Saturday 17 September 2011

Pull Up Bar


The Iron Gym is a great chin-up bar; it works exactly as advertised. It is very easy to assemble, use, and attach and remove from a doorway. It seems extremely stable, and I have no problem believing it could support the claimed 300 lbs.

Some things to keep in mind:



As other reviewers have mentioned, it sits a little too low to be effective for dips, but putting your feet on a low stool helps with that problem.



Apparently (according to the ad copy) the ab straps are now included in the box--they were not included when I ordered mine from Amazon, and shipping is an additional eight dollars for the straps. Bummer.



Assembly is pretty straightforward, but you want to make sure everything is tightened down, or the bar will feel unsteady, especially when used for push-ups and dips. But be careful not to over-tighten the bolts that go through the plastic brace--it looks like it would be fairly easy to 'strip' the unreinforced square bolt holes in the plastic brace.



When assembled, the total cross bar length is just a hair under 37" wide. In addition, a plainly visible metal safety clip has to be installed (by hand, no screws required) between the top of the door frame and the wall. Just a couple of things to consider before choosing location.



Finally, at the time of this review, the Iron Gym is available for the same price at Linens-n-Things. If you have one locally, you could save yourself shipping since Super Saver shipping is not offered for this product. Iron Gym Total Upper Body Workout Bar

Assembly was a breeze and took about 10 minutes. The piece that mounts to the back of the door jam is plastic so I was a little weary of whether it would hold up well or not. I did a couple slow pullups using the various positions to make sure it wouldn't fall apart on me and then did some reps and it feels pretty solid. I'm 180 lbs and it held fine, and supposedly can hold up to 300 lbs. It has grips and handles for the different various of pullups and chinups, which is what drew me to it over the other types I looked at. It can also be used for pushups, dips (although not very effective as you can't get very low), and situps using the doorway.



Overall, it does was it claims and feels like a pretty good piece of equipment. After a week of regular use it remains solid and hasn't done any damage to the door or wall. I would recommend this product for those who don't want to, or can't, mount a bar.

I am not sure why there are reviews of the Iron Gym that are below a four. The IRON GYM is a great buy for the money. It does what it advertises and supports my 235lb. weight with no difficulties. Unlike others, I knew what I was paying for.



So, the one caveat I have with the Iron Gym is that it really does not offer a "wide" grip for taller/wider grip individuals like myself. The "wide" grip will be as wide as your door frame's opening width. But, this fact was obvious to me before I bought the product (just look at the photos). Nonetheless, the three variable grips offered (wide, inner and arched bar) are perfect and allow for a fantastic workout.



The quality is quite good and NO parts were missing. It is true that the AB Straps are "FREE" for $7.99 s/h with an included mail-in card. But, I did not buy this for the ab straps ... I can get more effective ab exercises with core and yoga mat routines.



PURCHASE TIP: Your local BED BATH & BEYOND and/or LINENS N' THINGS has the iron Gym in stock. They charge $29.95 + tax but NO SHIPPING (obviously, because it is in stock). They also offer an unconditional 60 Day no-questions asked return policy if you are disappointed by the product. You can frequently find 20% OFF or even $10 OFF any $30 purchase coupons on your local paper or mailings for each store. They each accept expired coupons and each others coupons (at least my local stores do). So, I purchased mine for $21.35, with no shipping charges or worries of return charges). Sometimes Amazon has the best deal. But, with this item, it pays to shop around!

I bought the Iron Gym, but when I got it out of the box, the manufacturer had failed to provide the proper bolts required to assemble the product. I was missing a single bolt -- without it, I could not assemble the Iron Gym. I went to hardware stores trying to find a properly sized replacement, but nothing I found exactly fit. So then I called Pro Fit, Iron Gym's manufacturer. I spoke to two people on the phone, including Carolyn, the "supervisor." Neither would even consider sending me a replacement bolt in the mail. Keep in mind a replacement bolt costs only a few cents, and could be sent via standard shipping for 42 cents. Thanks, Pro Fit, for screwing up your product and providing such delightful and considerate service when your customers try to fix it. I'll never buy one of your products again!'


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