44 Random Places to do Pull-ups, Inverted Rows and Dip Variations
By now I am sure that the reader’s of this site know how much of a passion that I have for Pull-ups and Dips. They are very accessible and are also the kings of upper body exercises. One quick look at male gymnast’s is all you need to see to know the importance and potential that these two exercises have for building up the upper body. Now don’t get me wrong, I am not saying that these two exercises alone will build you a complete upper body, but if you get strong on Pull-ups, Inverted Rows, Dip and Pushup variations then your chest, arms, back, core and shoulders will still look pretty damn good especially if you get to the point to where you start adding weight with a weight vest or a dip belt. The muscles in your upper body that will be lagging once you get good at these 4 movements will still be your traps, neck, side delts, lower back and muscles of that nature.
One of the main objectives of Fitworldexposed is that we are trying to show everybody that you don’t have to belong to a big fancy gym to be big and strong (It could definitely help, but it’s not like we couldn’t get strong if all of the gym’s in the world got burned down). Many people like to make up excuses and say that they can’t afford a gym or don’t have enough time. Some people take it to another extreme and say that they can’t afford to buy Pull-up or dip bars.
These days, excuses are over because today I will be showing you random places to do Pull-ups and Dips, FREE OF CHARGE!
1) Pull-ups or Chin-ups could be done on street lights. (Just make sure you avoid the police because you don’t want to get a ticket).
2) Pull-ups and Chin-ups on a stable tree branch could work too.
3) Go to your local park and you could do Pull-ups or Chin-ups on the monkey bars. You could also do Dips on these as well.3
4) You could also do Pull-ups or Chin-ups on a soccer net. They usually have thicker handles so you can also work on your grip.
5) Swing sets are also a decent place to do Pull-ups or Chin-ups.
6) This is a funny place, but it’s true, you could even do Pull-ups or Chin-ups in the bathroom.
7) Basketball rims. Just make sure that you don’t break the rim.
8) Pull-ups can also be done in the streets.
9) Pull-ups can be done on top of stairs if you have something to grip, just make sure that it isn’t too high because you want to come down safely.
10) If you happen to find a stable rock that isn’t too high because you want to get down safely then it could be a great way to do pull-ups.
11) Pull-ups and Chin-ups could be done if you have a stable straight piece of wood. Make sure that it isn’t too high because you want to get down safely.
12) Pull-ups can be done under stairs as well, they are leaning pull-ups but they are still an option if you are desperate to do pull-ups.
13) Pull-ups and Chin-ups can also be done under a fence if you
14) Pull-ups can be done over a door if you have enough of a strong grip and if you have enough room to fit your hands
15) In extremely desperate cases, you could do pull-ups on a statue!
16) Pull-ups and Chins can also be done under a ladder, but just make sure that it is stable enough to support your bodyweight.
17) If you know where to find ropes then you could do rope pull-ups. Warning: these can be hard on your elbows if you aren’t experienced with pull-ups.
18) Pull-ups and Chin-ups could also be done on the subway if you are extremely desperate as well.
19) Chin-ups and Pull-ups can be done under the bus stop as well.
20) This is a photo of Trinidad James doing pull-ups during his video, no excuses.
21) Some people have a piece of wood on their ceiling, if you do then make sure that it is stable enough to support your bodyweight.
22) Some shelters have a lot of bars which could be use for pull-up variations.
23) If you are lucky enough to have a stable sewage pipe that could hold your bodyweight then consider yourself lucky!
I am now going to discuss a different variation of the pull-up called the inverted row, but it is also known as the Fatman Pull-up so I decided to add this to the list. What you must understand is that pull-ups are a great exercise, but in order to have a balanced back and prevent injuries, you must include some rowing variations just to make sure that you have all of your bases covered. A program without horizontal pulling is a recipe for disaster.
24) Fatman Pull-ups can be done in the park.
25) Inverted rows can also be done under a table as long as it is stable enough to support your weight.
26) Inverted Rows can also be done hanging from monkey bars, you can even put your feet over the bars to make it easier.
27) If you have a stable stick, you can put it between two chairs and do inverted rows.
28) If you have two saw horses then you can perform inverted rows. You might also need a stable bar or two, but these are pretty affordable.
Now on to the Dips…
1) Many parks have parallel dip bars, hopefully yours does too! If it doesn’t then keep reading below.
2) Dips in the corner of the kitchen
3) Dips can be done in the corner of a fence.
4) Dips can also be done on bike stands if they are up high enough.
5) Dips can be done between 2 stable tables as long as they are both the same height.
6) If ever the escalator stops, you could do Dips like the man in the photo above.
7) If you happen to own a pair of gymnastic rings or a TRX suspension strap system then you can do dips (if you are strong enough).
8) Dips can be done between two benches just like Hannibal in the picture above.
9) Believe it or not, you can actually do Dips on a straight bar, they are a lot harder and they are an advanced variation, but sometimes you have to make due with what you have.
10) If you are on a balcony with a corner that is high and stable enough then you can do Dips, just be very careful if you are on a high balcony, this one is for very desperate trainees.
11) If you have access to 2 pieces of wood then you can do Dips.
12) No Dip bars in your gym? Take 2 barbells and put them in a power rack.
13) You can do Dips between bunk beds, the cool thing about this is that you can adjust the bunk beds the way that you want so if you want to do close grip Dips for triceps then you could do that. Its hard to work the triceps without a close grip.
14) Dips can be done between these if they are stable enough.
15) Dips can also be done between two saw horses (just make sure that they are the appropriate height and can support your bodyweight).
16) In very desperate times, you can do Dips between two people, just make sure that they are about the same height to prevent imbalances between shoulders.
Conclusion:
There you have it, different places to do Pull-ups, inverted rows or Dips. Now there are no excuses for having a weak upper body. If you progress to the point where you can do:
• 15 Pull-ups with a 5second isometric hold at the top and 5second isometric hold at the bottom of each repetition.
• 20 Dips with a 5second isometric hold at the top and 5second isometric hold at the bottom of each repetition.
• 20 Inverted Rows/Fatman Pull-ups with a 5second isometric hold at the top and 5second isometric hold at the bottom of each repetition.
then you will have a far better looking upper body than the average person walking on the street. You don’t have to do isometric holds if you don’t want to, you can add weight instead with a weighted vest, backpack, chains or bands, but the important thing is that you keep progressing without sacrificing form and staying injury free.
Also note that I didn’t write chair Dips for a reason. Chair Dips are just shoulder killers and should be eliminated from your program. There are other alternatives. You should especially avoid doing chair Dips with added weight. Fitworldexposed is usually very understanding when it comes to every exercise having a certain importance, but we don’t condone in bench dips.
I hope this article was able to shed a bit of light on you and show you that you don’t have to belong to a big and fancy gym to be big and strong (It does help), but some people can survive without it. Stop making excuses and start making progress. If you are making excuses then you probably don’t want it bad enough. This article wasn’t made for you to do pull-up workouts on streetlights, but just to show you that fitness is accessible and that you just have to be creative if you are limited with equipment.