Seated Pull-Up Bar

Two or three intense strength exercises can be more effective than prolonged unloaded gymnastics. A horizontal bar or parallel bars are good for this — equipment clearly not intended for an apartment. However, they can be successfully replaced by a simple device proposed by the Hungarian magazine “Ezermester”. It takes up little space, is versatile, and is suitable for warm-ups at any age.

Its base consists of two square-section steel profiles connected by a platform made of a thick sheet of plywood or chipboard. The third element — a crosspiece of the same profile — is clamped in the first two with screws.

Arcs made of rod or tube and tubular uprights are welded to the base; the ends of the “crossbar”, fixed with screws, fit into the uprights. This is a tube about 3600 mm long, given an arched shape. To keep the tube from flattening when bent, it should first be packed with dry sand. The work will be easier if the sections to be rounded are heated over a fire.

Three soft “bricks” are mounted on the arcs and between the uprights — foam or felt pads covered with imitation leather and having a rigid base (a board or a metal plate). The side pads are fastened to the arcs with a locking screw and a nut at their base, so they can rotate and form a soft crosspiece.

Such apparatus makes it possible to perform a wide variety of exercises: pull-ups as on a horizontal bar, headstands as on parallel bars, various backbends, push-ups, and many others (see exercises 1—7).

“M-K” 7’86