studio– which I like (it is very versatile) and it has wheels, so it is very mobile.

I would also recommend that you purchase a step with multiple risers. This is useful for step ups and other lower body exercises (which might not have as much direct carryover to your pull ups, but hey, nobody wants a small pair of legs) as well as the hip thrust exercise, which can help you to reinforce good core positioning and stability during your pull ups.

This one is a bit smaller but it does the job. I bought a couple of them and would highly recommend them.

Recommended Pull up Training Gear: Mats

Pretty self-explanatory. You might not need mats if you have carpet in your home gym or if you are extra-tough, but I like to use mats both for myself and for my clients. I definitely always use mats when my clients or I perform hip thrusts or glute bridges.

These are really thick and they hold up over time. I also really like these because they are easy to sanitize. This is an important consideration if you own a training studio or you just want to minimize the risk of infections and viruses.

I bought a bunch for my studio and they hold up great!

Recommended Pull up Training Gear: Sleds

You might argue that sleds are not really that specific to the pull up exercise, but sled pushing is a great conditioning exercise that can help any trainee improve their stamina and lose a few pounds of excess body fat too, as long as their diet is in check.

The sled is a low impact exercise (easy on the joints) and can be used 2-4 ties per week as a conditioning tool.

This is the model I purchased for my studio and it has held up fantastically. This sled will suit most trainees very well.

Recommended Pull up Training Gear: Stability Balls

Like the TRX suspension trainer, not a good choice for heavy exercises or maximal strength or hypertrophy, but probably a good (and low cost) training tool for core training and anti-extension exercises like the Stability Ball Roll out, tuck in, and pike in (which are great for helping you maintain core tightness and positioning during the pull up). (Also great for hamstring curls, as an aside.)

This is a great choice–go with a smaller size if you are under 5’5, and a larger size if you are over 5’5 or very heavy. Go with multiple sizes if you want to accommodate different size persons. And, as long as you are light enough, graduate to the smaller size stability ball as you get stronger. It is definitely tougher to work with a smaller stability ball for core exercises.

Recommended Pull up Gear: Conclusions

If you are setting up a home or garage gym with the intention of getting really strong at pull ups (and strong in general), these training tools will go the distance for you! Everything I have recommended in this guide has held up extremely well for 40+ hours of client training per week as well as my own 10-12 hours of lifting per week. More importantly, all the tools I have recommended will allow your continued progression as you get bigger and stronger, meaning that once you have these basic pieces of equipment, you won’t need to update your collection for a long time.