J-Fit Deluxe Doorway Pull-Up Bar
J-Fit Deluxe Doorway Pull-Up Bar Review Facts
Last summer I saw my ideal physique. Although I’ve been lifting for years, it wasn’t on a bodybuilder.
It was on a gymnast. When I asked the guy what he did to create such a tight, sinewy, powerful body, he told me it all boiled down to one exercise – pull-ups with a bar.
From that moment on I was determined to use pull-ups as the foundation of my daily fitness and eating regimen. But, being a home gym user, that was easier said than done. Having no handy rafters to hang from, I had to start searching for a reliable pull-up bar that I could put up and down in a hurry. It also had to be stable, solid and reliable.
Thank goodness, I came across the J-Fit Deluxe Doorway Pull-Up Bar. This lightweight, heavy-duty piece of equipment has allowed me to train with confidence on pull-ups, chin-ups, and a few other core functional movements that require hanging from a support. The J-Fit Bar may just be what you need to take your home gym to the next level while transforming your body into an efficient machine.
Editor's Pros & Cons
Pros
The bar extends to 40 inches
Patented telescopic threading for extra strength
The bar extends from one end only for fewer stress points
Removable hand grips
Sit up attachment
Cons
Initial installation is tricky, with placement of telescoping end vital
Rubber grips wear out quite easily
A Word About Pull-Up Bars
Before we take our deep dive, here are a few basic requirements to look for in any doorway pull-up bar with information about how the J-Fit Deluxe meets or exceeds them.
Strength – The pull-up bar is going to be supporting your entire body weight, so you need to have confidence in its components, design, and stability when mounting between the door frame. It should be constructed of heavy gauge metal. Ideally, the bar that you grip will be one continuous piece rather than two pieces joined together. The J-Fit Bar is made from a continuous piece of polished stainless steel, with another telescoping piece inside it.
Doorway Requirements – A versatile bar will fit doorways with widths between 24 and 32 inches. This bar does that and extends all the way to 40 inches, a feature that is good to have even if you don’t need it initially.
Handle Grips – Often the hands give out before the back does on pull-ups, so you’ll want a bar that has quality rubber grips at every handgrip position. The one complaint we have about the J-Fit is that, while the grips are comfy and contoured, they wear out relatively quickly.
Maximum Weight Capacity – You need a bar that can comfortably take your body weight and then some. If you weigh 200, we suggest a bar with a 250 pound capacity just in case. Everyone’s body changes, and you may add muscle or decided to do weight plate assisted pull-ups down the road. The J-Fit has a user weight capacity of 250 pounds.
Non-Spin – You don’t want a bar that will spin in your hands, yet many telescopic bars do just that. A bar that has just one telescopic arm will be more likely to hold securely. This is the design used by the makers of this J-Fit Deluxe.
Strength – The pull-up bar is going to be supporting your entire body weight, so you need to have confidence in its components, design, and stability when mounting between the door frame. It should be constructed of heavy gauge metal. Ideally, the bar that you grip will be one continuous piece rather than two pieces joined together. The J-Fit Bar is made from a continuous piece of polished stainless steel, with another telescoping piece inside it.
Doorway Requirements – A versatile bar will fit doorways with widths between 24 and 32 inches. This bar does that and extends all the way to 40 inches, a feature that is good to have even if you don’t need it initially.
Handle Grips – Often the hands give out before the back does on pull-ups, so you’ll want a bar that has quality rubber grips at every handgrip position. The one complaint we have about the J-Fit is that, while the grips are comfy and contoured, they wear out relatively quickly.
Maximum Weight Capacity – You need a bar that can comfortably take your body weight and then some. If you weigh 200, we suggest a bar with a 250 pound capacity just in case. Everyone’s body changes, and you may add muscle or decided to do weight plate assisted pull-ups down the road. The J-Fit has a user weight capacity of 250 pounds.
Non-Spin – You don’t want a bar that will spin in your hands, yet many telescopic bars do just that. A bar that has just one telescopic arm will be more likely to hold securely. This is the design used by the makers of this J-Fit Deluxe.
