I know you have plenty of advice already, but I bought this one in October last year, use it frequently and have no marks on my door. I had the same concerns you do, so I wrapped a few old shirts around it and it works perfectly!
You can see the shirts and what the frame looks like. I've used it pretty extensively since getting it.
just up it to 4 or 5 times a week and hit some calisthenics. you don't have to do anything insane but try some pushups, pullups if you can get a bar to mount in your door(something like this) and bodyweight squats. if you want to incorporate some weight at home without setting up a home gym look into kettlebells(link here to show you what you're looking for). you can probably find some kettlebells useful to you for pretty cheap.
Cheap easy indoor solution. I use one myself.
Genetics determine where your body stores fat! The only thing you can really do is continue shedding fat and gaining muscle. You can gain muscle with just dumbbells and bodyweight. Push-ups and pull-ups are particularly effective for arms and shoulders and they can be quite a challenge. If your dumbbells are really lightweight and too easy to curl, you can even do bicep curls with household objects like water jugs.
> it's hard to truly know what's high quality and what's cheaply made junk
The dirty little secret about the fitness industry is that 99% of the product is made in one factory, with different branding and marketing stuck to it.
The pull-up bar you linked has some fancy engineering, but at the end of the day it works in pretty much the exact same way as every other doorframe pull-up bar. This has much less fancy marketing but will do the same job. The weight is distributed against the black horizontal bar and the two bits that touch the vertical part of the frame. Nothing fancy to it, but it works.
My advice would be to get what you can afford and not fall for the marketing and branding. And since you're moving, check that your rental has doorframes that are thick enough to support a pull-up bar. My place, for example, has doorframes that are entirely flush with the wall. There's no bit that sticks out for the horizontal black bar to rest on.
I like the Iron Gym Pull Up Bar on Amazon, works great for me and seems pretty durable so far. Just make sure it will fit your doorway and wont damage the door frame!
The most important thing is changing your diet. Use an app like MyFitnessPal or similar and track your calories. Then, just pick some routine and stick with it. I would suggest doing a good mix of cardio and resistance training. You can start simple like trying to walk a couple of miles 3-4 times a week and do some kind of body weight fitness like push ups and pull ups.
If you plan to eventually join a gym then you may not want to invest a lot in at home equipment so body weight fitness might be the best bet. You could get one of the pull up bars that attach to the door frame. My friend has this one that is pretty nice and sturdy and you can swing it down to do rows if you can't do many pull ups yet.
https://www.amazon.com/Perfect-Basic-Pullup-Pull-Progression/dp/B008DNAKQK#customerReviews
You've got some of that cat proof netting on your window. Make a larger section for your door so you can leave it open while youre not hope and kitty cats can't get inside the room. Get one of those chin up bars thats meant to go into a door frame, the cat proof netting and some shower rail hooks or loosely fitted zip ties so it stays on the chin up bar. Leave yourself a foot or two on the bottom and get yourself heavy sandbags, the kind used to pin down lights and equipment for flimmaking and photography, and a board as wide as the door frame. Rest the board on the extra netting and the sandbags on the board so its nice and secure, just don't get it too tight or it will be nothing but a climbing frame for the cats. So while youre present you can lift up the sandbags, slide your cat netting out of the way and when you want to go out all you have to do is slide the cat proof netting across the chin up bar to cover the door and put your sandbags along the bottom to prevent any cat escaping.
Everything should be easy to remove when winter rolls around or you move out.
Based on no data whatsoever I wouldn't trust the tension ones (like a shower rod) but I have had this one for several years and it has never given me any problems. The only issue we ever had was my wife got drunk and was swinging on it and it fell. Never been even remotely an issue during intended use though.
> My only question: is there some strength training program someone can use at home that excludes the use of equipment/weights? Due to the pandemic all gyms are shut down here and I don’t have equipment at home.
How will you do pulling exercises, or complicate easier bodyweight exercises?
The minimum equipment investment for the program above is a pull-up bar, which is cheap and accessible: https://www.amazon.com/Iron-Gym-Total-Upper-Workout/dp/B001EJMS6K
> Firstly, failing the vertical pull exercise being a viable option, how important is it to have all 6? Would 5 be sufficient? Essentially would the impact be of having 5/6 but not incuding vertical pulls?
You'd be neglecting major muscle groups, which would lead to both visible and invisible muscle imbalance and possible risk of injury.
If you're going to cut out a major compound exercise, choose rows. Together, chin-ups and deadlifts can recruit most of the muscles involved. Further reading: https://outlift.com/the-5-big-compound-lifts/#7-the-fall-of-the-barbell-row
> Secondly, if I were aiming for all 6, which vertical pull exercises would you recommend if working out at home
Any kind of pull-up. Chin-ups would probably suit you most as they target the biceps more.
Doorway pull-up bars are cheap and accessible: https://www.amazon.com/Iron-Gym-Total-Upper-Workout/dp/B001EJMS6K
> How woud you best spread these now 9 or 10 exercises out over a 3 day period?
