One of the best exercises for training your upper body and increasing strength is the classic dip.
All you need are some bars running parallel to one another with just enough room between them to hang for body.
Wall Mounted Dip Bars are ideal for this exercise.
This intense exercise can be done with just your body weight to dramatically increase your upper body strength.
The dip exercise itself has various progressions from beginner to advanced so is suitable for anyone. If you are an advanced Calisthenics practitioner, feel free to add a weighted vest or a weight plate to a weightlifting belt to really enhance you gains.
Other variation may include a plyometric manner dip where you explosively push upwards from the lowered position or you can throw in an Isometric hold at the bottom, middle or top of the range of motion.
However you chose to bust out your dips you will need to have the right equipment for the job. This is why many people choose to buy wall mounted dip bars.
The wall mounted variety are great for a number of reasons but before you choose wall mounted dip bars over another variety, such as a potable dip stand, there some key points that you should know.
Different Dip Options
Before splashing out and buying a set of wall mounted bars, you may also want to consider other equipment options such as a chin and dip station (aka a power tower) or a portable dip bar stand.
By knowing what pro’s and con’s of each type, it will help you to decide which type of dip bar will best suit your needs. So…..click on the links to read about the pro’s and con’s of the portable dip stand or the combination pull up/dip stations.
Pros:
- Wall mounted dip bars are not “big” pieces of equipment so they take up little space (when compared to other types of equipment).
- They can be mounted out of the way in your workout space so the protrusion is less of an issue.
- They will provide a solid base on which to exercise. You don’t have to worry about them tipping over!
- Some varieties fold away after use which mitigates the protrusion issue.
- Wall mounted dip bars are not overly expensive and so they are one of the more cost effective solutions if you plan to include dips in your workout program (which you should).
Cons:
- Wall mounted dip bars are a permanent fixture which will protrude into the room (unless you get the folding variety) and so you can’t move them to another area of the house to workout without disassembling them and remounting them in that other area. remove them so you can’t simply move them around the house as needed
- They’ll create holes in the walls when mounting them so you are going to want to make sure that you will be leaving them there once mounted.
- Not really a con but something to be aware of…you’ll need to be sure to check weight restrictions prior to purchasing. This is unlikely to be an issue with quality items but the cheap stuff may deteriorate with use if you are a heavier individual.
What To Look For:
If you do decide to throw some cash at a set of wall mounted dip bars, make sure that you select ones that are easily mounted (and removed if necessary).
You are going to want to make sure they are “solid”, quality items from a top brand. Avoid the cheap crap…..you will regret it later. Check the max load rating as well. Unlikely to be an issue with the higher quality brands but definitely something to bear in mind.
Also, make sure that they have been treated to resist corrosion otherwise all the sweat is going to damage your bars!
Quality manufacturers that you should seriously consider include, but are not limited to those in the following list:
Lets take a look at 3 high quality options:
My Number 1…
- Product: TDS Wall Mounted Bars
- Price: $99.99 USD (Retail)
- Cheapest Place to Buy: The Strength & Stability Amazon Store
- My Rating: 4.5 out of 5
- User Rating: 4.5 out of 5
- Description: Like all TDS equipment, the TDS Wall Mounted Dip Bars are solid a of high quality. They are also well priced. The best feature on these bars is the ability to fold the arms out of the way.
- Product: Ultimate Body Press Station
- Price: $149.99 USD (Retail)
- Cheapest Place to Buy: The Strength & Stability Amazon Store
- My Rating: 4.5 out of 5
- User Rating: 4.5 out of 5
- Description: Ultimate Body Press make decent gear and this wall mounted dip station is no exception. Now, I say “station” because this isn’t just for dips…you use it for doing leg raises as well.
- Product: VKR Bars
- Price: $99.99 USD (Retail)
- Cheapest Place to Buy: The Strength & Stability Amazon Store
- My Rating: 3.5 out of 5
- User Rating: 3 out of 5
- Description: The VKR bars are simple but effective. They will get the job done but considering that they are the same $$$ as the TDS bars above, I would rather by the TDS bars.
Conclusion
All of these brands produce quality equipment so its over to you which you chose. The TDS model does have the advantage of being able to fold away after use so as not to get in the way.
So there you have it….you are now “all the wiser” in regards to wall mounted pull up bars. As I mentioned earlier, they are a great way to go to gain functional strength in the upper body (assuming you use them and don’t end up hanging your washing on them). Just make sure that the wall mounted variety is the best choice for you. If you rent/lease a property you will probably want to choose from one of the alternatives (unless your landlord rocks!).
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Take care and I’ll be blogging again soon.
Jeremy.
To read about the benefits of Calisthenics, click here to return to our homepage.