The Big Picture
This doorway pull-up bar is a telescopic bar. It is a single bar with an arm on one end that can be twisted to make the unit longer. The bar wedges between the door opening to fit securely. It comes with easy to install safety end caps which the bar snugly fits into. The telescopic bar features a patented internal mechanism, that places the threads very close together. This makes the winding process a little slower than normal but ensures that the bar will not unwind while in use. This patented telescopic mechanism alow makes taking the bar down a breeze – you only need to unwind one side to do so.
A great feature of this J-Fit Doorway bar is that it can extend to fit doorways up to 40 inches in width. This makes it one of the longest bars on the market. The fact the bar telescopes from one end only means that the strength of the unit will not be compromised as the length increases.
This pull-up bar comes with adjustable grips to allow you to customize the positioning of your hand supports. You can also purchase replacement grips, allowing you to have permanent grips in multiple locations on the bar. A sit-up attachment is included with the bar to allow you to perform abdominal and trunk exercises.
A couple of points to note from online users: the bar must be installed with the extendable arm to the right of the door (facing the door) or it will not work properly. Also, more than one user has mentioned that the removable hand grips are not the best quality and may wear out within a few months.
A great feature of this J-Fit Doorway bar is that it can extend to fit doorways up to 40 inches in width. This makes it one of the longest bars on the market. The fact the bar telescopes from one end only means that the strength of the unit will not be compromised as the length increases.
This pull-up bar comes with adjustable grips to allow you to customize the positioning of your hand supports. You can also purchase replacement grips, allowing you to have permanent grips in multiple locations on the bar. A sit-up attachment is included with the bar to allow you to perform abdominal and trunk exercises.
A couple of points to note from online users: the bar must be installed with the extendable arm to the right of the door (facing the door) or it will not work properly. Also, more than one user has mentioned that the removable hand grips are not the best quality and may wear out within a few months.
Extra Perks
The J-Fit has a few features that set it apart from similar and competing products. Here is a rundown.
At 40 inches, the bar is extra-long and wide, letting it stretch between the sides of almost any door frame in a residence or even light commercial building. Many modern doorways are non-standard width, severely limiting your options when using shorter bars. And, because the J-Fit bar doesn’t hang over the lip of the door, it can be used on doors without any frames.
A patented telescopic mechanism contains closer than normal threading of the telescopic bar. That makes it much stronger than usual, giving you the peace of mind that it will be able to handle your body weight and, perhaps, extra resistance for a harder workout.
Only one end is telescopic. This is another means of fortifying the strength of the unit to enhance safety and durability.
The detachable movable hand grips allow you to customize your grip placement, giving you greater gripping strength and preventing slips or falls from excess sweat. If you want to challenge yourself with a little less comfort and assistance, too, you can take the grips off and wear gloves or go barehanded.
A sit-up bar attachment allows you to set the bar between the frame at ground level for augmented situps and crunches. Since there are no screws or anchor holes, setting yourself up for these floor exercises is a breeze.
If you want extra security or are worried about falling injuries, you can add the mounting brackets that screw into the wall. The brackets leave the bar itself free, so you can still take it down for sit-ups if you wish.
At 40 inches, the bar is extra-long and wide, letting it stretch between the sides of almost any door frame in a residence or even light commercial building. Many modern doorways are non-standard width, severely limiting your options when using shorter bars. And, because the J-Fit bar doesn’t hang over the lip of the door, it can be used on doors without any frames.
A patented telescopic mechanism contains closer than normal threading of the telescopic bar. That makes it much stronger than usual, giving you the peace of mind that it will be able to handle your body weight and, perhaps, extra resistance for a harder workout.
Only one end is telescopic. This is another means of fortifying the strength of the unit to enhance safety and durability.
The detachable movable hand grips allow you to customize your grip placement, giving you greater gripping strength and preventing slips or falls from excess sweat. If you want to challenge yourself with a little less comfort and assistance, too, you can take the grips off and wear gloves or go barehanded.
A sit-up bar attachment allows you to set the bar between the frame at ground level for augmented situps and crunches. Since there are no screws or anchor holes, setting yourself up for these floor exercises is a breeze.
