Pull-up is a great way to develop back muscles. It is very important for people who do desk jobs for nine to twelve hours a day to develop strong back muscles if they want to avoid back pain.

But, just because you don’t have a bar at home or don’t have the time to go to a gym because of a time-pressing job, doesn’t mean, you can’t do pull-ups at home.

Here in this article, we are going to suggest alternative ways of doing a pull-up without using a rod.

Ways to do pull-ups without a rod 

Only, if you look around you will find plenty of alternatives that can be used as a substitute to a rod. If you wish to do your rounds of pull-ups at home; some of the best alternatives have been listed below for your convenience.

Use the door of your study room

If you do not have a rod at home for pull-ups, you don’t need to worry. Every house has a door. You can turn the door of your study room as a substitute for the metal rod, and do your rounds of pull-ups.

Process                                                  

You must be wondering how to convert a door into a rod. Just follow the steps below –

• Open the door of your study room. Place the door bolt, and keep a mat at the bottom of the door. So, that the door does not move.
• Face the door and cover the top of the door with a towel.
• Lift your hands and place them on the top of the towel so that you can have a strong grip.
• Lift yourself keeping your spine straight facing the door.
• Hold yourself up for 5 seconds, and then bring yourself down. Follow this movement three to 5 times in each set. It is going to have the same effect on your back and shoulder muscles.

Walk up to the nearest playground to do your rounds of pull-up

If the gym is quite far, or you do not have sufficient money to invest in a gym, you can always choose to walk down to the nearest playground for your rounds of the pull-up.

Process

A lot of parks have monkey bars for children. You can use them for doing a pull-up. They are strong, and can bear the weight of an adult. In case, the park does not have monkey bars, it will surely have swings for children. You can use the bar of a swing set for doing pull-ups. Just stand in the middle of two swings, raise your hands and touch the rod, then gently lift your body up and down slowly. Swing set bars are perfect alternatives to pull-up bars. In case you are lucky, you might also find dedicated pull-up bars in the playground.

Use the branch of a tree and convert it into a pull-up bar

In case you stay in a place where you can’t find any metal rods nearby, you can still do your rounds of pull-ups holding the branch of a tree.

You’d be surprised to know that some branches of trees are really strong and can hold a man’s weight. All you need to do is find a tree, which has sturdy branches, which you can reach up to.

You need to make sure that the girth of the branch should be just right, so that you can hold them. Trees that have wide branches are mostly difficult to hold.

Process

• Find a tree with strong branches. Make sure you can touch the branch of the tree comfortably.
• Face the branch of the tree and stand tall.
• Lift your hands to get a firm grip. Once you feel your grip is strong enough to lift yourself, breathe in to lift yourself.
• Hold yourself up for 5 seconds then breathe out while coming down.

Make use of a smooth fence

Fences are generally strong, and if you can find a fence that is, smooth enough to drag your legs, during pull-ups. You can replace the pull-up rod with the fence. Most people avoid using fences for pull-up, because the surface of the fence is rough, and you might end up hurting your knees when your legs are dragged against the wall. It helps to develop the spine.

Therefore, if you are thinking of replacing the rods with a fence, just make sure the walls of the fence are smooth so that your legs don’t get hurt.

Process

• Face the fence, and put your hands on top of the fence.
• Lift your body in the air. Make sure you breathe in while lifting yourself.
• Hold yourself up for five seconds, and then slowly come down while you breathe out.

Lay a broomstick across two different chairs to make it into a rod

This is the most common practice that can be followed at home to do pull-ups. Most people use this method because a broomstick and two chairs are things you don’t have to go around hunting for in a house.

Process

• Place two chairs parallel to each other.
• Place a broomstick on the top of the chair.
• Lie on the ground in between the two chairs, and lift your hands to hold the broomstick.
• Breathe in while you lift yourself holding the broomstick. Make sure only your upper body moves, while your lower body lies still on the ground.
• Hold yourself up for 5 seconds, and then go down slowly while you breathe out. Follow this step again five to seven times in each set.

Conclusion

Therefore, it can be said that “where there is a will, there is a way” if you make up your mind that you want to do pull-ups, you will surely find a way to do it, even if you cannot go to a gym or, don’t have a pull-up rod at home.

All you need to do is look around. The best alternatives to a pull-up rod can be the door of your study room, the swing set rod, or monkey ladder in the playground, a fence that has smooth walls, a branch of a tree, or a broomstick.

If all else fails you can still do your rounds of workout, using the railing of your house. All you require is the will to do it.

We are sure if you understand the importance of pull-ups, and after you read this article, you will surely find an alternative way to do your rounds of pull-ups at home. End of the day, what matters is the exercise, not the rod.

 Don’t let excuses like not finding a pull-up rod restrain you from your regular rounds of pull-ups at home.