Pull ups on a bar v. on an I-beam

[Scarymonster]

I'm trying to work out more in my garage... but for pull ups I have no bar, only an I beam... clearly the grip is the main difference; since my fingers are flat on the beam vs gripped around the bar. Is that going to cause other form or other problems? I find I can do fewer pulls per set vs on a bar, but I think that has to do with my fingers being recruited more for the pull, or maybe the resulting angle shift. Thoughts?

edot: Mainly I'm concerned if there's any reason not to do them IYO.

 

[Merrill]

I'm not sure how your garage is set up, but you might be able to rig up a pullup bar to the i-beam by using c-clamps and a length of 1 1/8" or so bar stock. You could use heavy cable ties or something to secure the bar to the clamps so it doesn't move around. Be on the lookout for a length of barstock that you can swipe from somewhere.

C-clamps: - Harbor Freight Tools - Quality Tools at the Lowest Prices

Cable ties: - Harbor Freight Tools - Quality Tools at the Lowest Prices

 

[Urban]

there's no reason not to do them the way you're doing them. It's really just another variation. I personally haven't done pullups on a bar in months since my gym just has a metal 3x3 beam at the top of the power racks I usually just use that. you'll lose a few reps due to grip, but it's not something that's going to cause muscle imbalances or anything like that. You could throw a rolled up towel or thick manilla rope over it to do towel/rope pullups too, or do as merrill posted and find a way to attach a 1" bar or pipe to hang from it.

 

[RedNeckJiuJitsu]

I've been doing rope or towel pull-ups almost exclusively for about a year. I think you'll probably be better off in the long run doing 'em on the beam due to the added hand/forearm strength.

 

[zere0wn]

There is a thread on here somewhere about a really easy to make pullup bar involving looping rope through a metal pipe and then looping that around any beam.

 

[WhiteLightning**]

I-beam chins are the shit. But they suck because they're hard. If you do them until you're good at them, your hand/forearm strength will be monstrous.

 

[WhiteLightning**]

Case in point:



That guy is fucking jackt.

 

[kindherbs]

If you do pull ups from rafters, you'll have a "muscle imbalance," and no one will talk about how jacked and tan you are.