Pull-up bar for P90x??? WTF!!!!!!

ambercole

Hi everyone! I was going to start the P90x program today and when I went to try out the pull-up bar (it is the kind that is removable and it sits on your door frame I think that it is the iron gym one.) I realized that it would not fit on any door in my entire freakin' house!!! Have any of you had this problem and if so what did you use? I don't want to have to install a permanent pull up bar that had to be mounted.

samseed101

If it won't fit in any door frame, then you may have to buy a removable / mounted one. They have them at Sports Authority for about $15. Basically, two brackets screw inside the door frame. Then the bar can slide in and out so you can use it when you want to. Sorry, but that's about the only solution I can think of.

kylielouttit

Is there any other equipment required for P90X?

OddSquid

Is there any other equipment required for P90X?

Dumbbells of varying weights or resistance bands.

mattack

I recommend the Yoga block too, unless you are really flexible.

I have both types of pullup bars, the one you have and the one samseed recommends.
My question is this:

Why doesnt it fit in the door, is the door frame too wide?

I know you can buy a kit to make the Extreme gym wider.

bajangrl29

If you bought the one that cost arround 50.00 then you have to tilt it under the frame and then pull up and anchor on the side that you are facing. I ordered mine from Amazon and it is standard for most door frames.

HTH,
Michelle

ambercole

I recommend the Yoga block too, unless you are really flexible.

I have both types of pullup bars, the one you have and the one samseed recommends.
My question is this:

Why doesnt it fit in the door, is the door frame too wide?

I know you can buy a kit to make the Extreme gym wider.

The pull up bars are designed to fit standard 4inch wall door frames. My house is a 1930 bungalow with 6 inch walls and door frames. Also all of my door frames are much too wide, even for the expandable ones. I guess I am going to have to buy one that mounts in the doorway. I just hate having to drill bolts into the door frame.

T_R_A_V

I think that they have adjustable ones that fit doors....

MereBear_81

You could forgot the pullup bar and get a door attachment for resistance bands. They work the same muscles as doing the pullups, you just pull the bands down rather than pulling your body up.

samseed101

You could forgot the pullup bar and get a door attachment for resistance bands. They work the same muscles as doing the pullups, you just pull the bands down rather than pulling your body up.

I would advise against that it at all possible. I guess it's better than nothing, but there's a huge difference between doing pullups and pulling down resistance bands. There's even a difference between lat pull downs and pullups.

shannonmoore813

If you are just starting a work out program, I would recommend starting out with just P90. P90 will take the weight off! I was already pretty fit before I started and lost 15 lbs in a couple of months. Then, if you want to move up to P90X, it won't be such a shock on your body and you'll be more likely to stick with it!

MereBear_81

You could forgot the pullup bar and get a door attachment for resistance bands. They work the same muscles as doing the pullups, you just pull the bands down rather than pulling your body up.

I would advise against that it at all possible. I guess it's better than nothing, but there's a huge difference between doing pullups and pulling down resistance bands. There's even a difference between lat pull downs and pullups.

I would agree there is a difference, but not a huge one. At least, there wasn't in my experience. I did use the pullup bar for P90X, but I've also used the bands previously. If it wasn't a viable option, Tony would not show it as one in the P90X videos, imo.

samseed101

It's my understand ing that he shows it as an option because a LOT of people literally can't do a single pullup. I know quite a few people that struggle with doing negatives on a pullup bar. in their scenario, they need to do something to at least somewhat work the muscles. But either way, using resistance bands GREATLY reduces the amount of weight you are moving, thus greatly reducing the work that the muscles get.

On top of that, many people forget about the core workout you can get from pullups. If you are hanging form a bar, your core will work to try to stabilize you and keep you from swinging around wildly. This isn't something that is going to happen if you're simply pulling down on a resistance band.

On a similar note, many people that work desk jobs of have sedentary lifestyles have weaker cores. The TVA really seems to suffer as well. And as you know, the TVA is essentially like an internal girdle. If it gets too weak, people often start to see their stomach protrude. then all of a sudden they have this "gut" even though there's not a lot of fat and they can't seem to figure out what the problem is. So the LAST thing they want to do is reduce their core workout.

Yes, you can use resistance bands, but I would ONLY do that if I literally could not do a single pullup. If you want, you can use resistance bands for everything. Use then for squats. Use them for a chest press. Use them for curls and tricep extensions. Use them for rows. But don't be fooled into believing that you're burning as many calories or doing as much "work" as you would if you used the recommended alternatives. They provide nowhere near as much resistance and don't work nearly as many muscles as hard.

MereBear_81

Samseed, I'm not arguing with you. I'm just trying to offer her another option in the event she can not find a pullup bar that works for her. I agree that the pull up bar is the better option. That said, she will still see results with P90X using a band in place of pullups if she decides she does not want to drill holes in her door frames in order to use a pull up bar.