There are numerous contenders online for the absolute best in home workout equipment. Here at Extreme Body Workout we know you don’t have to have a giant tower and entire room dedicated to fitness in order to get the results you want. A few well chosen pieces of equipment and the right workout program are all that’s required. When it comes to pull-up bars, there are two main competitors, the Iron Gym Pull Up Bar and the P90X Chin Up Bar.
The Iron Gym Pull Up Bar is largely popular because of its “As Seen On TV” status. What a better way to get a product into the homes of thousands than to advertise it continuously on television? We aren’t knocking this method as it has proven to be a great marketing method for some of the programs we feature. We do, however, think that a slick commercial doesn’t always translate to a high quality product.
Let’s quickly address the design differences between these two products. Both bars can be easily installed in the doorways of your home. Each has some slight requirements on door measurement to make them work. The P90X bar requires a doorway to be 24- 32 inches wide. The Iron Gym Pull Up Bar requires the same size doorway (24-32”) but also requires the doorway be 5.5 to 6 inches thick. While the P90X bar mounts using a small amount of hardware to make it more secure and safe, the Iron Gym Pull Up Bar hangs using leverage.
Lastly, and perhaps most importantly on the design front, the P90X Chin Up Bar features 6 different grip positions. Iron Gym? Only 3.
One of the main marketing points for the Iron Gym Pull Up Bar is that it can be taken down and used for dips and crunches. This is a novel idea. It seems, however, through research online of consumer reviews, the dips that this bar advertises are much better done using chairs. The bar simply doesn’t give you the elevation needed for a highly productive dip motion.
According to consumers, one of the major selling point of the Iron Gym Pull Up Bars is the price. Right now, it seems, you can find the Iron Gym Bar for about $30. We see this argument but stand behind the P90X Chin Up Bar quality and the corresponding price. With the extra grip positions, professional grade foam grips, and heavy gauge steel construction, we know that this is definitely a case of “getting what you pay for”. Also, the P90X Chin UP Bar is part of the P90X program, known for being one of the most popular top quality home workout systems in the world.
Ultimately, which piece of home gym equipment you go with is your decision. Make sure to do your research, checking out consumer reviews and the options available with each bar. After you’ve done your checking and are ready to move forward with the P90X Chin Up Bar, come back to Extreme Body Workout where we also offer the bar in a P90X Special Package, giving you the P90X program along with everything you need to get started.
Jan 22, 2010 @ 12:45:33
really a nice blog posted by you,,,really informative,,a comparison between two different type of bar used…
Mar 06, 2010 @ 11:38:35
i have to iron gym pull up bar and my door wasnt compatible with it. I only use it for situps. I might try px90s I hope it fits.
Sep 04, 2010 @ 00:43:39
hello,we produce iron gym in China,they are in low price and high quality,if you want import pls contact me !ths
Sep 22, 2011 @ 23:58:56
how about the Iron Gym Extreme Total Upper Body Workout? they are similar to the p90x chinup bars.
Jan 07, 2012 @ 14:43:59
I am intrigued by the apparent superiority of the p90x chin up bar, but does it have to cost TWICE as much as the iron gym or other models, and why does it have to cost $20 to ship it? At this point I will go outside and do chinups (or my lame attempt at them) on my kids’ monkey bars.It seems the chinup bar is the way to go rather than the bands, if you want to do p90x, which I am trying to start very soon ( I just got the DVD package and have tried a couple of the other workouts in it ), but the chinup bar issue is holding me up, as I just refuse to believe I need to spend $80 total for this item. I already have weights and the DVD so buying the chin up bar as part of a package won’t be cost effective.
Hello Cathy,
workout equipment can be pricy, there is no doubt about that. I can’t really knock any other brand chin-up bar or endorse them. I can only say that the P90X chin-up bar is of good quality and it uses brackets that screw in the wall, which in my book is much safer than just using tension.
You are absolutely right when you said the bar is much more effective than the bands. I have done the P90X two times, once with the bands and once with the bar. The bar gives you much more resistance and forces you to work harder. You can’t really struggle with the bands, so there is not much to work towards. The bands are good for some, but for those who can handle a chin-up or two and really want great results should definitely use the bar.
-Mike