If you want extra security or are worried about falling injuries, you can add the mounting brackets that screw into the wall. The brackets leave the bar itself free, so you can still take it down for sit-ups if you wish.
More About J-Fit
J-Fit founder Jodi Lernihan sold sports and fitness equipment out of various stores for around 20 years before launching her new business, which provides portable, easy to use home fitness equipment for people on a budget. J-Fit does not make or sell any cardio machines or other larger fixed equipment. Instead, they specialize in living room staples like medicine balls, resistance bands, fitness DVDs, and low fixed weight dumbbells. You can also find kettlebells, foam rollers, yoga mats, and low profile pedal exercisers on their website. Focusing on a narrow range of products, and limiting the size to keep consumer costs down, enables Lernihan and her team to bring us the Deluxe and similar simple but reliable products.
What You Can Do With It
Though pull-ups and chin-ups are the most obvious application, they are far from the only things you can do with the J-Fit Deluxe. The ability to move it to various heights lets you expand your exercise base, challenge your muscles in new ways, and keep your practice from getting stale while you avoid overuse injuries.
Move the bar to approximately the height of a coffee table, and you can do incline push-ups. These target fine muscle groups in your arms, chest, shoulders, and trunk, groups that are overlooked when you stay only with traditional push-ups. You can vary the height and even do a standing push-up, which is great for beginners because it takes much of the pressure off your back.
Or bring the bar down to the floor, grab hold with both hands, and give yourself a stability challenge while you perform standard push-ups.
You can also face away from the door, with your back to the bar, and place your feet on the floor with legs extended. Now you can target your triceps and back with a few sets of dips, and you don’t even need a set of dip bars.
Other options include hanging leg raises or twists, elevated planks or side planks (try that for the balance!), and just hanging on the bar for a set time while you work your way up to performing a pull-up. Having the bar in your home means not having to feel self-conscious if you are a total beginner or just new to hauling your own body weight up and down through space.
Move the bar to approximately the height of a coffee table, and you can do incline push-ups. These target fine muscle groups in your arms, chest, shoulders, and trunk, groups that are overlooked when you stay only with traditional push-ups. You can vary the height and even do a standing push-up, which is great for beginners because it takes much of the pressure off your back.
Or bring the bar down to the floor, grab hold with both hands, and give yourself a stability challenge while you perform standard push-ups.
You can also face away from the door, with your back to the bar, and place your feet on the floor with legs extended. Now you can target your triceps and back with a few sets of dips, and you don’t even need a set of dip bars.
Other options include hanging leg raises or twists, elevated planks or side planks (try that for the balance!), and just hanging on the bar for a set time while you work your way up to performing a pull-up. Having the bar in your home means not having to feel self-conscious if you are a total beginner or just new to hauling your own body weight up and down through space.
Stick With It Factor
The peace of mind, ease of use, comfort, and versatility of this J-Fit bar all tell us you will want to use it, perhaps every day. You can’t help but see it every time you pass by it, so why not challenge yourself? You don’t even need gym clothes to knock out a few confidence-boosting pull-ups and start your day feeling energized.
The Final Word
The simplicity of the J-Fit Pull-Up Bar is what makes it appealing to a wide variety of users. The smooth polished steel will not tear your hands, though you definitely want to wear gloves, use the rubber grips, or do both. The bar installs easily and stays in place. You can use the mounting brackets and screws for added rigidity. Since the bar only telescopes on one end, it gives you added security and feels solid when you hang your whole weight on it. Like J-Cups on a squat rack, you can quickly move the bar up and down in the doorway for a variety of challenging exercises or your own custom circuit.
The only drawbacks we found were that the rubber grips aren’t as durable as we’d like, and the weight capacity tops out at 250 pounds. There are no limits on who can learn to do a pull-up, provided they have the use of one or both arms, and the weight capacity shouldn’t be that limited either.
The only drawbacks we found were that the rubber grips aren’t as durable as we’d like, and the weight capacity tops out at 250 pounds. There are no limits on who can learn to do a pull-up, provided they have the use of one or both arms, and the weight capacity shouldn’t be that limited either.
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