A PPL program as described above: day 1 (push): bench press/push-ups, overhead press/pike push-ups, day 2 (pull): pull-ups/chin-ups/lat pull-downs, rows, day 3 (legs): deadlifts, squats, (repeat), day 7: active recovery. Do any isolation exercises in the relevant day.
You could buy a $20 over the door frame pull up bars. I’ve had mine for a few years now and I just walk over to any door of mine with a frame, pop it on, and do some pull ups. Probably one of the best $20 I’ve ever spent. Check on Amazon for one. This one is just about exactly what I own: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01H7OW5KY/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awdb_imm_J5H1W23PFZJ8CJTBHJXA
36 inches is the number you're looking for. It will fit immediately inside the door frame, so it will be just a fraction wider than the door itself.
This is the one I have. It's great. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00RJFRV1K/
Ive used a screw-in pull-up bar (like this) with rings for about a year now and it works fine. Rows, Dips etc. are no problem, but I do have to regularly check if its still tightly secured. I also try to avoid any exercise with excessive amounts of swinging and, because I still dont trust the thing completely, any exercise where a fall would lead to serious injury like skin the cat.
I guess what im saying is if youre fine with feeling a little uneasy they work just fine.
Great investment for when I was getting started. You can snag it for ~$25 on Amazon. Multiple grips and you can use it for pull ups, chin ups, crunches, dips, and push ups.
I would put it in the doorway for my room and every time I go in or out of the room I did pull-ups until failure. Now that I'm at the gym often I don't use it as much, but it will definitely last.
Iron Gym Total Upper Body Workout Bar https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001EJMS6K/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_iAeuzb8C0MKY6
I got this on amazon that is very cheap, works well and is very mobile. It’s a pull-up bar that hangs on your door frame and seems to do the job well. I even use it for stretching my back by doing dead-hangs off it.
Iron Gym Total Upper Body Workout Bar https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001EJMS6K/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_qnbIBbA7S16BE
I had this one in WV and it was fine
Ig it depends on what kind of pull up bar you want, if you want one of those that go on the door frame (e.g. https://www.amazon.com/ProSource-Multi-Grip-Chin-Up-Pull-Up-Black/dp/B01H7OW5KY/ref=sr_1_6?crid=1K8L0OI9NGITA&dchild=1&keywords=door+frame+pull-up+bar&qid=1597268900&sprefix=door+frame%2Caps%2C210&sr=8-6)
then you'd probably need to keep the door open whenever you use it, which is really just your call (which is not a big deal if your in apartment style, bigger deal if your only doors open to a shared bathroom and the hallway).
I just purchased this pull up bar last week, so I can't really speak to its longevity. However, it is rated for 300lbs. I know you don't want to drill holes in your doorway, but many of the frame-suspended models end up warping the trim, and (as someone who moves/rents a lot) it's much easier to just patch up tiny screw holes with some spackling. I think for the level of sturdiness you're wanting, a hardware mounted bar will be your best option. Good luck!
I have this one. Nice build quality, used it for years, no damage to door frame. I had a different brand before it, and that other one was flimsy in comparison.
I'm thinking it's from an outdoor/indoor calisthenics park equipment maker. No idea which one and one of the pull up bars looks like it may have a base but not sure as you never really get to see it. I am sure they customize it to the buyers preference and it will cost bank.
I have this A-frame pull up bar. Very stable and I have it set up so I have to do a little jump up to the bar and it's not maxed out for height. I am 5'11"and toes don't touch ground.
I've bought one of these pull up bars and set of dip rings for my house, my in laws house, and my parents house. Cheap and straightforward way to workout. Looks like the rings are sold out but lit any similar ring set will work.
https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B002YQUP7Q/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1
https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B01KHPSXJM/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
This one might work. Might have to add a bit of weight to it, depending on your own weight. But I've seen good reviews on the stability of this one for gymnastics movements.
I would recommend using something like this. It attaches to a doorframe but it spreads the load in a way that the vast majority of doorframes can handle it comfortably.
I found this pull up frame that I haven't pulled the trigger on. The best thing about it for me is how much space it saves; I can easily fold it up and put it away when I'm not using it.
The only con is that I heard that vevor is known for cheap products.
There is an alternative with good reviews on amazon but its pricier at $369 usd.
I really like this alternate. It mounts inside the door frame, but is unique because besides being a pull up bar, it swings down for rows. Hope the link works Perfect basic pullup pull-progression on Amazon
I use this type of bar in a pre-war building and it works fine, but I had it fall off once, because I kept moving it up and down to do different exercises. Since then I just leave it at the top of the frame and tied rings to it for exercises where I need something to hang from at lower positions. I don't use the screws for it but of course it still damages the surface of the door frame a bit. If you're going to repair it anyway and leave it in one position you might as well screw it in and then I don't see why you'd be concerned about stability for this type of bar.
I have bought a lot of these type pull-up bars over the years. No bolts needed.
I would get a freestanding foldable pull up bar like this one ,
a weighted vest, and you have some rings. Paralletes are good too
That combo alone you can do every bodyweight exercise except flags & parallel bar things (but rings can do those, just not a bar)
Then you can train at home when weather is bad, and just bring the setup outside when it is nice.
Looks like this one to me: pull up bar