At one point, I considered building a pull-up bar in a space in my garden to routinely do pull-ups and try to achieve my goal of doing muscle-ups. Whenever I wanted to do pull-ups, I had to go to a gym, and I was tired of relying on them for several reasons, including the cost of admission, the travel time, and the submission to opening hours.

Back then, I enjoyed watching videos about physical activity, strength training, and calisthenics. In those videos, I observed that people who exercised often performed pull-ups and other calisthenics exercises like muscle-ups, front levers, back levers, or skin the cat at outdoor calisthenics stations located in parks, both in cities and in rural environments. Many of the YouTubers I liked to watch to learn and be inspired by are usually from countries where physical activity is part of their nation’s cultural tradition: the United States, Russia, Germany, Australia, the United Kingdom, Scandinavian countries…

Observing the reality of those countries and comparing it with Spain, where I live, I felt like I was living in a backward place in terms of sports culture because I couldn’t find calisthenics stations in the parks around me. By chance, I was able to see them a few times in YouTube videos filmed in large cities like Madrid and Barcelona, ​​but in the rest of the country, we were practically marginalized.

Over time, I was able to see by chance some outdoor calisthenics bar occasionally passing through Vigo, the largest city near me, but it was really only one station in the entire city. So it seemed insufficient to me and the feeling of abandonment and sporting marginalization continued to exist within me. Years later, I started seeing calisthenics stations in towns like Pontevedra or villages like Cambados and O Grove, but by then I already had a pull-up bar to exercise in my own home. My perception of finding calisthenics stations was starting to improve somewhat, but I still think there’s more to be done because they’re only available in urban centers, while parks in rural areas like the one I live in still don’t have any of that. And having to make a 15-minute drive to the nearest calisthenics station is still a pain. In my opinion, calisthenics stations should be in every park, both in the city and the countryside.

As I mentioned before, I was fed up with the dependence on going to a gym and decided to set up my own home gym. One of the things I set out to do was build an outdoor pull-up bar. To do this, I based it on the sketch I found in a video on the FitnessFAQS channel, which you’ll find below. The total budget is very affordable. Below, I’ll provide all the materials you’ll need and the dimensions of the pieces.

EQUIPMENT

• Shovels
• Post hole digger
• Iron pick
• Drill & hole saw
• Welding gear
• Bricks
• Clamps
• Post leveler
• A few strong men

HOLE

• Depth: 1.2 meters (4 feet)
• Width: 500 mm x 500 mm

SPECS

• 2.03 m solid stainless steel bar (34-35 mm)
• 2 x 3.7 m (100 mm x 100 mm x 4 mm) galvanised posts
  • Distance between posts: 1.7 meters
  • Post height at ground level: 2.5 meters
• 2 x galvanised post caps
• 4 x weld points
• 0.6 m³ concrete mix (25 mpa x 14 mm stones)

PROCESS

1. Locate a good position.
2. Dig 2 holes in the ground (500 mm x 500 mm x 1.2 m).
3. Ensure distance between holes will be such that posts sit in the middle of each hole 1.7 m apart.
4. Place posts in holes with house brick at bottom (reduces sinking of posts).
5. Brace both posts with timber and clamps ensuring they are straight using post leveler.
6. Pour concrete into each hole, check levels, and adjust if needed before concrete sets.
7. Let concrete set for at least 3 days.
8. Using a metal hole saw, cut through posts for the bar.
9. Insert stainless steel bar and weld at 4 points.
10. Enjoy!

Below I leave you are more videos in case you want to explore other equally interesting options with even more features, like a parallel bar for dips.

Finally, I’d like to tell you that, as a last option, if you want your own pull-up bar, you can buy a power rack that includes one. This also has the advantage of allowing you to lift weights with a Oympic barbell and plates. However, the price of this structure is already much higher. Even so, I still think it’s a good investment to have your own gym equipment, and that the high price will eventually be amortized over the years, as you avoid the hassle of paying for regular entry fees, passes, or memberships to access a commercial gym.

Bibliographic references:

• Daniel Vadnal [FitnessFAQS]. (2011). How To Build Pull Up Bar [Video file]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/793yZS2Zu6w?si=cMdcpo-25EZhSuah