Rigging up rings in a 1BR/1BR apartment

I'm going to college in about a month. I'm undergoing surgery so I will have a hard time getting around, and will have to do the majority of my workout in the apartment.

I want to keep the rings and keep doing my 5x5 routine, but am unsure how to hang these. I figure if I can hang them from the ceiling (somehow) I can do pullups (bent knees or l-pull ups), dips, inverted curls (bent knees on top), and just do handstands on my home-made pvc parallel bars. Actual static holds won't be a problem either since I'm a beginner and will be doing back levers and l-sits for a while.

Does anyone have any ideas on how to make this work? Since this will be weighted, I have to make sure I don't damage the apartment. I'm 145 lbs and am using anywhere from 30-50 lbs of weight at the moment.

Thanks!

You can ceiling mount by using a stud finder to, you guessed it, find some studs in the ceiling, and drill a 2x4 into them. You can either attach some sort of support mechanism, like an eye hook or some such device, to the 2x4 before or after mounting on the ceiling, but I'd prefer before as you can secure things better. Either way, that's how to get them into your ceiling. You could also get one of the 35 dollar door pullup bars that use lever action to secure themselves and hang your rings off of that.

The lever mounted door pullup bar would be a way to go or the ones that fit inside the door. Those are about half the cost. Mainly, I wouldn't want to modify anything that would cost money on the deposit when you move out or piss off the apartment manager.

Drilling won't cause any problems, you just spackle the hole. It's easy. But, if you're uncomfortable with that, use the door mounted pull up bars as your rings mount.

I bought a $12 pull-up bar from Wal-mart that you screw into your door frame and 2 large carabiners. Just hook the carabiners to your ring straps and then the pull-up bar that you've mounted. I've had it this way for over a year now and love it.

Brandon said:

I bought a $12 pull-up bar from Wal-mart that you screw into your door frame and 2 large carabiners. Just hook the carabiners to your ring straps and then the pull-up bar that you've mounted. I've had it this way for over a year now and love it.

The removable doorway bar will increase the height a little bit, and if renting he might not want to screw into the door frame. I have a similar screw in chinup bar, but I have it between 2 narrow walls so it is higher.

I doubt he has an attic in the apartment but this might help others, I have done this with a barbell and it works well.

Didn't want to create a new thread since this one exists, but I'm having a similar issue. I'm looking to get rings but need somewhere that i can hang them in a rented property, also ideally without using screws etc if I don't have to.

I wonder if anyone has any suggestions?

I was thinking getting something like this:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Iron-Total-Uppe ... 797&sr=8-1

That I can hang in the doorway without (I assume) causing any real damage. Would it be able to support my weight and rings? I weigh about 170lbs ish.

Also I'm concerned about that back/top bit tearing off the door trim, Not to keep about losing my deposit.

Can anyone help? Would really be good to be able to do some ring training and get my strength up nicely.

DannyBoy, I think I might be able to advise.

I'm at University here in the UK and I bought one of these just after I arrive. I asked on the forums before I bought it and the general reply was positive - see here - I feel i should say that another forum member RandomHavok reported a bit of an incident with his - here.

Having said that I've had no problems with it at all! I really do recommend it. I regualrly use it for Front and Back levers and all kinda if pulling work.

Hanging the rings off it has been fine too. Here is a WOD video I recorded the first time I used this set up properly.

AobpwZB-_9U

So yeah, definitely a good idea, I do more or less all my training in my room and this has been tremendously useful!

And just so you know, very very little of the weight it supported on the top section. My door frame creeks if i pull on it with my fingers but with the bar on it it never makes a sound, I don't fancy losing my deposit either! I'm about 180lb right now so you'll be fine

I hope this has helped, have fun training

Finnbar, thanks man, that's real helpful, hopefully amazon will deliver tomorrow or the day after.

The rings I have have s buckles, so I can use them for inverted row & jacknives etc atm, but that's the kinda stuff I need to be able to do. Thanks man.

No problem mate, glad to help.

If you've got a camera about post up a video when you get it set up if you want

Haha I need to get my strength up first I think, never really been big on strength before, but one will come once I'm back out of holiday/essay mode.

How wide a door frame do I need for it, and where do I measure do you know?

well the bar i have, mine is an Iron Gym but i think they are all the same, is 36.5 inches long on the main bar which rests on the side of the door frame. My door frame is actually very narrow, 28.5 inches so i have a fair overlap at each end but it hasn't made any difference as the whole end section of the bar is padded.

The only problem i has is that because of my narrow door frame i have to be careful not to bash the frame with the rings but thats just me being overly careful, it hasn't left any marks.

Just so you know I'm measuring on the side the main bar rests inline with where the edge of the door sits when its closed. Hope that helps, was kinda hard to explain. I can post pics or something if needs be

What about the actual depth of the door, as in the little gap that makes the threshold if you get me.

But yeah, pics would help. Most of the doors in my house are right up next to the wall like this:

Google stock image to save the day.

Anyways, any thoughts?

Regarding weight, I have used the same bar as the one above in the

Amazon link for at least a year and my weight has been between 201 and 223 pounds.

Also did chinup with 60 pond nephew on my back so 170 should b fine.

Have used it alone and with rings no problem.

You might consider taping pipe insulation or something at

the spots that contact the door frame if you are worried about damage.

I Have some very minor damage but also a lot more weight and it's MY

house so no issue.

Are you afraid of falling on your head when upside down? It's a small concern of mine - quadriplegia

Haven't installed mine yet (will buy soon) but I have a 6' wide doorframe in my workout area.

I was thinking to attaching some heavy duty brackets and bridging a 1" OD removable metal pipe across the distance.

Ceiling height is a tad less than 8' (basement). I'm 6'.

Does this seem like a good approach and what height can anyone suggest mounting the bar at?

haha... I just mentioned something like this in swarovski's training log. I've used rings from a doorway pullup bar with no issue in the past. yes, you do want to make sure it's well and truly secure and I would *never* do any kind of swinging movement; nothing but pure controlled statics.

depending on the layout of your apartment; if you have a manhole, I've hung rings from a piece of timber laid across the hole in the ceiling.

pogo69 said:

haha... I just mentioned something like this in swarovski's training log. I've used rings from a doorway pullup bar with no issue in the past. yes, you do want to make sure it's well and truly secure and I would *never* do any kind of swinging movement; nothing but pure controlled statics.

depending on the layout of your apartment; if you have a manhole, I've hung rings from a piece of timber laid across the hole in the ceiling.

No manhole unfortunately ... well there is one in a tiny closet so forget that

I'm not thrilled with the doorway option but it may have to do.

And I will at least toss a few pillows under there to cushion my fall

Thanks !

Soon got the X-rings after posting this almost a year ago.

It took a while to find a good place to mount them.

Now just getting a round to replying!

The wood is part of a skid or pallet - a 3x3 - bolted into 3 ceiling joists.

Might have notched out the top instead rather than drilling the center in retrospect. Not sure.

It's not an ideal location - it's in the garage in a cramped corner. But it's better than nothing.

Also figured out a decent way to level them as shown, as the straps are not fixed.

Faster than measuring, eyeballing or going by feel!

Hehe +1 for that post! I just realized.. Why didn't I do that ! lol. Got my rings leveled perfectly now. Thanks.

MH87 said:

Hehe +1 for that post! I just realized.. Why didn't I do that ! lol. Got my rings leveled perfectly now. Thanks.

Thanks for that! Don't know why it took me so long to realise either, lol.

Not that it was bad before but I can really feel the difference now.

Cheers!

DannyCE said:

You could also measure off tick marks on the straps with a white/gold fabric pin to help keep things equal. I usually just hold the rings up to some point on my body when I'm adjusting the straps.

Someone suggested that to me once, but the straps are a loop in my setup and move - and so would the marks.

I found the body part approach a rough estimate as well but used it. Mainly i relied on feel, before this.

Ideally I'd like to have them tied together, meeting in a single strap so thay moved in tandem

and not deal with it at all. That's a whole nother setup though.